The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    2.5 external hard drive

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by dondadah88, Jan 17, 2008.

  1. dondadah88

    dondadah88 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,024
    Messages:
    7,755
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    i have a laptop hard drive and i want an external enclosure so i can use it for extra space. problem is i cant find any that is usb powered and i need help.

    does anyone have suggestions on a good 2.5 external hhd case usb powered and if it has fans to keep the hhd cool that a plus

    thanks.
     
    dondadah88, Jan 17, 2008
    #1
  2. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    4,982
    Messages:
    34,001
    Likes Received:
    1,415
    Trophy Points:
    581
    Just got a Seagate FreeAgent which is usb powered.
     
    ZaZ, Jan 17, 2008
    #2
  3. ejl

    ejl fudge

    Reputations:
    1,783
    Messages:
    8,254
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    i don't think you can have both fans and usb power. it's either one or the other. i would take a look at newegg's selection of enclosures while paying attention to the user reviews.
     
    ejl, Jan 17, 2008
    #3
  4. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    4,982
    Messages:
    34,001
    Likes Received:
    1,415
    Trophy Points:
    581
    Forgot to mention it doesn't have any heat issues.
     
    ZaZ, Jan 17, 2008
    #4
  5. dondadah88

    dondadah88 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,024
    Messages:
    7,755
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    how long u have it for. how doesnt it get hot do u have it somewhere cool
     
    dondadah88, Jan 17, 2008
    #5
  6. goofball

    goofball Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    358
    Messages:
    1,710
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Most 2.5" drive enclosures are usb powered. I use a vantec e-sata/usb enclosure but it will depend on the drive in question. If you're trying to use a 7200rpm drive, you may need to find one that has dual usb-connectors for 5w of power for startup.
     
    goofball, Jan 17, 2008
    #6
  7. dondadah88

    dondadah88 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,024
    Messages:
    7,755
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    no the hard drive im trying to use is a seagate sata it pins it 5400 rpm but just for safety i would not mind getting a dual usb encloseure but i went to newegg and tigerdirect and i could not find any. i have also looked on best buy and circiut city and there website was not helpful on enclosers
     
    dondadah88, Jan 17, 2008
    #7
  8. goofball

    goofball Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    358
    Messages:
    1,710
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    goofball, Jan 17, 2008
    #8
  9. dondadah88

    dondadah88 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,024
    Messages:
    7,755
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    is this also usb powered?
     
    dondadah88, Jan 17, 2008
    #9
  10. muzikman

    muzikman Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    ZaZ-
    I just got a Seagate FreeAgent Go 120GB. I got it for backup and large files, like photos & movies. I also want to use it to transfer files from my desktop to my laptop. I was disappointed to find it came with a bunch of software-- I just wanted a "D drive" for storage and backup files. Do all portable external hard drives come like this? Can I just copy (or move) files from my internal hard drive to, say, "My Documents" on the Seagate?

    Any help would be appreciated. (as you can tell, I'm a 'learner'). Thanks!
     
    muzikman, Jan 22, 2008
    #10
  11. dondadah88

    dondadah88 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,024
    Messages:
    7,755
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    if u havent put nothing on there just format it it will clear everything off of the drive.

    if u have other drives ex more then one hard drive, or cd/dvd drive then it will not nessisaily be a "d drive"

    yes u can copy and paste your documents to your external drive but i would recommend a backup program to do it automatcally so your wont have the same over and over again
     
    dondadah88, Jan 22, 2008
    #11
  12. muzikman

    muzikman Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Thanks, dondadah88!
    I don't use my laptop much, so manual backup wouldn't be a problem. I just want it to be simple, like having a second (internal) hard drive that is external. Is there an advantage to all the software that comes with the Seagate? I'm inclined to just use the folders in My Documents, but perhaps it would be better to reformat the thing (?).
     
    muzikman, Jan 23, 2008
    #12
  13. dondadah88

    dondadah88 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,024
    Messages:
    7,755
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    here u go
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=207549
     
    dondadah88, Jan 23, 2008
    #13