Desktop vs Portable external drives: Hello- is there any benefit one way or the other, in using an AC-powered external hard drive vs a portable usb-plug in drive? To be used at home...

mikedent Loc: Florida

Hello- is there any benefit one way or the other, in using an AC-powered external hard drive vs a portable usb-plug in drive? To be used at home for storage of new photo files since my C drive is almost full. Thanks!

reverendray

the question is what you think the "lifetime" of storage of your photos should be. All hard drives, given time, will fail. So I would suggest you simply keep duplicate files on a portable hard drive and update regularly.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Beats me. I don't worry about it.
I have both an external USB pocket drive and a plug-in drive dock which uses old internal hard drives that I use for backups. I'd use either.
If it's a desktop, can you add another internal drive?

mikedent Loc: Florida

Don't think I have an extra bay for an internal. The "portable" ones are a bit less expensive. Thanks!

no12mo

You should consider Mikedent's question I do clones and have a couple of data drives. If you are still working and it's not a security problem, take one small data drive into work or if your safety box at the bank is big enough rotate a couple of ssd drives and keep your pics (docs) at another location

But do keep at least 3 clones so you don't have to reorganize your programs OS etc if you should have a HD SSD failure.

Al

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

no12mo wrote:

You should consider Mikedent's question I do clones and have a couple of data drives. If you are still working and it's not a security problem, take one small data drive into work or if your safety box at the bank is big enough rotate a couple of ssd drives and keep your pics (docs) at another location

But do keep at least 3 clones so you don't have to reorganize your programs OS etc if you should have a HD SSD failure.

Al

I don't think he wants to clone "C:", C: is getting full, I think he wants additional storage, externally.

no12mo

Longshadow wrote:

I don't think he wants to clone "C:", C: is getting full, he wants additional storage, externally.

Not knowing the particulars I can't get specific. I used to work as an "IT" guy and my solutions should work.

Wish him good luck. In parting -get SSD's and at least have two backups one to be located in another location

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

You will get lots of advice. Fairly mainstream is that you should have main storage and 2 backups. One of the backups should be offsite.

I have a 6tb internal drive for picture storage and 2 portable 4 tb drives as backups. My backups are nearly full, so it will be time to get another set of them.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

no12mo wrote:

Not knowing the particulars I can't get specific. I used to work as an "IT" guy and my solutions should work.

Wish him good luck. In parting -get SSD's and at least have two backups one to be located in another location

Why SSDs, because you like them?
Either/or for me. I have no SSDs yet, and I've only been using/working with computers for 50 years.

C: drive getting full, need more storage seems kinda specific to me.

mikedent Loc: Florida

I already have 2 smaller external backup drives in addition to the C drive. The new external drive will be for future photos once the current C drive is full. Thanks!

no12mo

From my experience, SSD's are a more robust drive. Since you asked - just how big a drive (C) do you have and what kind of OS are you running?

If your C drive is getting that full, I'd be getting an external drive. If you are running some sort of Windows OS, and you are running <1 TB there is a way of resolving that problem

I see your comment about 50 years so it seems that I have offended you so I apologize and we can terminate this conversation ASAP

Regards, Al

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

no12mo wrote:

From my experience, SSD's are a more robust drive. Since you asked - just how big a drive (C) do you have and what kind of OS are you running?

If your C drive is getting that full, I'd be getting an external drive. If you are running some sort of Windows OS, and you are running <1 TB there is a way of resolving that problem

I see your comment about 50 years so it seems that I have offended you so I apologize and we can terminate this conversation ASAP

Regards, Al

Not offended at all, just letting you know I'm not an armchair computer expert.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

How much additional storage do you need and what is your budget? Also, what speed USB port(s) do you have available?

srt101fan

The OP asked about external drives for photo storage. Specifically, he wants to know if there is "any benefit one way or the other, in using an AC-powered external hard drive vs a portable usb-plug in drive".

Can somebody answer that question?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

srt101fan wrote:

The OP asked about external drives for photo storage. Specifically, he wants to know if there is "any benefit one way or the other, in using an AC-powered external hard drive vs a portable usb-plug in drive".

Can somebody answer that question?