I have finally bitten the bullet and bought an external HD, after reading all your posts on extending memory. Adding bits and pieces is beyond me as most technical things are.
Now since it comes with no instructions on how to use, I am assuming I just plug it in and transfer data to it as if I was transferring to a CD or flash drive. Is this correct?
With my technical knowledge you would still be waiting for electricity if I was responsible for supplying it.
wini
External HD
Moderator: Global Moderators
-
wini
- Posts: 678
- Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2005 2:39 pm
- Location: West Australia
External HD
Munro, McPhee, Gunn, Reid, McCreadie, Jackson, Cree, McFarland,Gillies,Gebbie,McCallum,Dawson
Glasgow, Durness,Kilmuir via Uig, Logie Easter
Old Monkland
Glasgow, Durness,Kilmuir via Uig, Logie Easter
Old Monkland
-
LesleyB
- Posts: 8184
- Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:18 am
- Location: Scotland
hi Wini
Best wishes
Lesley
Yes - it will attach to your PC using the USB lead (just like your flash drive), and that should be all there is to it!Now since it comes with no instructions on how to use, I am assuming I just plug it in and transfer data to it as if I was transferring to a CD or flash drive. Is this correct?
Best wishes
Lesley
-
Montrose Budie
- Posts: 713
- Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:37 pm
There should be some instructions with it, maybe only accessible when you've connected it up.
Try clicking on the new logo that there should be on your desktop screen for the external drive. In the window that opens there should be a Help option in the top level menu.........
You need to set up the software so that an automatic backup happens every so often, every day or at least weekly, as, human nature being what it is, I can you guarantee that you wont always remember to do it manually, when there's lots of other much more exciting things to do !
mb
Try clicking on the new logo that there should be on your desktop screen for the external drive. In the window that opens there should be a Help option in the top level menu.........
You need to set up the software so that an automatic backup happens every so often, every day or at least weekly, as, human nature being what it is, I can you guarantee that you wont always remember to do it manually, when there's lots of other much more exciting things to do !
mb
-
winslowsmom
- Posts: 128
- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 10:35 pm
- Location: Southern California
With my external hard drive, it is also important to disconnect it
in a certain way too. I don't know if this is true for all brands, but
I think you are supposed to move the icon to the trash and press the
eject with your mouse before you actually physically pull the USB or
firewire connection out from the comouter. I haven't lost data from doing it improperly, but a warning flashes that I will lose or corrupt files
when I have forgotten and not "turned it off from the desktop" first.
I love having the new smaller external doo dads. It makes it so easy to
take files and photos to a cousins or other rellies house to slide whatever
they want onto their computer. Well, if they live close enough ...
in a certain way too. I don't know if this is true for all brands, but
I think you are supposed to move the icon to the trash and press the
eject with your mouse before you actually physically pull the USB or
firewire connection out from the comouter. I haven't lost data from doing it improperly, but a warning flashes that I will lose or corrupt files
when I have forgotten and not "turned it off from the desktop" first.
I love having the new smaller external doo dads. It makes it so easy to
take files and photos to a cousins or other rellies house to slide whatever
they want onto their computer. Well, if they live close enough ...
-
Currie
- Posts: 3924
- Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:20 am
- Location: Australia
Hello Wini,
With Windows XP when you plug in a USB Thumb Drive or an USB external Hard Drive an icon should appear in the System Tray in the bottom RH corner of the screen but, as Cathy said, this may vary. When you finish copying stuff to the USB device you should click the icon and the subsequent message box and get the message that it’s safe to remove the device before doing so. The purpose of this is to ensure that the copying job is finished.
If your External Hard Drive didn’t come with backup software there are free programs available. I use this one as it’s nice and simple but there may be others just as good. http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/EZBack ... kitup.html
The first backup often takes a long time as it has to copy everything to the new drive but if you’re using backup software the next backup will be very much quicker as it will only copy anything that is new or has changed since the previous one.
You can use an external hard drive exactly as you would an USB thumb drive, i.e. without backup software, by copying everything to the external drive first and then copying each new or changed document to its appropriate place on the external drive to replace the old version. Depending on how your Documents folder is organised this method can be horribly messy, time consuming and/or confusing but vastly better than no backup at all.
If you have any doubts about using unfamiliar backup software with the new device it’s always a good idea to back up your important stuff onto DVDs or elsewhere first just as insurance until you know exactly how things work. Some third party backup programs can be too complicated for comfort.
If in the slightest doubt about anything post back.
All the best,
Alan
With Windows XP when you plug in a USB Thumb Drive or an USB external Hard Drive an icon should appear in the System Tray in the bottom RH corner of the screen but, as Cathy said, this may vary. When you finish copying stuff to the USB device you should click the icon and the subsequent message box and get the message that it’s safe to remove the device before doing so. The purpose of this is to ensure that the copying job is finished.
If your External Hard Drive didn’t come with backup software there are free programs available. I use this one as it’s nice and simple but there may be others just as good. http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/EZBack ... kitup.html
The first backup often takes a long time as it has to copy everything to the new drive but if you’re using backup software the next backup will be very much quicker as it will only copy anything that is new or has changed since the previous one.
You can use an external hard drive exactly as you would an USB thumb drive, i.e. without backup software, by copying everything to the external drive first and then copying each new or changed document to its appropriate place on the external drive to replace the old version. Depending on how your Documents folder is organised this method can be horribly messy, time consuming and/or confusing but vastly better than no backup at all.
If you have any doubts about using unfamiliar backup software with the new device it’s always a good idea to back up your important stuff onto DVDs or elsewhere first just as insurance until you know exactly how things work. Some third party backup programs can be too complicated for comfort.
If in the slightest doubt about anything post back.
All the best,
Alan