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    What's in your external hard drive?

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by TheVirtualDude, Jan 4, 2009.

  1. TheVirtualDude

    TheVirtualDude Notebook Guru

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    I was just recently reading a thread on building your own external hard drive buy purchasing your own hard drive and a separate enclosure. But I am curious what everyone out there is using their external drives for and what kind of applications/software would be your recommendations that we should be carrying around on those drives? Are there some software utilities, programs, files that we should all be carrying around with us on these portables, etc? Do you have separate drives for backups?
     
    TheVirtualDude, Jan 4, 2009
    #1
  2. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    What do you mean by utilities? Like software or hardware (cables)?

    You just need the USB cable and thats it. Unless you get a 3.5" drive which requires an external power source.
     
    flipfire, Jan 4, 2009
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  3. Jlbrightbill

    Jlbrightbill Notebook Deity

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    True Crypt
     
    Jlbrightbill, Jan 4, 2009
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  4. TheVirtualDude

    TheVirtualDude Notebook Guru

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    Sorry, I should have clarified, I meant software utilities.
     
    TheVirtualDude, Jan 4, 2009
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  5. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    I dont really have any utilities other than JKdefrag.

    Encryption isnt really necessary unless you plan to store very sensitive data.
     
    flipfire, Jan 4, 2009
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  6. TheVirtualDude

    TheVirtualDude Notebook Guru

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    Are you then just using your external drive mainly for laptop backups?
     
    TheVirtualDude, Jan 4, 2009
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  7. Hirohata

    Hirohata GBF Danchou

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    I have 2 500GB external HDD that I basically use for file storage/backup. Though I have burnt a few DVDs since I'm running out of space...
     
    Hirohata, Jan 4, 2009
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  8. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    Yeah, backups and file storage.

    You can install your games on it, loading times will take longer though.
     
    flipfire, Jan 4, 2009
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  9. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    I only use my external for backups. :cool:
     
    pixelot, Jan 4, 2009
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  10. FoxTrot1337

    FoxTrot1337 Notebook Deity

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    I have used my external to store downloads and for backups.

    And it's also great when you have multiple computers, you can set it to share.
     
    FoxTrot1337, Jan 4, 2009
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  11. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I've now got 3 external HDDs...
    actual values in brackets

    250GB (232GB)
    500GB (465GB)
    1TB (931GB)

    I keep all my data on them.
    This winter holiday I generated about 45GB of data in about 1 week - DSLR pictures 20GB and photoshop panorama stitching another 25GB...
     
    DetlevCM, Jan 5, 2009
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  12. Huskerz85

    Huskerz85 Notebook Evangelist

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    Just backups (MP3 Collection, Pictures, misc. FrontPage stuff, imp. docs) as well as my TV Show-Movie Collection and misc. game related downloads (GTA & Bridge Commander mods etc).

    One of the 'things to buy' after I get my lappy is a 1TB+ external drive where I can combine it all together.
     
    Huskerz85, Jan 7, 2009
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  13. Kamin_Majere

    Kamin_Majere =][= Ordo Hereticus

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    I use mine for back up purposes.
    2 x 500gb drives, each with a copy of my data so i'm covered if one drive goes down.

    I couldnt imagine using a USB connection for any actual usage, though i might have to upgrade my cases to Esata so data transfers will be alot faster
     
    Kamin_Majere, Jan 7, 2009
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  14. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    USB works fine - I'm doing that - no problems at all - in fact, 3HDDs off the same HUB + an X-Fi go on the same Hub
     
    DetlevCM, Jan 7, 2009
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  15. Gadgetsman

    Gadgetsman Newbie

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    I use my external hard drive to store downloads/games and all that kind of stuff.

    I do most of my backups on cd.
     
    Gadgetsman, Jan 7, 2009
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  16. CalebSchmerge

    CalebSchmerge Woof NBR Reviewer

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    I use mine for backup primarily. Before Christmas my 160GB external was my HTPC storage drive, but my new 1.5TB Drive is doing that now.
     
    CalebSchmerge, Jan 7, 2009
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  17. TheVirtualDude

    TheVirtualDude Notebook Guru

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    Now are you all doing manual backups, like drag and drop? Using some software like windows backup or some other file sync application? Recently I have been trying out "Allway Sync 'n Go". Not bad so far. There is a portable app that you can install on the external drive that will recognize when you plug the drive in, then it will automatically start your backup.
     
    TheVirtualDude, Jan 8, 2009
    #17