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    Best way to hook up external drive to my T61p?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by The Fire Snake, Aug 26, 2008.

  1. The Fire Snake

    The Fire Snake Notebook Virtuoso

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    I just upgraded my harddrive in my Thinkpad and I have a left over 80 Gb 2.5" Fujitsu 5400rpm drive that I want to put in an enclosure. I want to use it as an external drive to backup some files. What is the best way to connect this to my Thinkpad? This will help me determine what features/ports to look for and will help me choose an enclosure.

    Should I go USB 2.0, Firewire? eSATA sounds interesting, but the T61p doesn't have an eSATA port. Any way to still use this using a conversion cable?

    Any suggestions on the fastest and most reliable hookup? Thanks. :)
     
    The Fire Snake, Aug 26, 2008
    #1
  2. Bog

    Bog Losing it...

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    If you don't have an eSATA port, then USB/Firewire is the next best thing, with both interfaces offering similar performance. Go with the slightly more expensive Firewire if you plan to have it plugged in all the time (so that you leave a USB port free).
     
    Bog, Aug 26, 2008
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  3. strangesweet

    strangesweet Notebook Deity

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    Perhaps buy an eSATA express card? I had a chance to plug my hard drive enclosure using eSATA once and I must say that I was very impressive with the speed. But I think that if you're not doing a lot of file transfer, just save money and go with either USB.
     
    strangesweet, Aug 26, 2008
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  4. Lew

    Lew Notebook Deity

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    4-pin firewire port likely does not provide power -- the drive will either need an AC adapter or a USB power source. This can be a pain.

    I've no direct experience with eSata, but understand the same tends to be true -- it isn't self-powered like USB.

    I'd go with a basic USB enclosure for simplicity.
     
    Lew, Aug 26, 2008
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  5. T61W2008

    T61W2008 Notebook Geek

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    there is an ultrabay HD adapter from Lenovo. if you don't use cd/dvd regularly, you can always have a second HD plugged in.
     
    T61W2008, Sep 3, 2008
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  6. dallasb

    dallasb Notebook Enthusiast

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    If you just want to do backups you can get an inexpensive 2.5" enclosure from Newegg for around $20 (I think I paid $18 for one that came with a case and cords) and just plug it into the back of the dock. We buy the Lenovo 80GB external USB drives at work for backups and they perform fine. Rescue and Recovery, if you decide to use it with the drive, works very well for full systems restores and individual file recovery. It has saved me some grief on several occations.

    If you were using the drive for day-to-day use USB might be to slow, but if you are just doing backups the extra money might be better spent on something else...a new bag, mouse, beer whatever.
     
    dallasb, Sep 3, 2008
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