Need Advice on External Hard Drive...Please

12 years ago

I need to get an external hard drive to do backups on my computer, and the more I shop, the more confused I get! I want something that will do automatic backups on a schedule, plus the flexibility to backup on demand, or transfer files to another computer. (Hope this makes sense.)

I have a Windows XP laptop, Windows XP desktop, and a Windows Vista desktop (the main computer). I will soon be getting a Windows 7 desktop, and that will become my main computer (replacing the XP desktop).

I was considering the Western Digital My Book Essential, but heard that Seagate external hard drives are better. That's when I really got confused!

I have looked at Seagate FreeAgent "GoFlex", "GoFlex Pro", "GoFlex Ultra-Portable" and "GoFlex Ultra-Portable Pro" and can't understand the difference between "Pro" and not-pro. I am concerned that there are a lot of bad reviews on Seagate products, and would appreciate hearing opinions from the experts here.

Thank you for your words of wisdom!!

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Comments (7)

ravencajun Zone 8b TX
12 years ago
For that very reason I went with seagate, plus their warranty was better. I know it did come with that type of backup on it, but I much prefer full image backups so I don't use it. Mine is a seagate free agent pro.

Now when I want an internal hard drive I go western digital black caviar.
anne_ct
12 years ago
I'm enthralled with the ease and capabilities of Western Digital's portable "My Passport". For personal reasons, I don't leave a back-up system attached to my PC. This Passport is ideal for my purposes and it holds a full image of my Win 7 Office 2010 system. I plug it in once a week and it does its thing without incident. I highly recommend it.

Anne

Here is a link that might be useful: My Passport
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Do you need to copy and paste things on the external HD? I shouldn't think so. Apart from the automatic backing up we have it set to do, if there is any individual file or folder we want to put on it, we simply left click on the file's or folder's icon and drag it to the icon for the external HD and it gets copied there. We installed the entire Oxford English Dictionary program on my husband's computer's external HD and it works fine, but a couple of other programs just wouldn't run right when we tried to install them on it. Come to think of it, the OED has a verification process by which you have to show the computer that you actually possess the CDs for it, and that may be why the company doesn't mind which drive you keep it on. We haven't tried downloading any programs to the ext. HD yet, but it seems likely to me that many--especially the expensive programs that don't provide for periodically proving that you have the CDs--will very likely not run well from there. However, from what Cboy writes, with the help of Acronis, it looks like you can backup the whole of your internal HD, which would include programs. So, being new to external HDs myself (a 500GB Maxtor One Touch 4), I'd like to ask Cboy if you can actually remove programs from C:\ (to save space) and then run them from the external drive instead, or if what Acronis does is only to save them so you can reinstall them in C:\ after a disaster and run them from there.
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grandms
12 years ago
I have the 1TB Western Digital My Book Essential which has the USB3 connection (compatible with USB2). I use EaseUS Todo free backup program. First I make a complete image of my internal HDD, and then I can schedule backups on whatever schedule I wish. I love this program for its ease of use after struggling with Acronis. I am very pleased also with the WD external drive. They do stand behind their warranties and replaced an internal HDD that failed, without question.

All hard drives are subject to failure, so I think you're okay as long as you stick with a name brand.
wanda_va
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you all for the information and advice! I ended up getting the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex (1 TB). Our local Staples has a computer tech who has always been helpful in the past, and he has both the Western Digital and Seagate--and he prefers Seagate for external hard drives.

I got a great deal on it--the regular price is $159.99; it was on sale for $89.99, and I was able to use my Staples Rewards certificates, so it only cost me $63.00! It was an offer I couldn't refuse...

Thanks again!!
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
12 years ago
wow that was an offer you could not refuse!! great price. Seagate does make good drives, but as said a lemon does pop up from time to time, heard of a few that were dead on arrival.
grandms
12 years ago
I agree that was a good deal. Since the flooding in Thailand, the prices of hard drives have really gone up. I got mine prior to that time, and I think I paid about the same, maybe a few dollars less.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
12 years ago
I was at big lots today they had a 1 terabite external for $79.
And the same sylvania 7 in. Tablet I have for $29!!
Plus an eink reader for $49.
I thought all were very good prices.

Need Advice on External Hard Drive...Please

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Need Advice on External Hard Drive...Please

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ravencajun Zone 8b TX

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