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External Hard Drive
External hard drive is a kind of storage devices designed for external use. It's actually connected outside of computer system (both Windows and Mac OS) through USB, FireWire or eSATA interfaces. It has main functions that are data security, backup system, mobility and option to remove this device and take all your data with you.
What we know today as the external hard drive is a product of the need of most individuals to have a more powerful, portable computing and backup device. It work in the same manner as those found within our desktop and laptop but their small, pocket-size nature enables them movable whenever necessary. External drives are primarily used to backup data and media files against risks of damage, loss, accidental deletion, or virus and malware attacks.
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Top 10 External Hard Drives 2012
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#1 - Western Digital WD Elements Desktop
3TB/2.5TB/2TB/1.5TB/1TB/500GB, USB 2.0, Windows-ready, 1 Year Warranty
“It's quieter and smaller than I expected. Sometimes I have to touch the drive to make sure it is running. I like most is that it has no any heating issues.”
Reviewed by Scotty (Tempe, AZ)
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#2 - Western Digital My Passport Essential SE USB 3.0/2.0
1TB/750GB, USB 3.0/2.0, Automatic Backup, Windows-ready, 2 Year Warranty
“I have divided this drive into 3 partitions and moved a bulk of image files into it, everything ran easily and smoothly. I have not found any problems with it.”
Reviewed by Sunshine (Missouri City, TX USA)
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#3 - Toshiba Canvio Basics
1TB/750GB/500GB/320GB, USB 2.0, 5400 rpm, Windows-ready, 3-Year Warranty
“This drive's very small, lightweight and modern design. It works great with my laptop, just plug-n-play USB cable. I also made partition for my Wii. I'm very happy with it.”
Reviewed by Rosa (Cardiff, Wales, UK)
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#4 - Western Digital My Book Essential USB 3.0/2.0
3TB/2TB/1.5TB/1TB, USB 3.0/2.0, Windows-ready, 2-Year Warranty
“This drive is smart-looking and easy to install without technical difficulties. It's also future proof as much as it can be right now. I would recommend this storage device.”
Reviewed by Smarty (Los Angeles)
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#5 - Buffalo MiniStation Stealth HD-PCTU2
1TB/640GB/500GB/320GB, USB 2.0, Buffalo Tools, Windows & Mac ready
“It's the great portable HD I've ever used and has no problem at all. It's tiny size and smart looking. Transfer files between desktop and laptop has performed well.”
Reviewed by Catherine C. (Sacramento, CA)
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#6 - Seagate Expansion Portable
1.5TB/1TB/750GB/640GB/500GB/320GB/250GB, USB 2.0, Windows-ready
“This is pocket size and lightweight hard drive. It's small enough to take anywhere. Set-up is so easy, no driver and software need, it just plug and play.”
Reviewed by WideCat
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#7 - Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex
1.5TB/1TB/750GB/500GB/320GB, USB 2.0/3.0, FireWire, PC & Mac Interchange
“I have a large music CD collection, and I just copied all of it to this external hard drive. So, I can keep my favorite CD collection in a safe place to maintain it in a long time.”
Reviewed by bookfan
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#8 - Seagate GoFlex Desk V2.0
4TB, USB 3.0 Plug-and-Play, Windows & Mac Interchangeably, 2-Year Warranty
“I like that it has large capacity enough to backup data from my Mac and laptop together. It also works fast and pretty quiet. It's a great desktop hard drive!”
Reviewed by Joey (St. Louis, MO)
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#9 - Seagate Expansion Desktop USB 3.0
1TB/2TB/3TB, USB 3.0, Power Management, Windows-ready, 1-Year Warranty
“I'm very pleased with this external drive. It was formatted for Windows user that I can plug it in my desktop and start to copy 100GB video files immediately.”
Reviewed by Nicole
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#10 - Toshiba Canvio 3.0
1TB/750GB/500GB, USB 3.0/2.0, 5400rpm, Windows-ready, 3 Year Warranty
“The most I like is portable size, it's very small and runs quietly. It uses only USB cable for data transfer and power charging. I'm very satisfied!”
Reviewed by Mark Hawkeye (Chicago, IL)
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What Can It Do?
Data Backup - This is a wonderful and relatively inexpensive device to store plenty of information including musics, photos, movies and other information. It isn’t uncommon for people to own two external hard drives; one that has a backup of the original files, and the other that has a backup for the backup! Hard drives can crash, thereby leaving you vulnerable. But with an external drive you can restore your files anytime.
Security - When it switched off can become absolutely inaccessible to hackers. There are some models that have an inbuilt encryption and lock sensitive data. Thus, secret files can be kept away from prying eyes on the internet.
Portability - There are many electronic devices that allow you to use an external drive to store movies, music, or other data wherever and whenever you like. Rather than worry about large files that may have to be accessed from multiple locations, the user has to carry one small drive that can be used from multiple devices.
Save Space - Space can be a major issue, especially if you are a movie collector or have a bulk of photos and videos. It is a known fact that it can eat up your hard drive space and slow down your system. The external hard drive is the perfect solution as you can store all your movies, music and other media files on the device.
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