Hard Drive/Backup

[Lynne W]

Have been asked to look into getting a hard drive for my office but don't
really know what to look for. The office has mainly word documents and is
very small with only one computer. Can anyone let me know how much gb to
look for for instance??

Many thanks.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Have been asked to look into getting a hard drive for my office but don't
really know what to look for. The office has mainly word documents and is
very small with only one computer. Can anyone let me know how much gb to
look for for instance??

Many thanks.

Get a couple of 2.5" disks in external USB cases. This
will enable you to back up your important files to alternate
disks.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Get a couple of 2.5" disks in external USB cases. This
will enable you to back up your important files to alternate
disks.

It would be more cost/size effective to get 3.5" external drives, unless
there is a need to have them more easily transported, in a pocket or
something.

The Seagate FreeAgent range seem to be very popular at the moment. I'd look
at the FreeAgent Desktop or FreeAgent Pro, unless the more portable
FreeAgent Go is preferred.
http://www.seagate.com/freeagent/

As for size - bigger the better? The only other factor is cost.

ss.

 

[R. McCarty]

Be careful with FreeAgent drives. For USB use OK, any that
offer the SATA based connection may not work as advertised.
I tried and returned at 250-Gigabyte unit that wouldn't work on
my eSATA controller. They ( FreeAgent ) drives also run hot.
Check for user opinions on many sites and you'll find more than
a few negative reviews.

You can easily build your own. A good quality enclosure such
as a Vantec can be purchased for less than ~$30. Easy to setup
and allows you to use the hard drive of your choice.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

It would be more cost/size effective to get 3.5" external drives, unless
there is a need to have them more easily transported, in a pocket or
something.

The Seagate FreeAgent range seem to be very popular at the moment. I'd
look at the FreeAgent Desktop or FreeAgent Pro, unless the more portable
FreeAgent Go is preferred.
http://www.seagate.com/freeagent/

As for size - bigger the better? The only other factor is cost.

ss.

When the OP decides whether to go for 2.5" or 3.5" disks, she
should consider the size of her handbag and the weight of the
disks. She might not like it having half a brick in her bag every day.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

When the OP decides whether to go for 2.5" or 3.5" disks, she
should consider the size of her handbag and the weight of the
disks. She might not like it having half a brick in her bag every day.

It's just that she never mentioned anything about moving around with it.

ss.

 

[Anna]

Have been asked to look into getting a hard drive for my office but don't
really know what to look for. The office has mainly word documents and is
very small with only one computer. Can anyone let me know how much gb to
look for for instance??

Many thanks.

Lynne:
Like all of the other responders to your query we're assuming that you're
asking about the recommended size of a hard drive (HDD) that will be used to
back up your word documents and other user-created data currently on the HDD
installed in your office's computer. That's right, isn't it?

As has been suggested by Pegasus & Synapse S. you probably should be
thinking about purchasing a USB external HDD that will be used for your
backup purposes. These devices come in a wide range of sizes (HDD disk
capacity) and are relatively inexpensive these days. I really don't think it
matters much in your case as to whether the HDD enclosed in that USB device
is a 2 1/2" disk or a 3 1/2" disk. Obviously the enclosure containing a 2
1/2" disk would be more compact but the difference in size is not terribly
significant unless you would be using the device as a portable one and
physical size of the enclosure is a consideration.

The size of the HDD in GB that you would need would obviously depend on the
size of the internal HDD in your computer in that it should be at *least*
the same or larger capacity of your day-to-day internal HDD. But with these
external devices so relatively cheap these days (I see a 500 GB USB external
HDD advertised in one of the Office stores selling for $129.99) think in
terms of purchasing a relatively large-capacity USB external HDD. Remember
that nobody ever complained about have too much disk space.

These USB devices are usually simple "plug & play" devices. I assume you
know the Windows XP copying process and would have no difficulty copying
whatever user-created files you wanted for backup purposes onto that USB
external HDD.

By & by you may want to consider a "disk cloning" type of program that you
could use to routinely back up the *entire* contents of your working HDD to
the USB external HDD. The beauty of that kind of program is that it backs up
*all* the data on your internal HDD including the XP operating system, all
your applications/programs, and, of course your user-created data. So that
if one day your day-to-day working HDD becomes defective or unbootable
because of a corrupted operating system, you would have at hand a complete
backup of the system which you could use for restoration purposes. So think
about it.
Anna

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

It's just that she never mentioned anything about moving around with it.

ss.

True indeed. However, if she does not move it around then she
breaks the first principle of a good backup scheme: The backup
medium must not be kept in the same building as the PC itself.

 

[Bill in Co.]

Kudos to you for giving her a pretty complete answer to her question!

 

[Lil' Dave]

True indeed. However, if she does not move it around then she
breaks the first principle of a good backup scheme: The backup
medium must not be kept in the same building as the PC itself.

True. Some other people (majority) keep a backup to keep it safe from a
failing hard disk or PC, virus, and other baddies that may attack the
system. I am such a person. I ain't about to walk all the way out to the
detached garage some 200 feet away from the house to transport my backups on
a regular basis.
Dave

 

[M.I.5¾]

True. Some other people (majority) keep a backup to keep it safe from a
failing hard disk or PC, virus, and other baddies that may attack the
system. I am such a person. I ain't about to walk all the way out to the
detached garage some 200 feet away from the house to transport my backups
on a regular basis.

For home use that is understandable. But where a company is dependant on
its computing infrastructure, two backups are essential - one of which must
be stored in a different building. The OP stated that it was for office
use, hence the advice about a pair of easily transportable external disks
was entirely sound.