USB External HD

Why?

I have a 1TB USB disk hanging off the back of my PC because it's more
convenient than fannying about inside the case.

I have another disk that sits in a drawer and gets plugged in once a
week or so for a backup job.

Cheap, simple, effective and, short of losing both in a burglary or
surprise pre-emptive nuclear strike on Wimbledon town centre, safe.

 

Samsung also does a 1TB S2 "Portable" series in similar design and colours.

Since the disk in the "Portable" series is 2.5" (rather than the 1.8"
disk of the "Mini" series, which stops at 250GB) it won't be the 'extra
small' enclosure of the "Mini" series; but still a somewhat reasonable
price/design/performance(-kinda') package and one I would definately
consider if I needed some really transportable storage in those volumes
(if nothing else, just for the pocket/backpack/bag friendly design of
the enclosure!)

 

I have one connected up to my WD Live media streamer so it's my primary home
storage.

 

Every manufacturer ha built both good and bad drives. To be fair most
brands of 2.5" drive are pretty resiliant, as they're just the same
sata drives that go into laptops, right down to the connectors.

 

Having had the 3rd HD fail in my work T43[1]. I've realised that it's
the location and design of the case that fucks them, carelessly
picking the laptop up by the corner puts mechanical stress on the HD.
Tempting fate but I've only had one external drive fail and one
desktop but probably 1/2 a dozen laptops now.

[1] Now deemed to be uneconomic to repair so a shiny new HP something
or other it is.

 

Yup I'd expect an external HDD that sits in open space, away from other
devices and never moves, to be pretty reliable.

 

I've got 3 Seagate portable drives (one is out "delivering" as I type) and
so far (2 years) they've proved to be faultless. 2 x 500G and 1 x 350G(or
thereabouts)

All from Maplins btw.

 

They've been so good that they've convinced me that buying a few drives at
~500 Gig max (50 squid apiece) and doubling up on all the stuff I don't want
to lose is a cheap option and from my own experience with them, bombproof
too. Or as close to bombproof as computer hardware gets. They don't even
need a power supply, so that means things stay *really* tidy with no
trailing wires and voltage boxes cluttering up the place.

I'm also a fan of the USB sticks too, coz they're even neater but there
aren't any decently high capacity ones that I know of. Yet.

 

Good price too. Cheers guys.