External Hard Drive

Fag_ash_lil

Hi ya ,

I was hoping that somebody on here could please help me ..

To cut a long story short ... I have just got myself a new laptop with Windows 7 ...

The desktop pc i was using had vista on it .... because my desktop is " newer " than my dads pc which has xp on it .... i offered to swop my pc for my dads one ....( I only want his one here as a spare if anything happens to my laptop ! )

But i am now trying to get my files etc from my pc onto my laptop then swop over with my dad ...
Ebay do a " special offer of the day " ... todays offer is an 80GB external hard drive ... which seems pretty cheap ...

Here's a link to it http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300554007921&_trkparms=clkid%3D8944313703096344185

I have never used one of these ... and was hoping that somebody could take a look and let me know if you think its suitable ??

Thanks in advance

terri x

RussJK

Fag_ash_lil wrote: »

H
Ebay do a " special offer of the day " ... todays offer is an 80GB external hard drive ... which seems pretty cheap ...

An alternative is that you just transfer the files over a network, thus saving you time and effort. Best to use network/ethernet cables to the router (or buy a crossover ethernet cable if for some reason you don't have a router).

What you have linked to is actually a 2.5" portable hard drive, meaning it is USB powered instead of mains powered like a 3.5" external drive.

It's small in capacity for a portable hard drive. It's for people who want a convenient & cheap storage option with decent enough space, but don't want to break the £20 mark. Consider for perspective - a 16gb USB stick can be bought for around the same price, cheaper for a slow one and more expensive for a decently fast one, e.g. around £21. Similarly, for double the price, you can easily get a 250gb or 320gb USB powered portable HDD.

You just seem to want something for a one-time affair. IMO you should get a decently sized portable or external HDD that is better cost vs capacity, and use it as a backup drive.

Question: does your new laptop support USB 3? If so, make sure you get a USB 3 capable portable or external drive.

LucianH

My view is that it's cheap but it's sooo small for a hard drive - only 80GB. If you have not got a lot a data to transfer then it'll do the job but it won't be much use for other things.

I personally would go for a larger drive which will be much more useful for longer term backup usage. Even PC World do a Western Digital 1TB drive for £45 - a lot more bytes for your buck. I'm sure if you shop around you'll get a good size for a reasonable price.

Fag_ash_lil

RussJK wrote: »

Question: does your new laptop support USB 3? If so, make sure you get a USB 3 capable portable or external drive.

Hi ya ... Thanks for your reply ..
I've got a sony vaio laptop ... and just had to " google " to see if it supports USB 3 ! ... It doesn't seem to ...

terri x

LucianH

Fag_ash_lil wrote: »

Hi ya ... Thanks for your reply ..
I've got a sony vaio laptop ... and just had to " google " to see if it supports USB 3 ! ... It doesn't seem to ...

terri x

The 1Tbyte drive I mention above is USB 2 so should be OK. The details are at http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/wd-elements-external-hard-drive-1tb-03661634-pdt.html. I've used WD drives in the past with no probs.

Fag_ash_lil

LucianH wrote: »

My view is that it's cheap but it's sooo small for a hard drive - only 80GB. If you have not got a lot a data to transfer then it'll do the job but it won't be much use for other things.

I personally would go for a larger drive which will be much more useful for longer term backup usage. Even PC World do a Western Digital 1TB drive for £45 - a lot more bytes for your buck. I'm sure if you shop around you'll get a good size for a reasonable price.

RussJK wrote: »

It's small in capacity for a portable hard drive. It's for people who want a convenient & cheap storage option with decent enough space, but don't want to break the £20 mark. Consider for perspective - a 16gb USB stick can be bought for around the same price, cheaper for a slow one and more expensive for a decently fast one, e.g. around £21. Similarly, for double the price, you can easily get a 250gb or 320gb USB powered portable HDD.

You just seem to want something for a one-time affair. IMO you should get a decently sized portable or external HDD that is better cost vs capacity, and use it as a backup drive.

.

Thank you both very much :T .... Will take your advice and look for a decent sized one and give the Ebay one a miss ...

terri x

Fag_ash_lil

LucianH wrote: »

The 1Tbyte drive I mention above is USB 2 so should be OK. The details are at http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/wd-elements-external-hard-drive-1tb-03661634-pdt.html. I've used WD drives in the past with no probs.

Great .. Thanks alot .... As you can probably tell i really didn't have a clue what i was looking for ! It just so happened that the Ebay one was emailed to me 2day ...

terri x

RussJK

Fag_ash_lil wrote: »

Great .. Thanks alot .... As you can probably tell i really didn't have a clue what i was looking for ! It just so happened that the Ebay one was emailed to me 2day ...

terri x

It's not a terrible drive or necessarily a bad buy, and for the right person would be ideal - but for most it's a false economy. It would be better suited to someone who needs more capacity than a USB stick, and who frequently accesses the HDD on the move.

(I mean you could easily install Windows 7 on a 25gb partition and use that on the go, along with a modest data partition)

You can't go wrong with the WD drive the other poster recommended.