External Hard Drive Vs Portable Storage Device

1. External Hard Drive Vs Portable Storage Device Reviews
2. External Storage Drives For Pc

At the very basic level, desktop external hard drives need to be plugged into a power socket, while the portable variety draws power from the USB port when it's connected to your PC or laptop. The desktop variety uses a 3.5-inch drive that operates at 7200rpm, while portables use a 2.5-inch drive that run at 5400rpm. Unlike the device which's constantly connected to the computing machines, external hard drives are also portable, which means that they can get dropped, knocked, crushed. The connected storage devices, in fact the entire computing machine is cooled by means of fans. A single-volume external storage device generally has the maximum capacity of its single internal drive, which for now is 4TB or 2TB, depending on the type of internal drive being used, 3.5-inch.

Summary :

How to use an external hard drive? In this article, you can know how to add an external drive to your computer. In addition, you are offered the way to manage, use and maintain an external hard drive. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a good tool to help you to manage the drive.

What Is an External Hard Drive

An external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer wirelessly,or through a USB FireWire connection. It becomes more and more popular in computer users for the following benefits:

1. It is portable. An external hard drive can be connected to almost all computers because they have a USB port. Therefore, you can easily pick up your external hard drive, take it out and connect it to another computer.
2. It comes with a high storage capacity. An external hard drive can store much larger data than a USB flash drive. It helps a lot if you are found of videos or audios, whichtake up a large amount of disk space. In addition, you can use it to store lots of photos, entire programs, and more on it.
3. It is a safe Backup Device. To avoid data loss, you can use an external hard drive to back up your files and programs. After system crashes, you can easily connect the external hard drive to another computer so that you can recover important data.
4. It is easy to be upgraded. If your external hard drive is running out of storage space for your backup files, you can easily replace it with a bigger one.
5. It can prevent your computer from getting clogged up with downloads and large files. You could transfer large files from your computer to an external hard driveto improve

How to Add an External Hard Drive to Your Computer

If you get a new external hard drive, you need to add it to your computer before you can use it. Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Plug one end of the external hard drive's cable (usually the larger end) into the USB port on the housing to see whether it works.

Step 2: Plug the other end of the cable into your external hard drive.

Step 3: Now you need to format the external hard drive.

1. Double click This PC.
2. Right-click your external hard drive and choose Format...from menu.
3. Uncheck Quick Formatand select a file system. Then click Start.

After formatting the external hard drive, you should partition the drive reasonably for better management. As for partitioning tool, you can choose freeware MiniTool Partition Wizard.

How to Use an External Hard Drive in Windows 10

Extra Storage Device

It has been mentioned that an external hard drive has many benefits. The basic one is to use it as an extra storage device, especially when you need to free up disk space.

You can transfer files to an external hard drive after you connect it to your computer. Here is a tutorial on how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10.

Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Select the folders or files you want to move and press Ctrl + X to cut them.

Step 3: Click your external hard drive from the left action panel to access the external hard drive and press Ctrl + V to paste the folders and files.

Data Backup Device

Do you know your data is in danger? If you don't have more than one backup solution, plenty of critical information includes photos, music, videos, financial and official documents could be lost when your computer dies due to hardware failure, natural disaster, system crashes or viruses attacks.

Clearly, the more copies you have, the less risk of data loss you face. Thus, just create as many copies as you entail. In other words, you'd better protect the original data with two backups.

Usually, cloud backup can be a good choice,such as Google Cloud Storage, Microsoft Onedrive, etc.

However, they are not the best solutions.They may cost you much. Some cloud services such as iCloud and IDrive just offer you a storage capacity about 5 GB for free, and most cloud services need you to pay for month. What's more, it will be troublesome if you decide to shift among these services.

In addition, it may take much time to download everything from a cloud-based backup service if you want to manage large files or large quantities of files.

On the other hand, data stored in a cloud service is possible to be attacked by a hack. So, you can store your backup in an external hard drive, which is portable and safer. Some external devices come with security features like fingerprint recognition, which prevents other people from gaining access to the stored data.

To buy the right backup drive, here are some tips you need to know.

With MiniTool Partition Wizard,a free backup tool, you can easily back up your partitions or the whole disk to your external hard drive. Here is how to use an external hard drive for backup.

Step 1: Click the following button to download and install the tool.

Step 2: Make a backup.

• To copy disk, just right-click the disk you want to back up and choose Copy from menu.
• To copy partition, you can click the Copy Partition Wizard from action panel and choose the partition you want to back up.
• Then follow the instructions to finish the copy

Create a Windows To Go Workplace

Windows To Go is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to boot and run Windows from USB flash drives or external hard disk drives so that you can take it to anywhere.

To create a portable Windows, you need to prepare a device with requirements as follows:

• With 32 GB capacity at least
• With USB 2.0 and faster USB connections.

With an external hard drive, you can easily achieve it. Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Connect your external hard drive to the computer.

Step 2: Search for Windows To Go in Windows and click it from the results.

External Hard Drive Vs Portable Storage Device Reviews

Step 3: Choose your external hard drive to create a Windows To Go workplace and follow the guide to complete the process.

Then you can connect the external hard drive to another computer and boot Windows from the external drive when you go out.

How to Use an External Hard Drive for Longer

You may be aware that an external hard drive is necessary for you. However, it is easy to be broken if you don't maintain it in the right way. To avoid decreasing the life of it, you can read these tips on how to use an external hard drive for longer.

1. To protect your external hard drive, you'd better place it on a stable, flat and hard surface. Considering that the hard disk is a mechanical device, it can be damaged by vibrations. And you should also be careful to prevent it from falling off the table.
2. You need to make sure that it will not be banged around or treated roughly. Since the external hard drive is a portable device, you should treat it carelessly when you take it out.
3. You have to avoid getting your hard drive wet or exposing it to liquid.
4. Do not place your external hard drive in a restrictive area where there is no air flow. Similar to the internal hard disk in your computer, the external hard drive also gets hot when it works too long. To avoid overheating, which can damage the disk, you need to place it in an open area to dissipate the buildup of heat.
5. Check error before you transfer files to an external hard drive. It can fix disk errors and ensure that you are starting with a well-functioning drive.To do that, you can use the error checking tool in Windows.
6. Always eject the drive before you unplug it from your computer. It ensures data still stored in the cache memory will be removed, which prevents existing data on the disk from being damaged.
7. The best way to protect your data in the external hard drive is to back up it as much as possible. Hard drive failure may happen to your external hard drive.To ensure the security of your files, you'd better prepare a second external drive to back up it.

Save Lost Data from an External Hard Drive

Similar to internal hard drivers, an external hard drive may also lose data due to various reasons, such as mistaken deletion or hard drive failure when you manage it.

If you have a backup for the data in the external hard drive, you can restore your data with the backup.

If you unfortunately find that your files or programs stored in the external hard drive is lost and you have no backup for the drive, you need to stop using it right now and try to recover files from the external drive with a third-party software as soon as possible.

MiniTool Partition Wizard is powerful in recovering deleted files and data from formatted or virus attacked disk. It is worth trying.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 2: Click Data Recovery from the tool bar and select your external hard drive in This PC. And then click Scan.

Step 3: Now you just need to check the files you want to recover and then click Save to place the recovered files into a safe position.

If it is the first time to recover files from an external drive, you may be a little confused. To know more details, you can read the following article: The Full Guide to SSD File Recovery on Windows 10/8/7/XP.

Bottom Line

You can benefit a lot from an external hard drive. With the high storage capacity, you can store a huge number of videos, photos and programs, and it is a proper device for data backup.

This article helps you to know how to add an external hard drive to your computer, how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10, and how to maintain it to use it longer.

If you still have any questions about the external hard drive, you can contact [email protected] or post it in the comment section below.

Do you want to try it now?

How to Use an External Hard Drive FAQ

1. It has large storage capacity.
2. It's portable so that you can take it anywhere.
3. It's a safe backup device.
4. It can be used for a long time.

1. Plug the external hard drive into the computer.
2. Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
3. Navigate to your program setup file and double-click it.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the program, and when you are asked where you want to save the program, choose on location on your external hard drive.

When thinking about external data storages and transfers, these two usually comes into mind. Picking the right one for you may already be an easy task, but we'll make it even easier for you.

• 1 Definitions

External Storage Drives For Pc

Definitions

USB Portable Hard Drive

Used prominently for large data storage and transfers, it is a hard drive that uses USB connection and semiconductor memories that can't provide the whole storage capacity required in your standard computer hard drives. This now limits the cost per bit of the stored information, but unlike your computer hard drives, a portable hard drive can be carried around easily, hence the term 'portable'.

Aside from being portable, it is also good for storing software and other data that is not needed regularly to save space from your hard drive. Other than that, it is also good as a data back-up in case of hard drive crashes (which will rarely happen, but still happens).

Storage capacity varies and can go from 500 GB up to 8 TB of space (As of March 2015). Sizes available would be between 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch. Transfer rate would also have a difference depending on its model and could go from 12 MB/sec up to 10 GB/sec, compared to your internal hard drives that could go from 100 MB/sec up to 12 GB/sec.

USB Portable Hard Drive

Used prominently for large data storage and transfers, it is a hard drive that uses USB connection and semiconductor memories that can't provide the whole storage capacity required in your standard computer hard drives. This now limits the cost per bit of the stored information, but unlike your computer hard drives, a portable hard drive can be carried around easily, hence the term 'portable'.

Aside from being portable, it is also good for storing software and other data that is not needed regularly to save space from your hard drive. Other than that, it is also good as a data back-up in case of hard drive crashes (which will rarely happen, but still happens).

Storage capacity varies and can go from 500 GB up to 8 TB of space (As of March 2015). Sizes available would be between 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch. Transfer rate would also have a difference depending on its model and could go from 12 MB/sec up to 10 GB/sec, compared to your internal hard drives that could go from 100 MB/sec up to 12 GB/sec.

A sample USB portable hard drive would be your Transcend 2 TB Thunderbolt that uses USB 3.0. It can reach up to a very fast 10 Gbit/sec, but will also cost you around $190.

USB Flash Drive

Also known under a variety of different names like USB storage, pendrive, thumbdrive, USB drive and USB stick, it is a storage device that includes a flash memory (electronic non-volatile computer storage) with an integrated USB interface. It generally is removable, rewritable, and is the smallest among USB external storage devices.

Its purpose is the same as the floppy disks and CD's that were often used for storage, back-up, and data transfer, but is much more durable. It uses USB mass storage device class standard supported by different operating systems.

Sizes can vary and even shapes, from 1 inch to 4 inches and from a rectangular shape to even fruits and animal figures. Transfer rate would be from 35 MB/s up to 530 MB/s and could go from 8 MB up to 512 GB of storage space.

A sample USB Flash Drive would be your SanDisk Cruzer CZ36 that could store up to 32 GB of space that uses USB 2.0, and costs around $10.

USB Portable Hard Drive vs USB Flash Drive

What's the difference between a USB portable hard drive and a flash drive? The purpose is mostly the same but the differences lie within their sizes, transfer rates, portability and of course their prices.

A USB portable hard drive comes in large storage spaces up to a whopping 8 TB, while a USB flash drive can only go up to 512 MB. A flash drive's size however will be much smaller than your portable hard drive, making it much easier to carry around. Speed will go in favor of your portable hard drive with up to 10 GB/s versus your flash drive's 530 MB/s. Since a portable hard drive is much more efficient than a flash drive, it does come with a larger price with $25 on an 80 GB USB 2.0 compared to a 128 GB flash drive worth around $26.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but depending on how you see yourself using these portable storage devices, one will surely be more suited for you than the other.

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