Home > Blog > External Hard Drives: All Your Questions Answered

External Hard Drives: All Your Questions Answered

Written by Jessica Parker
Updated on Dec 9, 2021
external hard drive

External hard drives are external storage devices that can transfer and store files, documents, and various data from laptops and keep them safe. It is an effective backup device and comes with storage capacities ranging from 500 GB to 1 TB or more. The problem of overloading laptops or computers is way too common. A hands-on solution to this is an external hard drive. It also allows you to create extra storage for computers that are short on storage capacities. External hard drives also allow you to share information between systems easily. You can read through our blog External Hard Drive for Mac if you are a mac user and want to know more mac specific information.

Benefits of Having an External Hard Drive

Storage Capacity

External hard drives offer a large capacity making it convenient to store heavy files and data much effectively as compared to flash drives. You can easily get hard drives with a storage capacity of up to 10 TB or even more for professional use.

Backup Drive

An external hard drive offers you a convenient way of backing up your data. You can keep your large files safely in these drives. External drives provide secure and one-stop backup to all the crucial data which might be at risk due to windows malfunctioning or cybercrimes.

Improved Performance

External drives offer a good speed while transferring data. They are quite easy to use and do not require any special software to start functioning. These devices are flexible and are compatible with all kinds of operating systems without any difficulty.

Portability

External hard drives are compact devices that can be carried around conveniently. This means that you can carry your important files and crucial data to your meetings or presentation easily. Many hard drives are designed to slip in your pockets with ease.

Longer Life

External hard drives have higher durability and longer life than other storage devices. These storage units can easily last for up to 5 years. The average lifespan of most hard drives is a minimum of 3 years. This allows you to keep your data in the same drive for a long time. External hard drives are also quite affordable as compared to the amount of storage they provide for your crucial data.

Can I Download Software Into my Computer Using an External Hard Drive?

You can download and install software using an external hard drive. This can only be done once the software has been downloaded and you are about to run it. You can go to download and change the storage location of the software and place it in the external folder. Downloading and installing any software through one external drive might not allow you to use that software on a different workstation. You may require other special software for that.

Can I Download Games into an External Hard Drive?

Yes, you can download and install the games into an external hard drive but there are certain limitations to it.

  • The games will load slower than usual if the speed of the external hard drive is lesser than the internal drive speed.
  • You won’t be able to play the game whenever the external hard drive containing the game is not connected to your laptop
  • If the external hard drive is damaged, then you will have to install the games again
  • The game will crash and you will have to start all over again if the external drive gets disconnected in between the play mode.

How Long Does an External Hard Drive Last?

An external hard drive like Toshiba Canvio Advance lasts for around 3-5 years. This durability depends on many factors like the quality of the hard drive, make, and model. Brands also play an important role in durability. It is important to keep your drives protected from physical damage. We recommend you replace the hard drives every couple of years to protect the data.

What If the External Hard Drive Fails?

An external hard drive fails because of many factors. There could be read/write failures or internal defects. In such cases, the hard drive needs to be repaired before any data transfer is attempted.

Can I Use a USB Stick as an External Hard Drive?

The answer is Yes. You can use a USB stick as an external hard drive, provided the USB is connected to the laptop. The USB stick helps you can perform all functions that an external hard drive does like saving, downloading, and deleting. Read our blog to know everything about photosticks.

What is the Difference Between a Flash Drive and an External Hard Drive?

Mechanism

External hard drives use electro-mechanical data that makes them sustainable to damage, unlike flash drives that are non-volatile memory and prone to damage.

Storage Capacity

External hard drives have a larger storage capacity as compared to flash drives. External hard drives come in capacity between 500 GB and 10 TB or more, whereas flash drives are available in capacities of between 2 GB and 56 GB or more. The reviews of WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive show that it comes with a massive capacity of 2TB.

Portability

A flash drive is a tiny device that can fit in any compact space, making them convenient, portable, and ergonomic. External hard drives also offer the same except they are a bit heavier and bigger than flash drives.

What is the Best External Hard Drive?

An external hard drive that is secure, speedy, efficient, sturdy, and ergonomic is the best. Reviews of WD 10TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive suggest it as one of the best external hard drives. This drive comes with a massive memory of 10 TB with exceptional compatibility and a secure backup mechanism. You can transfer your data quickly in this hard drive model.

You can also look for other options like the top-ranking WD 4TB Gaming Drive that is compatible with PS4 devices to offer you a seamless gaming experience. This model has got good reviews for 4 TB storage capacity and lightweight design weighing just 0.57 pounds. It is a must-have storage device for you, especially if you are a gamer.

The other high-quality drive is Toshiba HDTB410XK3AA that has got excellent reviews for its sleek profile design with a matte. This drive has 1 TB of storage capacity that is ideal for personal, gaming, and business use. It uses USB 2.0 for quick data transfer and requires no external AC power cord for its setup.

Conclusion

It is important to have a good hard drive as most of the professional and personal lives revolve around digital and electronic media. These drives can store massive data keeping them safe and secure. You can carry these storage units everywhere with you. The versatile features and ergonomic design make external hard drives one of the best back-ups to go for as far as data is concerned.

BestViewsReviews rates and reviews hundreds of top-selling photosticks and high-quality internal hard drives on the basis of durability, performance, and quality.


< Previous Post

Next Post >