Hello. You can get cheaper hds at http://tinyurl.com/2emv7d I'm going to do that soon as I'm runningout of space. lol!
SA&G ----- Original Message ----- From: "Victor Gouveia" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 9:02 PM Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] questions on differences between externalharddrives Hi Jason, The width in inches are the width of the hard drive itself. The 3.5 inch hard drive are the kinds of hard drive that are placed in desk top computers, whereas the 2.5 inch models are the laptop hard drive types of hard drives. The reason they use these types of measurements is because if the hard drives are removed from their outer cases, that's how you would know which hard drive goes where, should you wish to convert it into an internal hard drive. I will also disagree with Dell on their comment that the drives are not portable, in that all external hard drives are portable, although there are some differences. The 3.5 inch models require an external power supply. In other words, the external hard drives come equipped with a power adapter that you plug into a power outlet to power it. the 2.5 inch models do not require the power supply, and use the power generated by the USB port on what ever computer or laptop you plug it into. Granted, and for obvious reasons, the 2.5 inch models are the easiest to transport, but you rarely get more than 250 gigabytes in the 2.5 models, whereas the 3.5 inch models will sometimes go as high as a terabyte. I should also tell you that if you buy from Dell, you'll be paying an arm and a leg for one of those, as their focus is primarily on entire systems, and hard drives are usually considered accessories. I would suggest you look at Amazon, or Tiger Direct. I was, in fact, investigating one of those for myself, and saw a 500 gigabyte model going for 169.99 at Tiger Direct. I don't know what kind of prices Dell offered you, but I really can't see them beating that price by any long shot. There is also an alternative. You can actually lower the cost of an external hard drive by purchasing an internal model, then paying about 5 to 10 bucks for an external enclosure, which essentially turns your internal hard drive into an external hard drive. You generally save anywhere from 15 to 35 percent off the external models. They are relatively simple to put together, with just a screw driver, and if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, you can usually take it to a computer dealer in your area, and they might do it for free, or at a low cost, as it literally takes about 15 minutes for a blind person to put it together, and even less time if the person is sighted, as they can eyeball the connections, where a blind person has to feel them up before connecting it. Another major difference is the connection types available with the models. In some instances, the 3.5 inch models will come with multiple interfaces, like USB, Firewire or serial, whereas the 2.5 inch models will only come with one, and that is usually a USB connection. The great thing about the latter one is the fact that the USB connection comes with two USB connections on the end of the wire for extra power. For example, if your computer has an older USB 1.1 port, it won't have enough power to supply the hard drive, so you can utilize the extra plug to garner more power. In any case, which ever you choose to buy, they are both portable, just one has more bulk to it and an extra power cord to contend with. Victor Visit the Blind Computing List home page at: http://www.blind-computing.com Address for the list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help from Mailman with your account Put the word help in the subject or body of a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Use the following form in order to contact the management team http://www.jaws-users.com/BlindComputing.php If you wish to join the JAWS Users List send a blank email to the following address: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit the Blind Computing List home page at: http://www.blind-computing.com Address for the list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help from Mailman with your account Put the word help in the subject or body of a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Use the following form in order to contact the management team http://www.jaws-users.com/BlindComputing.php If you wish to join the JAWS Users List send a blank email to the following address: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
