Computer Hardware:
• Tools, Static & Cleaning
• Form Factor
• PC Case & Fans
• Motherboard
• Processor (CPU)
• Power Supply Unit
• RAM
• Hard Drive
• Solid State Drive
• Optical Drive
• Floppy Disk Drive
• Graphics Card
• Sound Card
• Network Card
• Computer Monitor
• Keyboard & Mouse
• Laptop / Netbook
• Building a Computer
• Overclocking
Operating System & Backup:
• Operating System
• Drivers
• Windows Tools
• User Accounts
• Backup
• Windows 10
Internet & Network:
• Internet
• Wi-fi or Cable
• Improve Broadband Speed
• Network Computers
Computer Peripherals:
• Printer
• Scanner
• External Hard Drive
• USB Flash Drive
Computer Security:
• Anti-virus
• Anti-Spyware
• Phishing
• Firewall
Common PC Problems:
• Slow Computer
• Hardware Failure
• Software Failure
• Printing Problems
Miscellaneous:
• Windows Shortcuts
• Glossary of Terms
• HTML Colour Picker
• Number Base Converter
• Tools, Static & Cleaning
• Form Factor
• PC Case & Fans
• Motherboard
• Processor (CPU)
• Power Supply Unit
• RAM
• Hard Drive
• Solid State Drive
• Optical Drive
• Floppy Disk Drive
• Graphics Card
• Sound Card
• Network Card
• Computer Monitor
• Keyboard & Mouse
• Laptop / Netbook
• Building a Computer
• Overclocking
Operating System & Backup:
• Operating System
• Drivers
• Windows Tools
• User Accounts
• Backup
• Windows 10
Internet & Network:
• Internet
• Wi-fi or Cable
• Improve Broadband Speed
• Network Computers
Computer Peripherals:
• Printer
• Scanner
• External Hard Drive
• USB Flash Drive
Computer Security:
• Anti-virus
• Anti-Spyware
• Phishing
• Firewall
Common PC Problems:
• Slow Computer
• Hardware Failure
• Software Failure
• Printing Problems
Miscellaneous:
• Windows Shortcuts
• Glossary of Terms
• HTML Colour Picker
• Number Base Converter
An External Hard Drive is very useful for backing up data from your computer as they have a high capacity and can transfer data very fast. You can also share data across several computers as many External Hard Drives are portable and are powered by the USB port on a computer.
A newer External Hard Drive will have 1TB to 2TB of storage and will use USB3.0 which will be much quicker than the older USB2.0 technology. USB3.0 Drives will still be compatible with a computer that only uses USB2.0 but will operate at a slower speed.
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You will need a spare SATA connector and room inside your computer case to install an internal Hard Drive but it will have better performance than an External Hard Drive.
An External Hard Drive is useful if you need more storage but cannot upgrade your Desktop computer. It also has the advantage of being portable and can be used with several computers or be easily carried around with you. They can be plugged into any computer and will be supported instantly without needing to install any drivers.
You can also get a Desktop External Drive which is less portable and requires its own power supply and is designed to be kept by your Desktop Computer. These sometimes have a larger capacity of up to 5TB and have a good performance.
How much storage is 1TB?
1TB (Terabyte) is equal to about 1000GB (Gigabytes) or about 1000,000MB (Megabytes).
This means that you could store around 250,000 Mp3 songs (about 4MB each) on a 1TB Hard Drive.
Should i use a USB Flash Drive or a portable External Hard Drive?
A USB Flash Drive is small and very portable which is great for transferring files from one computer to another. An External Hard Drive has a much greater capacity which is ideal for making backups or transferring much larger files to another computer, and will transfer files much more quickly.
Connecting an External Hard Drive to your computer
The most common way of connecting an External Hard Drive to your computer is by using a USB cable. Many new External Drives now use USB3.0 which is faster than USB2.0. If your computer has USB3.0 then it will take advantage of the faster performance of a USB3.0 External Hard Drive.
You can also get an External Hard Drive which will connect to your computer via firewire which has better performance than USB2.0 but not USB3.0. There are also wireless External Hard Drives which are convenient for connecting smartphones, tablets, or laptop computers without having any wires. A wireless External Hard Drive can usually be powered by its own internal rechargeable battery.
Backup to an External Hard Drive
It is very important to backup your computer's personal files regularly in case they are lost. You could have a Hard Drive failure, or your computer could crash, a virus could delete your files, or your computer could be stolen or damaged.
You should have a least one copy of your most important files backed up. This could be your precious photographs, your music collection, videos, films, spreadsheets, websites etc.
An External Hard Drive is ideal for backing up all your data because of its large capacity and high speed.
Windows does include a tool called 'Backup and Restore' which creates backups of your important files and saves them. It will also create a system image which is an exact copy of everything on your computer's Hard Drive. More information on this can be found here.
Some External Hard Drives also have an automatic backup feature which when connected will search your computer for any new files and ask to back them up.