Need help backing up my files.

[Jayce]

That's a question you have to iron out based on your hardware. First decide - do you want internal or external?

I personally prefer my backups to be internal drives, but that's also because I have external drives as well in case I want to take the data mobile. But for actual backups, I leave it to internal drives. Keep in mind - there's not a wrong answer here. As long as the data gets copied elsewhere and you have a backup copy, you're doing the job right. The rest is based on preference.

Secondly, if you go internal, you need to consider what kind of HDD interface you have inside. Do you have a hard drive bay available? Do you have a SATA port? Is your current HDD a SATA drive or is it an IDE drive? Etc.

If you have a SATA port available and a HDD bay open and you want to grab an internal drive, well, you know which direction you need to head to then.

 

[WasTech]

Yes, I understand that but what I'm saying is using it with the case. The ext case is what is new to me. I'm trying to understand it and what HD's connect with it and if it's better than true ext HD's.

 

[S0ULphIRE]

There is no such thing as a 'true' external drive. All external enclosures use 'normal' internal drives. There's absolutely no difference between the drive in an external enclosure and the drive in your pc.

As to the actual case you get, think about what you need it for. If it's for a backup then feel free to get a normal 3.5" enclosure with usb 2.0 ports. It's really all you'll need.

 

[Jayce]

There is no such thing as a 'true' external drive. All external enclosures use 'normal' internal drives. There's absolutely no difference between the drive in an external enclosure and the drive in your pc.

As to the actual case you get, think about what you need it for. If it's for a backup then feel free to get a normal 3.5" enclosure with usb 2.0 ports. It's really all you'll need.

Most of the time this is true, but I have a 160gb external hard drive that cannot be opened and is not your typical hard drive in an enclosure.

Just wanted to point that out, sometimes there are oddballs out there.

 

[S0ULphIRE]

Most of the time this is true, but I have a 160gb external hard drive that cannot be opened and is not your typical hard drive in an enclosure.

Just wanted to point that out, sometimes there are oddballs out there.

pic or gtfo
Nah I suppose you're right, there probably are a few drives that have been hardwired into the enclosure. If the 160Gb doesn't mean that much to you crack it open and take a few pics plz

 

[Jayce]

pic or gtfo
Nah I suppose you're right, there probably are a few drives that have been hardwired into the enclosure. If the 160Gb doesn't mean that much to you crack it open and take a few pics plz

Naw, it's kind of needed. It's my EXT3 drive to back up images from my Linux imaging box.

It looks somewhat similar to this, though:

http://www.stxcomputers.com/hard drives/160gb mini.jpg

 

[WasTech]

I'm thinking if I'm not going to use ext HD for mobile use, I really only need to buy a regular internal HD and use it in comp for storage. Just set it up to turnoff (what time setting?) when not in use to save it??? These are both questions.

If this sounds like a good idea to you guys, what else can I set in windows to help extend life of HD, if anything? Thanks

 

[S0ULphIRE]

The hdds by default will automatically spin down after a certain idle period.
Even running 24/7 you can expect years and years out of them, and tbh you'll probably only be using them for 5 years max (with the ssd avalanche starting prices are gonna plummet even for larger capacities)

 

[forrestcupp]

I've used the case adapters for making an internal drive into an external one. I've also used hard drives that are made to be external.

In my opinion, the adapters are crap compared to external drives because they don't seem to be good quality. They just feel hacked together. But they do work. If you have an old internal drive lying around, it would save you a lot of money. But if you're just going to buy all new, definitely go with a drive that is already an external one.

And I have had a case adapter that worked with IDE drives. The cool thing is that it actually seemed to make it faster because I think USB 2.0 is faster than the IDE interface.

 

[Jayce]

I'm thinking if I'm not going to use ext HD for mobile use, I really only need to buy a regular internal HD and use it in comp for storage. Just set it up to turnoff (what time setting?) when not in use to save it??? These are both questions.

If this sounds like a good idea to you guys, what else can I set in windows to help extend life of HD, if anything? Thanks

I honestly don't really worry about HDD life in terms of wearing it out quicker just by running it. The reality is, there's moving parts in a hard drive - yes. Therefore, logic suggests the longer they run, the faster they wear out.

But at the same token, I have an 8gb hard drive that's been running 24 7 365 ever since it was created back in the stone age. Yet I bought a 500gb drive for my rig and it died 2 months after firing it up.

The important thing is - Hard Drives can die at ANY time. That's why backups are so important, so it's good that you are looking into this, but I'm just trying to stress that even if precautions are made to pro-long HDD life, they can still die at random times.

With me, I have 4 HDDs in my rig - 3 that are backups. They run 247. I never pick and choose. They're always online. But that's just me and my setup. Your's may vary.