{"id":49964,"date":"2019-07-25T09:59:07","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T16:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/\/?p=49964"},"modified":"2023-12-19T01:27:09","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T09:27:09","slug":"four-things-to-consider-before-buying-an-external-hard-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/en-ca\/blog\/four-things-to-consider-before-buying-an-external-hard-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Things to Consider Before Buying an External Hard Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you actively backing up your data? If you aren\u2019t, you should be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many ways to back up your information, and which one is right for you depends on the type of information you need to back up, how much space you need, how you plan to use the drive and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some people choose a cloud-based option like GDrive or Dropbox. Others use hardware like flash drives or magnetic tape. <a href=\"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/en-ca\/what-is-the-difference-between-backup-and-archive-on-magnetic-tape\/\">(Y<\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/en-ca\/what-is-the-difference-between-backup-and-archive-on-magnetic-tape\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">es, people still use magnetic tape<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most popular ways to back up your information is an external hard drive. These units are a great option because they\u2019re portable, reliable, easily available and typically have significant storage capacity for the size and price. There are so many different brands and options, how do you know what\u2019s right for you?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are quite a few different features you\u2019ll want to consider before <\/span><b>buying a new hard drive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. So, congratulations on taking the first step toward regularly backing up your data! But before you head out and start shopping, here\u2019s <\/span><b>what to look for in an external hard drive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storage size<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you even begin to think about <\/span><b>buying a new hard drive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you need to evaluate your storage capacity needs. New hard drives range in capacity from 250 gigabytes to several terabytes (1000GB = 1TB). You don\u2019t want to buy the cheaper 500GB hard drive only to discover you actually have 1TB of data to store.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a look at all your documents and media. This includes PDFs, photos, videos, songs and more. You\u2019ll need a hard drive to easily store everything you already have plus a good deal of storage left over for additional documents and media. So tally up the total storage capacity needed for your current data and estimate how much additional data you\u2019ll create while using the <\/span><b>new hard drive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The worst thing you can do is <\/span><b>buy a new hard drive <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">without enough storage capacity to save your data, and then some.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compatibility<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These days, computers can have many different combinations of hardware and operating systems. That means <\/span><b>hard drive compatibility <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is something you have to think about before <\/span><b>buying a new external hard drive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When choosing a new hard drive, the most important factor is your operating system. But keep in mind, just because you have an Acer laptop, doesn\u2019t mean an Acer external hard drive will necessarily work with your machine. The drive must also be compatible with your computer\u2019s operating system, whether you\u2019re running Mac, Windows or Linux. Always do research before <\/span><b>buying a hard drive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014don\u2019t just assume a piece of hardware will automatically work with your OS. Take your time, and read the product specifications and descriptions <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you buy to ensure the <\/span><b>new hard drive <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is compatible with what you\u2019re running on your computer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the hardware side, all you need to connect your computer and new hard drive is a free USB port. And depending on how many USB peripherals you\u2019re currently using, that may be your biggest challenge!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Portability<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Will your hard drive be sitting next to a desktop for much of its life, or will the external hard drive travel frequently with your trusty laptop? This is an important question to consider before buying a new hard drive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you plan to use your <\/span><b>new hard drive <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in a desktop application, then <\/span><b>hard drive size<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, weight and probably overall design aren\u2019t important to you. The hard drive will simply keep your computer company while backing up your information, that\u2019s about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But if you\u2019re going to be taking your <\/span><b>new hard drive <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the road, weight may be an issue. You\u2019ll want to make sure the hard drive isn\u2019t so heavy you don\u2019t want to carry it. Laptops, chargers and everything else going with them are enough to lug around, let alone an external hard drive that weighs more than a few ounces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll also want to consider the design. The flatter and smaller the drive, the easier the drive will be to take with you everywhere you go. Look for thin, streamlined units if you plan to travel with your external hard drive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speed<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The faster the better, right? Not necessarily. Speed is all about personal preference and convenience. If you find yourself in situations where file transfers need to occur quickly, then the convenience (and extra up-front cost) of a faster external hard drive is worth considering.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The typical hard drive is rated at 5,400 rpm, but there are many faster models on the market. For most people, 5,400 rpm is sufficient, but again, if your lifestyle demands quick downloads, then go for a faster model. They are generally more expensive but worth the extra investment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still dragging your feet to <\/span><b>buy a new hard drive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Don\u2019t! The sooner you get the right external hard drive purchased and set up, the sooner you\u2019ll protect your data. Fail to do so, and you risk losing your most precious digital possessions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve already suffered a hard drive failure, and you haven\u2019t been backing up your information, contact a data recovery specialist to evaluate your hard drive. Data you think is lost forever may not be lost at all. <\/span><a href=\"\/en-ca\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consult a qualified data recovery specialist to find out what can be recovered.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> And start backing up regularly!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Are you actively backing up your data? If you aren\u2019t, you should be. There are many ways to back up your information, and which one is right for you depends on the type of information you need to back up, how much space you need, how you plan to use the drive and more.\u00a0 Some&hellip;","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":67185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-49964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Four Things to Consider Before Buying an External Hard Drive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ready to buy a hard drive? Read this first! 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Read this first! 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