external storage options?

I am looking for external storage ideas for older laptops such as the Pentium M generation of laptops. My particular notebook is a Thinkpad T41.

Thus, unforunately, I don't have eSATA which would make it easy but with 2 USB ports, is that the only option?

I am re-installing XP on a 120GB IDE drive so my install idea is as such:
40 GB XP (OS, drivers, programs etc.)
60 GB (approx.) Linux

If I should have a different ratio or configuration setup, please recommend.

I thought it would be better to have 1 Windows OS partition and have data/media files etc. on a separate drive and the only way I can think of for doing this would be an external drive. It would offer more space for storage. I would format the drive, NTFS. Is a USB-connected drive the only/main option? I was going to have an internal drive in an enclosure and how can I connect it? Only USB? I was hoping there was another option since a USB setup would have transfer and access limitations. Maybe there is no other choice? I hope to find out.

Thanks for any ideas or recommendations.

 

USB is pretty much your only option, unless your laptop can have a second HDD. As for your partitions, will you really need that much space for Linux? If you dont use it a lot then I would imagine you wouldnt, which would allow for a larger XP partition. Furthermore, depending on how much data you have, you could also keep it all on your XP partition, or if you wanted to, you could have a third partition strictly for data that both Linux and XP would have access too ( though note, resizing partitions would be a pain ).

Also, depending on how much data you have, it may be worth it to upgrade your HDD to a larger one.

 

Thanks for your reply! This is the only forum in which I consistently receive replies to my posts!

I think the max. size I can upgrade to is 160 GB? I previously had a 40GB and on impulse, I upgraded while I was getting a new keyboard installed. Oh wait, I could get 250GB but I would rather invest this $$ on my desktop or towards a new laptop.

Anyway, I was afraid USB was the only option. I suppose I could have the XP/Linux ratio be 50GB/50GB? I often switch back and forth between XP and Linux. It depends what I'm doing and whether I'm having any issue with one.

I really want to get a new laptop and make this issue moot (most or many laptops nowadays have eSATA, right?) but so difficult to decide and then you gotta budget.

I suppose I could live with USB speeds as long as there is no problem if I have to access the USB-connected drive from the laptop IDE 120GB drive.

 

I believe the max size available to you is 320GB.

Well, actually, if you have an express card slot on the side, you could get an express card if you really wanted one, that would you could use firewire and E SATA.

Your XP/Linux ratio can be whatever you want it to (obviously ), I was just saying, that if you use one less, you could make it smaller to possibly fit more data on the drive.

For the E-SATA port, it seems reserved for enthusiasts laptops ( i could be wrong ), for example, Im not sure if Dell or HP support the interface, but I know Asus does.

If youre in the market for a new system, I would say to do what you can with what you have, that way you can put more money towards your next toy

 

eSATA is supported on many many new laptops. Does your T61 have an expresscard slot? You could always buy an expresscard to eSATA converter.

Agreed with NAS_Ghost though, best thing would be to save the pennies and put them toward your new machine. After all, the best upgrade you can ever buy is a new computer.

 

Would these be compatible with my T41 notebook?:

http://www.anitec.ca/product/3011
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/141002/VANTEC/UGT_ST350CB/

My Thinkpad T41 specs are as follows:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-58183

Sorry for adding more info and pages but I'm trying to confirm whether that hardware could be used.

So, my T41 has a PC Card slot (PCMIA)....

If I can use this, for $30 approx., it's not bad?

 

You'd be better off using the USB to be honest. The expresscard interface is much much faster than USB, and hence if you had that then it would be worth buying the converter. The PCMCIA interface can be faster, but it's not by much. I guess it's a case of weighing up the additional cost of the converter & HDD which has SATA connector, vs the cost of a slightly slower but cheaper USB HDD.

EDIT: FYI, have a read of these threads:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3827
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=108825

 

You can try a PCIMA SATA card which would solve all of your problems.