Which external hard drive?

TomsMom

My WD Passport external hard drive seems to have given up the ghost. I'd like a new one as a back up for all the files on my computer's hard drive.

Can anyone recommend a portable hard drive, simple enough for a tech numpty , I just want to plug it in and it does the rest sort of thing. I do realise that I'll have to physically do a couple of clicks to back up the files though .

Does it really need to be plugged into a port on the back of the tower or can it be plugged in one of the two ports on the front? Someone told me the front ones aren't so powerful (if I've remembered that correctly). The port at the back is hard to get to and I've forgotten which thing it is . It sucks being technically challenged!

enfield_freddy

the ports on your computer might be of 3 types usb1, usb2, usb3 ,


usb1 has more or less disappeared , usb3 is a lot faster than usb2.


you can physically see the difference , usb2 are black usb3 are blue ,


dependent on the age of your computer it might be usb2 or 3 , and the usb3 ports might be on the back.


most new drives are usb 3 and have a blue plug , they are interchangeable , ie: a usb 3 will fit in a usb2 socket and visa versa

TomsMom

Well the two on the front are definitely not blue, I can only see white. I have had it for a few years now, certainly more than five.

enfield_freddy

sorry , I meant white (or black) usb 3 are BLUE


so it should not make any difference if you plug in the front or the back ,


as I said , most new(er) drives will be usb3 , which is backward compatible

London50

Something like this do??

http://www.clickfree.com/product_attribute_selector/show/id/C6D/lang/1

grumpycrab

"money saving" ideas (£50 for 2TB)
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/western-digital-2-tb-usb-3-0-portal-external-2-5-inch-drive-passport-ultra-2tb-red-2220382
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/seagate-expansion-2tb-usb-3-0-desktop-3-5-inch-external-hard-drive-49-98-amazon-2219806

Samsonite1

You can get a short extension cable (a few inches) which you plug into the back to make using the port much easier.

How much space do you need?
Do you want the drive to be powered from the USB port or is having a separate power supply ok (e.g. the drive is not going to move around much)?

enfield_freddy

external power is only needed when using a larger 3.5 inch drive , most (if not all) 2.5mm portable drives are happy to be powered by the USB port


as discussed above , the ports on the front of the machine should be identical to the ones on the rear , so the OP can plug into the more handy front ports

Samsonite1

The ports on the front are not the same. Rear ports are built into the motherboard. Front ports are built into the case and are connected to pins on the motherboard. My case is old so only has front USB 2, but the rear ports are USB 3.

For the OP they are probably all USB 2. They could get a USB 3 card but the front ports would still be USB 2.

TomsMom

Samsonite1 wrote: »

You can get a short extension cable (a few inches) which you plug into the back to make using the port much easier.

How much space do you need?
Do you want the drive to be powered from the USB port or is having a separate power supply ok (e.g. the drive is not going to move around much)?

enfield_freddy wrote: »

external power is only needed when using a larger 3.5 inch drive , most (if not all) 2.5mm portable drives are happy to be powered by the USB port


as discussed above , the ports on the front of the machine should be identical to the ones on the rear , so the OP can plug into the more handy front ports

The two front ones are only used occasionally, nothing permanently is plugged in there. It's just that my late hubby plugged the existing one in the back as it was never unplugged so it left the front ones free for downloading from camera occasionally or using a memory stick. As long as it doesn't affect performance then it will be OK to go in one of the front ports, I'll still have the other one free for the camera or memory stick.

I really appreciate all your comments, thanks

John_Gray

Samsonite1 wrote: »

The ports on the front are not the same. Rear ports are built into the motherboard. Front ports are built into the case and are connected to pins on the motherboard.

The only real difference between the USB 2.0 sockets at the front of a computer system unit and the back is their physical location. 'Stuff' plugged into the front is more likely to be knocked by errant feet, vacuum cleaners, inquisitive children, and so on.

In practice ALL USB 2.0 sockets provide exactly the same voltage and other characteristics.