I want an external hard drive for use with my laptop. I will rarely access the hard drive and it wont be connected to my laptop. Does the hard drive need a constant power source, or can i just plug it in, transfer files and then leave it switched off in a cupboard somewhere safely?
2007-08-18 00:43:01 · 7 answers · asked by sapa 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Laptops & Notebooks
External hard drives run on the "plug n play" system, which means that it can be used in any computer and you just plug it in and it works, you dont have to have it plugged in all the time, only when you need it, they are designed to be portable, much like a floppy disk or a memory card. it acts just the same as an internal hard drive, the files will stay there so long as you dont delete them yourself.
2007-08-18 00:53:06 · answer #1 · answered by applebeer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course your files will be safe in the external hard drive , as it is designed to be kept any where except in places that has a magnetic field in it , also most of them are anti-shock so even if you dropped it , it'll save your data and only needs electricity if you are using it , so you don't have to keep it plugged all the time.
and if you want my opinion a SATA external drive would be the perfect choice.
2007-08-18 00:57:57 · answer #2 · answered by hooda14 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
there are various external drives in the market now.there are ones tha use power and ones that dont.the ones that use power are are kind of bulky to carry bcos of the power cable but the ones that dont use power cable get there power when they are connected to the computer vary usb.there are light and easy to carry.external hard disk dont need costant power you can only use them when you want to.but when storing them make sure that there in a dry area or stored in a dry area.
2007-08-18 00:58:28 · answer #3 · answered by ikenna 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as you save your files, they will stay on your outdrive indefinitely--until the outdrive itself is destroyed. But be sure you don't have humidity or magnetic devices in your cupboard.
2007-08-18 00:50:11 · answer #4 · answered by Elaine P...is for Poetry 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It only needs to be powered on while you're using it.
2007-08-18 00:48:46 · answer #5 · answered by mommadillo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that'll be just fine if it's off or on
2007-08-18 01:05:35 · answer #6 · answered by zippo091 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES
Don
2007-08-18 00:48:05 · answer #7 · answered by Don M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋