recommend extenrl 500GB ??

[JakeF150FX4]

I just noticed that my PC is almost full GB due to many pictures w/ RAW.

so i need to buy me external 500 GB (or over) w/ USB for my PC so i can keep my PC have more room GB for something else...

ANy recommend brand ??

Thanks!
Jake

[tim]

Get a 1TB Seagate internal drive, and get a 1.5TB external drive as an offsite backup. External are slow, less reliable. Internal are easy to fit, except if it's a laptop.

You might want to brush up on your terminology too, it's your disk that's almost full.

[Snow001]

+1 on installing a 2nd internal hard drive and then get on getting an external drive. you can use software to sync up your picture folder from your internal PC drive to your external HD.
I have always used Western Digital drives as they have proven their reliability. 1 Tb my book home edition is around $100. Benefits of installing a 2nd internal HD is speed and the additional space for more pc applications or games in my case :)
The addition of your external drive gives you redundancy. I keep mine powered down unless needed because I am paranoid and am afraid a hacker might start controlling my pc and delete my files.

[JakeF150FX4]

I think i ll get 1T internal for now...

SO i dont have to do anything with Hard drive 1st, just add 2nd in PC tower ?? i wonder do they have extra wiring for 2nd HD 1T ? I have 8300 Dell PC. its a bit old since 2001.

Thanks!
Jake

[ChasP505]

I agree with Tim. Also, many new PCs have an external SATA port. Using an external SATA drive rather than a USB is much faster. I just experienced only my second hard drive failure in ten years, a Western Digital 500gb MyBook Essential USB. I pulled the HD out of the casing and tried putting it in another enclosure-- dead. I even tried mounting it directly as an internal drive-- muerto!

Of course my backups are redundant so I didn't lose anything, but I can no longer recommend the WD MyBooks as a reliable backup option. I replaced the dead backup drive with an external SATA hard drive dock and 1TB drive. It's as fast as the internal drives. No more USB externals for me!

[ChasP505]

I think i ll get 1T internal for now...

SO i dont have to do anything with Hard drive 1st, just add 2nd in PC tower ?? i wonder do they have extra wiring for 2nd HD 1T ? I have 8300 Dell PC. its a bit old since 2001.

Jake- I'm sure your PC uses IDE drives, not SATA, so make sure you buy the correct HD type. Odds are the Dell's power supply has an extra power connection for an additional drive. If not, any computer store can supply you with a splitter extension. If you buy a retail packaged HD, it will include the cable to connect the drive to the motherboard. Make sure the jumper on the drive is configured for "Slave". Instructions will illustrate this.

[JakeF150FX4]

Soo 2nd HD 1TB if i add to internal it will not cause crash or hacker to cause my saved lose everything but only effect to 1st HD ?

Thanks!
Jake

[JakeF150FX4]

My friend just gave me 250GB my book westin for tempy.

I transfered few RAW pix into there with no problem...when i was trying to open it from MYbook and it will not open!

It pop up label "g:\pictures\raw picture\img_0776.CR2 is not a valid win32 application"

How to solve this issue ??

thanks!

[jongobongo]

I'd recommend getting any bare hard drive
then buying a hard drive dock like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392025

when you run out of space, just purchase more drives and pop them in

[ChasP505]

Soo 2nd HD 1TB if i add to internal it will not cause crash or hacker to cause my saved lose everything but only effect to 1st HD ?

You're talking about an entirely different issue which is PC network security. I won't even begin to address the "hacker" question. You'd be better off asking here:

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/

As far as crashing... Who knows? My computer is clean as can be, yet one of my WD MyBooks spontaneously dropped dead.

[Snow001]

Soo 2nd HD 1TB if i add to internal it will not cause crash or hacker to cause my saved lose everything but only effect to 1st HD ?

Thanks!
Jake

If your computer crashes, depending on the type of crash, usually the Primary or master HD is affected because this is where your OS is installed if it is an OS crash. You can easily recover from this type of crash by restoring your system files. This is assuming you have created a back-up file or a system restore disc. Your photo files which will be stored on your 2nd HD will be safe.

However, if the cause of the crash is a faulty power supply or a surge then your whole computer could be affected and fried.

I've always had Dell PC's for more than a decade now and their power supplies have been reliable in my experience. I also use a UPS so this prevents sudden power surges. But it is not a guarantee.

So I still keep a 3rd detached HD just in case.

If a hacker can access your PC they can certainly re-format all drives in your pc. Installing a software firewall helps in this case. if you have a router you can also create certain settings to increase your network's security.