External Hard Drive Advice

[Blue Belle]

I'm looking to buy an external hard drive to back up my files. I tried looking up information online, and it seems that some of them die within a few months, some use difficult software, etc. I think I'd prefer a plug and play. Does anyone have external hard drives that they find reliable?

[PRH]

I just sold a brand new one last month! ( if I would have known... ) :)

[DandyLioness]

Blue, mine was one of the hard drives that died after just a few months. Of course, HP replaced the hard drive and sent me the recovery disk, so I can at least back up to factory level, anyhow.

I really should back up my stuff....

[Blue Belle]

What do you mean by "back up to factory level"? :unsure: I'm talking about an external drive. There is no factory level for an external, is there? Now I'm confused. Waaaa! I thought you just back up your files to the external hard drive, like you would to a disk.

[boo]

Mine is a Maxtor Hard Drive. I've been using it for a few years now and never a problem. Real simple :)

[Blue Belle]

Boo, is it a "plug and play" where you just plug it in and can copy to it right away, or does it have software you have to install first? I keep hearing about some that have software and it changes your registry and can cause problems.

[boo]

I thought you just back up your files to the external hard drive, like you would to a disk.

Yep, plug it into a port & dump your stuff. :unsure: :ph34r: :-x

[Blue Belle]

Ok, good. Whew! That's how we do it at work, but I don't know how they set it up originally. Dandy must have been talking about her computer hard drive, not an external one. I know with computer hard drives you have to restore to factory level if you get a new one (i.e. put the original programs back on).

[DandyLioness]

That's exactly what I was talking about... and exactly why I said that I should begin to back up my stuff.

[Blue Belle]

That's what I figured. What I was talking about was external hard drives that die after a few months. You back everything onto them, then if they die, you lose everything that's backed up. :rolleyes: So I want to get feedback on them so that I can buy a reliable one.

[joclyn]

get a flash drive!!

they hold tons (up to 4 gb). much cheaper than external drives and they work just like a cd or a floppy...just copy the files over and you're set!

[Audwoman]

I have a Western Digital. Mine is 3 years old. It is plug and play very easy.

[Blue Belle]

get a flash drive!!

they hold tons (up to 4 gb). much cheaper than external drives and they work just like a cd or a floppy...just copy the files over and you're set!
I'm looking for something more like 500 GB to 750 GB, which most external hard drives hold now. I think the flash drives are more for travel and transferring files.

[Cazimere]

Unlimited memory with a delete function :)

[Blue Belle]

That doesn't look very unlimited to me. I'd go through it in a week. Whining takes up a lot of space.

[Pennylee]

Blue Belle if you still need some advice, I have found that the young
salesmen in the electronic shop are willing to talk about specific
items, even if you are not about to buy from the shop that day.
They can always see how untechnical I am, but even so,
they have always steered me successfully so far.

If Boo recommends her brand, maybe you could start off with asking about
it.

[Mainegal]

I got a maxtor OneTouch4 500gb, not sure how it is as i've never hooked it up, it's on the list of things to get done. got it last yr the day after Thanksgiving....lol
it's one that you just have to plug in and dump the stuff
anxious to see what people have

[Blue Belle]

Pennylee, I wanted feedback from people who have used them, preferably for more than a year. I did a lot of research online, and all the reviews have at least some people saying theirs have malfunctioned after using them for a while. I've found that all salespeople want to do is sell you something. A lot of the things they've never used themselves.

[Pennylee]

I must have been very lucky, Blue Belle, or maybe it's the She could be my Granny effect! I haven't been pressured to buy from them, once, and the best
thing was that they understood what I was trying to ask about.

Do you have "Choice Magazine"? That or a similar review type publication which sums up overall experiences
might offer some good advice. It does sound a hard decision to make, even
from hearing varied experiences from users.

[Blue Belle]

I don't mean pressured, really, just that they're not really honest. I'm trying to find out which drives don't break down easily. It's rare that a salesperson is going to tell you that about their product. The only time I've had them give that kind of info is if it's about another store's products. ;)

[Blue Belle]

I finally got the external hard drive. I had decided on three that I liked, and was waiting for a decent sale to come up. They all seemed to be in the $170 range. One finally came up, only a 250 GB, but more than I need anyway, on sale for $60! It's a Maxtor. I set it up yesterday and it works fine. I copied my files over with no problems. I even got a flash drive for $8. Spiffy little thing. It's smaller than a lipstick! Thanks for all your feedback!

[boo]

It's smaller than a lipstick! Thanks for all your feedback!

Uh Oh :) You know how many lipsticks I've lost. Glad you got one and its working well for you.

[Blue Belle]

lol I thought the same thing. I wonder how long I'll have it before it's "misplaced". That is the flash drive that's the small thing. The external hard drive is a regular size. Hopefully it'll have a long life.