Thank you for this good explanation. So, now I really don't have to worry
that my drive is going to become obsolete and if I find a great price on a
2.0 USB, I'm safe to buy it. For what I use an external drive for, speed is
not critical. My goal is to insure that I have multiple copies of some very
important files so only a true tragedy would destroy all of them. And, they
are not huge complicated files.
Thanks for being the first computer teacher I've ever had being this group.
Greg
-----Original Message-----
From: David Ferrin
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 10:10 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] need recommandation on external hard drives
One good thing about USB is that it is cross compatible. What that means is
you can plug a 3.0 drive in to any USB port and it will work but only to the
maximum speed of the given port in question.
Conversely you can plug a 1.1 drive in to a 3.0 port and it will work but
only at the 1.1 speed.
The only way to obtain the maximum speed for let's say a 3.0 drive is to
plug it in to a 3.0 port.
The rule of thumb is it will always default to the slowest link in the
chain.
Another example is if you have a 3.0 drive and a 3.0 port but use a 1.1
cable then it will perform at the 1.1 level.
Off hand I don't recall how to determine what the drive speed is without
checking the specifications. Also although 3.0 is the hottest interface
right now 2.0 isn't going to be bumped out completely as many devices do not
need that level of performance and it would be expensive to equip a system
with more than a couple of 3.0 ports.
Keyboards, mice are a couple of examples of devices that operate at a slow
speed, probably at the 1.1 level if memory serves.
David Ferrin
Always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind, and the ones
that mind don't matter.
----- Original Message -----
From: "dgcnc" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 8:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] need recommandation on external hard drives
I have seen external drives running USB 2.0 and 3.0. If I buy a 2.0 does
that mean that it is going out and soon won't be useful? How can I tell what
my current external drive is 2.0 or 3.0?
Greg
-----Original Message-----
From: David Ferrin
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 8:16 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] need recommandation on external hard drives
The majority of drives at this time are NTFS as that is a more efficient
format. Drive speed ETC depends on how much you wish to spend along with the
size of the drive.
External drives are normally used for backup purposes and as such speed is
not always a factor most of the time.
David Ferrin
Always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind, and the ones
that mind don't matter.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Madison Espinoza" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 7:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] need recommandation on external hard drives
Oh yes, I see that now regarding the subject line request for information on
an external drive.
There is still more than just buy "USB." the person's needs have to be
explored a bit more. There are other options such as drive speed as I
mentioned and file system NTFS or Fat32 though this can be done after the
fact. Let's see what Melissa wants.
-M
W7HPe32bit
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Ferrin" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 4:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] need recommandation on external hard drives
The subject line indicates an external hard drive, you're discussing
internal drives. There are many things to consider about internal drives I
agree but that is not what it seemed to me based on the subject.
External drives are almost totally USB to the computer so it doesn't
matter
what their actual interface needs might be.
David Ferrin
Always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind, and the ones
that mind don't matter.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Madison Espinoza" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 7:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] need recommandation on external hard drives
Hi David,
I'm very sorry to disagree, but I think you are very wrong on this point.
A hard drive has many factors to consider. Do you want to accidentally
purchase a Parallel ATA100 IDE hard drive when your computer motherboard
only supports sata? Most newer computers only support SATA drives.
Do you want to end up purchasing a 5400 RPM hard drive if your computer
can
support a 7200 RPM much faster hard drive?
What if your computer is running Windows XP and cannot support the larger
500GB or 1 TB drives?
The other factor to consider is whether the hard drive will be used for
internal or external use. Since Melisa stated that she is going to use
this
hard drive for external use, I would read the specs before making this
purchase. You want a 7200 RPM external H/D though the 5400 are less
expensive but will take longer to copy files. I would also look into
western
digital as the manufacturer of the external drive. Do you have an external
hard drive enclosure already, or do you want the external with the
enclosure
as one unit? Do you want USB 2.0 or can your computer use USB 3.0? Most
importantly, how long can you wait because right now hard drives are
extremely expensive. There have been very serious rain storms in the
Philippines where Western Digital manufactures their hard drives, and this
has caused the price of hard drives to explode. Typically, one can find a
5400 RPM 2 TB external drive for about $150. A 1TB for about $120 if you
shop around.
In short, please specify what you want and I'll run a quick search for
you.
-M
W7HP32bit
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Ferrin" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 3:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] need recommandation on external hard drives
The fact is a hard drive is a hard drive, they're all pretty good and
makes
no never mind as to your version of windows.
David Ferrin
Always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind, and the
ones
that mind don't matter.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Melissa Tucker" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2012 6:29 PM
Subject: [Blind-Computing] need recommandation on external hard drives
I could use a 1tb or 2tb external hard drive and Not surw what are better
ones and which ones work better with winxp. thanks for any suggestions.
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