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    Connecting External HD

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by jday, Apr 23, 2006.

  1. jday

    jday Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm curious about how careful I need to be or the proper procedure when connecting either a USB2 or Firewire external hard drive to my laptop. It is best to connect it with the laptop turned off or is it ok to just connect it while the computer is running? I don't want to take a chance on losing/corrupting any data. Thanks.
     
    jday, Apr 23, 2006
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  2. Chutsman

    Chutsman Notebook Evangelist

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    You can connect it with the laptop on. But to remove it, I always use the "Remove Hardware" icon (green arrow) that appears in the Tray. With the 3.5 enclosures sometimes you have to have the enclosure powered on so the drive can spin up before plugging into the laptop's usb port in order to let Windows recognize it.

    If it is a 2.5 enclosure then of course that will not get power until you plug it into the usb port.
     
    Chutsman, Apr 23, 2006
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  3. qwester

    qwester Notebook Virtuoso

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    It doesn't really matter.

    I keep mine (a 2.5" and a 3.5") plugged in all the time and they just switch on and off with the system. My notebook is a desktop replacement and I need plenty of HDD space not possible to obtain with internal HDDs
     
    qwester, Apr 23, 2006
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  4. jday

    jday Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the replies. Mine is a 3.5 external HDD that does have a power switch, so I will make sure it is powered on and "spun up" before connecting the cable to my notebook. I am familiar with the safely remove hardware button and always use it to stop peripherals before disconnecting them. Now, I know the proper way to connect it.

    My notebook is not a desktop replacement so I don't keep the external drive connected, but I do use it for video editing when not at home so I also need the extra hard drive space. It also allows me to connect the external drive to my desktop when I return and then continue to work with the captured video files.
     
    jday, Apr 23, 2006
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