RootsChat.Com

General => Technical Help => Topic started by: LizzieW on Friday 27 September 24 16:46 BST (UK)

Title: Portable external hard drive
Post by: LizzieW on Friday 27 September 24 16:46 BST (UK)
Can anyone recommend a portable external hard drive to use with Windows 11, not too expensive.  I don't have room for a large external hard drive.  My Toshiba hard drive no longer backs up my laptop.  I guess it's too old, or not configured for newer Windows. Or would a DVD be better? 
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: Flattybasher9 on Friday 27 September 24 17:02 BST (UK)
I use several Seagate Expansion Drives.

Regards


Malky
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: LizzieW on Friday 27 September 24 17:14 BST (UK)
Thank you.  I was looking for something a bit smaller.  My current one is 11 x 7.5 x 1cm.
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: BushInn1746 on Friday 27 September 24 17:25 BST (UK)
Can anyone recommend a portable external hard drive to use with Windows 11, not too expensive.  I don't have room for a large external hard drive.  My Toshiba hard drive no longer backs up my laptop.  I guess it's too old, or not configured for newer Windows. Or would a DVD be better?

I have my Family History images backed up from an older PC with Vista on one Seagate Expansion 1 TB external hard drive, some years ago.

Good job because that PC won't fire up properly!

A good PC dealer/Tchnician can usually recover most stuff, so never chuck an old pc away.

I'm not techical with pc, generally.

I have a Toshiba on Windows 7 and it is playing up, probably because it is no longer supported with Windows Updates.

I purchased 2 x 2TB Seagate Expansion to back-up my Toshiba, so that I could do a back up more recently, plus a Copy that could be held elsewhere, in case of a house fire or theft.

They are small, connect to PC via USB and get their power via the USB.

I still need a PC with USB socket to access the Seagate Expansion remote hardrives.

Got mine from Argos.

I had some backed up good quality Memory Sticks, but some appear to be blank now.

Mark
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: LizzieW on Friday 27 September 24 17:32 BST (UK)
Thank you, I'll have another look at that make.
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: Biggles50 on Friday 27 September 24 21:25 BST (UK)
I suggest that a USB powered SSD would be a better buy.

A 1Tb can be bought for about £80.

I buy an enclosure for an M2 SSD like a sabrent or ugreen, then buy an 2Tb M2 2280 SSD.

Fitting the SSD into the enclosure is child’s play, no screws involved, plug it in a PC, format the drive exFAT and it is compatible with Windows and a Mac.

I still have a couple of 2Tb Western Digital Passport USB powered hard drives that have given me great service for about 10 years, currently these cost about £75.  It is the age of these that is causing me to change over to SSD.
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: haliared on Friday 27 September 24 22:30 BST (UK)
Seagate I use all the time now. I have a Seagate 1TB and it's easy to use and back things up to.
I measured it and it is roughly 11 x 7.5 x 1cm as well. It connects via a USB, I've had no problems with it using Windows 10 or 11. Hope that helps.
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: GrahamH on Saturday 28 September 24 06:47 BST (UK)
An external USB drive should work on any version of Windows so that suggests a fault with the existing drive, or maybe the connection lead, rather than any configuration problem. I would try a different lead with it first.

Any of the mainstream makes such as Seagate, WD and Toshiba should be fine (I have a number of each brand for different purposes).
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: LizzieW on Saturday 28 September 24 09:02 BST (UK)
Thank you all.  I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, so will read your answers more carefully when I'm feeling better.
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: Biggles50 on Saturday 28 September 24 15:05 BST (UK)
These are what I use, and only 10 mm in thickness.
Title: Re: Portable external hard drive
Post by: LizzieW on Friday 11 October 24 12:35 BST (UK)
Glad to say I sorted out my external hard drive.  It wasn't recording because it hadn't been set up properly! 

Thank you for all your help.