Best External Hard Drive For Backing Up Pc

• Best External Hard Drive For Backing Up Data
• Best External Hard Drive For Backing Up Pc Windows 10
• Backup With External Hard Drive
• Best External Hard Drive For Backing Up Pc Windows 8

There might come a time when you run out of storage on your laptop's hard drive or simply want to back up all of your files. You can open your computer and upgrade the storage inside, assuming your computer is repair-friendly. Alternatively, you can buy an external hard drive. Not only is it a useful way to back up your data, but it lets you easily move files from one device to another. These are the best external hard drives you can buy today.

Get a backup drive. This can be just about any USB external hard drive, and you can get them at most electronics stores. Try to get one that has twice as much space as your computer. The Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB is one of the more compact non-SSD drives, making it the best external hard drive for those who are looking to save some space. And at less than $60, it's also a. Best External Hard Drives Windows Central 2020 Having an external hard drive around can come in handy if you need to add a little (or a lot) of extra storage space to your PC setup with little hassle. An external USB hard drive is one of the quickest and most secure ways of storing your files away from your computer. You can keep it connected for regular backups, or for the most sensitive data you can connect it to perform a backup, and then easily take it to a remote location or a safe.

Picking up one of the best external hard drives is becoming a vital part of both a PC gamers arsenal and that of a console owner. In a world of ever-growing game installs and mighty storage hogs.

The best external hard drives:

Editor's note:We will update our list of the best external hard drives over time.

Best External Hard Drive For Backing Up Data

1. Seagate Backup Plus Slim

Our list starts with the Seagate Backup Plus Slim. The headline feature is how slim it is relative to other external hard drives with similar storage configurations. Another nice touch is the aluminum enclosure, along with temporary memberships to Mylio Create and Adobe Creative Cloud.

The 120MB/s transfer speed isn't the fastest, but it's typical of mechanical hard drives. Also, the Backup Plus Slim uses USB 3.0 instead of USB-C, which is something to note if your computer only has USB-C ports.

2. Western Digital My Passport Ultra

Also read:The best USB-C cables

Yes, there's a USB-C port on the My Passport Ultra. The hard drive comes with a USB-C-to-USB-C cable, though it also includes a USB 3.1 adapter for those with access to the older port. Transfer speeds hover around 125MB/s, so don't expect blazing read and write speeds. At least the hard drive features an anodized metal finish.

Best External Hard Drive For Backing Up Pc Windows 10

3. Samsung T5

Unlike mechanical hard drives, the Samsung T5 is an external solid-state drive (SSD). That means there are no moving parts to worry about. That also means the Samsung T5 is incredibly slim and compact, easily fitting in a shirt pocket.

Best fl studio plugins for house. Don't let the size fool you into thinking transfer speeds are slow, however. Thanks to its use of Samsung's V-NAND flash memory and USB-C, the T5 provides transfer speeds of up to 540MB/s.

4. SanDisk Extreme Portable External SSD

We continue the portable SSD offerings with the SanDisk Extreme Portable External SSD. According to SanDisk, maximum sequential read and write speeds are rated at 1050 and 1000MB/s, respectively.

Apart from being speedy, the Extreme Portable External SSD is also rugged. The portable SSD features an IP55 rating for protection against water and dust. Also, it can withstand drops from up to two meters onto a concrete floor.

5. Adata SE800

There are plenty of hard drives out there with massive capacities, but they sacrifice a great deal of portability. On the other hand, the Adata SE800 offers a powerful combination of up to a 1TB capacity and heavy-duty endurance.

With read and write speeds of up to 1000Mbps and a weight of just 40 grams, the SE800 is perfect to take on the go. It packs USB-C connectivity, but the durability features are where this Adata option really shines. The hard drive is MIL-STD 810G rated for drop tests and it carries an IP68 rating for water and dust.

Speedy USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity helps to guarantee top speeds while a hairline brushed metal finish gives the Adata SE800 a luxurious feel. It comes in either 512GB or 1TB capacities.

6. Western Digital My Book Duo

Jumping from the most portable hard drive to the least, the Western Digital My Book Duo is a tank. It's best for those who mostly stick to their desks and want to maximize their storage options.

The My Book Duo is RAID-0 ready with WD Red drives inside and a USB-C port along with two USB-A options allow for plenty of peripherals. As for speed, the My Book Duo handles up to 360Mbps sequential reading and can switch to RAID-1 to mirror your data. There may be faster speeds out there, but with a capacity of up to 24TB, you should never be hurting for space with this one.

7. LaCie Rugged

Another option that's designed to face the elements, the LaCie Rugged makes our list of the best external hard drives for a number of reasons. From the capacity of up to 5TB to the six different formats, there's plenty of flexibility available in a compact package.

You'll probably never misplace the LaCie Rugged thanks to the bright orange bumper. The bumper works twofold — protecting the device from falls and water, and housing a convenient USB-C cable. You can max out the laptop transfer speed at 130Mbps and the LaCie Rugged can reportedly withstand up to one ton of pressure.

8. Western Digital Black P10

Pretty much all of the best external hard drives so far have been made for everyday use. However, gamers often find themselves needing extra storage too with how large games have become. That's where the Western Digital Black P10 makes its name. With a capacity of up to 5TB, you should be able to manage up to 125 new games at a size of 36GB apiece.

Also read: The best gaming laptops you can buy right now

Beyond the storage capacity, the Black P10 has an industrial design that feels like it belongs in your gaming arsenal. It's smaller than a standard Xbox controller and sits flat, and speeds of up to 140Mbps should keep you running smoothly. Weighing in at just about eight ounces, you should be able to stuff the Black P10 in a backpack and not feel any difference.

That was our list of the best external hard drives you can buy right now. Check out a few of these other PC accessories to complete your setup:

If only! This is the two-word refrain of anyone who lost hard drive data without having a solid backup waiting in the wings. Learning how to backup your computer to an external hard drive may not be the most fun way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon, but trust us on this!

You may well be thanking yourself (and us!) later.

Nerds On Call Computer Repair are always here to help you retrieve lost hard drive data, but when it comes to keeping your data safe, the simple fact is that prevention is way better than finding a cure!

So here's a quick and snappy guide to keeping your data safely backed up on an external hard drive. We'll start by giving you the pros and cons of opting for an external drive backup. Then we'll walk you through the five key principles of data backup. Then we'll give you a step-by-step walkthrough for backing up your data to a Mac or a Windows PC.

So, first up, why might you want to create an external hard drive backup?

The obvious reason is it's a contingency plan. Hard drives are physical devices, and they can destruct. Keeping a backup on your existing hard drive won't help you if that hard drive fails!

What about cloud backups. Absolutely. A cloud backup is a good thing to have. However, an external hard drive backup means you'll be able to restore your computer with or without a functioning Internet connection.

For many, this is a more convenient and secure option.

The first and most obvious reason is in case of hard drive failure. That failure could look like a complete and sudden breakdown of your hard drive, or (more often the case) you may have experienced file corruption owing to a gradually deteriorating drive.

You might also face a situation where software failure damages crucial files. This is less common than it once was, but sometimes software fails catastrophically, damaging files you may have been reading or editing.

Finally, there's good old-fashioned human error. Accidental file deletion or overwriting happens all the time. While you have a range of options for retrieval here, an external hard drive backup is your best final safety net.

If all else fails you can always grab that crucial archive.

OK, so by now hopefully you're convinced that backups aren't an optional extra in your computing life! So let's get down to the nitty-gritty of how.

Know Your Backup Best Practice

Your first step is to know and understand some basic principles of good backup practice. There are five rules of thumb you should attempt to follow faithfully:

1. Have a schedule – It's boring we know, but backing up is something you should do regularly. Some software will handle a regular backup schedule for you, but just to be sure, add a regular reminder to your calendar to check that you're backed up. We'd recommend that, at a minimum, you aim for a quarterly full backup schedule.
2. Aim for redundancy – External hard drives can fail as well! If your budget will spring for it, don't just backup to one external drive. Backup your backup. One neat way to do this is to alternate your quarterly backups across two external drives.
3. Only backup clean data – Before you perform a backup, it pays to spend a little time cleaning your hard drive of old, duplicate files. Spend a little time on file structure as well. The more organized your folders are before you backup, the easier it'll be to retrieve specific files or folders.
4. Keep your drive safe – Ideally, you'd keep your external drive off-site. At the very least, make sure it's stored away from your main computer, and somewhere that wouldn't easily be found in the unfortunate event of theft. Again, it happens! Make like a cub-scout, and be prepared.
5. Encrypt where possible – People backup in different ways, and encrypting your backup drive (making it impossible to read or access without a password) isn't always feasible. However, if you can, encrypt your backup. It takes a little longer but it keeps your data extra safe.

For Mac Owners

Mac processes are usually pretty simple and streamlined. Unfortunately, this rule doesn't apply quite so readily to external drive backup. There are a few reasons for this, but the big reason is that Apple wants you to backup your data to iCloud. This isn't a terrible idea, but you will have to pay for that feature! Xbox download on pc. Once you buy your external drive/s, you face no ongoing expense.

Here are your steps:

Backup With External Hard Drive

If only! This is the two-word refrain of anyone who lost hard drive data without having a solid backup waiting in the wings. Learning how to backup your computer to an external hard drive may not be the most fun way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon, but trust us on this!

You may well be thanking yourself (and us!) later.

Nerds On Call Computer Repair are always here to help you retrieve lost hard drive data, but when it comes to keeping your data safe, the simple fact is that prevention is way better than finding a cure!

So here's a quick and snappy guide to keeping your data safely backed up on an external hard drive. We'll start by giving you the pros and cons of opting for an external drive backup. Then we'll walk you through the five key principles of data backup. Then we'll give you a step-by-step walkthrough for backing up your data to a Mac or a Windows PC.

So, first up, why might you want to create an external hard drive backup?

The obvious reason is it's a contingency plan. Hard drives are physical devices, and they can destruct. Keeping a backup on your existing hard drive won't help you if that hard drive fails!

What about cloud backups. Absolutely. A cloud backup is a good thing to have. However, an external hard drive backup means you'll be able to restore your computer with or without a functioning Internet connection.

For many, this is a more convenient and secure option.

The first and most obvious reason is in case of hard drive failure. That failure could look like a complete and sudden breakdown of your hard drive, or (more often the case) you may have experienced file corruption owing to a gradually deteriorating drive.

You might also face a situation where software failure damages crucial files. This is less common than it once was, but sometimes software fails catastrophically, damaging files you may have been reading or editing.

Finally, there's good old-fashioned human error. Accidental file deletion or overwriting happens all the time. While you have a range of options for retrieval here, an external hard drive backup is your best final safety net.

If all else fails you can always grab that crucial archive.

OK, so by now hopefully you're convinced that backups aren't an optional extra in your computing life! So let's get down to the nitty-gritty of how.

Know Your Backup Best Practice

Your first step is to know and understand some basic principles of good backup practice. There are five rules of thumb you should attempt to follow faithfully:

1. Have a schedule – It's boring we know, but backing up is something you should do regularly. Some software will handle a regular backup schedule for you, but just to be sure, add a regular reminder to your calendar to check that you're backed up. We'd recommend that, at a minimum, you aim for a quarterly full backup schedule.
2. Aim for redundancy – External hard drives can fail as well! If your budget will spring for it, don't just backup to one external drive. Backup your backup. One neat way to do this is to alternate your quarterly backups across two external drives.
3. Only backup clean data – Before you perform a backup, it pays to spend a little time cleaning your hard drive of old, duplicate files. Spend a little time on file structure as well. The more organized your folders are before you backup, the easier it'll be to retrieve specific files or folders.
4. Keep your drive safe – Ideally, you'd keep your external drive off-site. At the very least, make sure it's stored away from your main computer, and somewhere that wouldn't easily be found in the unfortunate event of theft. Again, it happens! Make like a cub-scout, and be prepared.
5. Encrypt where possible – People backup in different ways, and encrypting your backup drive (making it impossible to read or access without a password) isn't always feasible. However, if you can, encrypt your backup. It takes a little longer but it keeps your data extra safe.

For Mac Owners

Mac processes are usually pretty simple and streamlined. Unfortunately, this rule doesn't apply quite so readily to external drive backup. There are a few reasons for this, but the big reason is that Apple wants you to backup your data to iCloud. This isn't a terrible idea, but you will have to pay for that feature! Xbox download on pc. Once you buy your external drive/s, you face no ongoing expense.

Here are your steps:

Backup With External Hard Drive

1. Connect your new drive to your Mac via the USB port.
2. Right up at the top right of your screen, you'll see a little magnifying glass. Click that and type Disk Utility. On the left, you'll see a directory of connected drives. Be sure to select your new drive, and then select Erase from the top bar of the Disk Utility app.
3. Select Mac OS Extended format (Journaled) and then give your Mac the go-ahead to perform the erase. Note that, if you wish, you can encrypt this drive as you format it. We recommend you do this!
4. Your new drive will be wiped and formatted to be compatible with Time Machine backups.
5. Open up your Apple Menu (the cute little apple at the top left of your screen). Then select System Preferences and hit Time Machine.
6. You'll be asked to select your Time Machine Disk. Select the disk you just formatted. If you ticked the encrypt button during the formatting stage, you'll be asked to re-enter your password at this point.

At this point, Mac will now manage data backups for you, periodically sending a mirror of your hard drive across to your external drive. Should you ever need to retrieve files (or restore your whole system in case of catastrophic hard drive failure) Time Machine will handle your data retrieval for you.

One thing to note: this is a perfectly fine solution for keeping your data safe, except that you need to keep this drive connected to your machine in order for the dynamic backup process to work.

If you want to keep your data safe from theft, you might want to consider an additional external drive to which you periodically copy your most valuable files. This one you can store separately from your computer, effectively covering all your bases.

For Windows PC Owners

First up, be aware that Windows PC owners also have cloud backup solutions they may like to consider in parallel with an external backup option. Google Drive and SkyDrive are among the most widely used in the Windows PC world, and they're an acceptable solution if you don't mind cloud and if you don't mind a subscription service.

If external hard drives backup is your preferred option, the process is pretty straightforward.

1. Connect your external hard drive via your PC's USB port.
2. Open your Control Panel. The easiest way to do this is by going into your system-wide search bar and typing Control Panel. Then, look for System and Security.
3. Select Save Backup Copies of Your Files with File History, then select System Image Backup.
4. You'll then be prompted to create a system image.
5. Be sure to select your new hard drive from the drop-down box, and then hit Next.
6. At this point, your computer will whir into life and backup your whole system. This includes all your system files, your OS settings, and of course, all your media files. Essentially, this backup is a mirror of your whole local hard drive.
7. Now, wait! And by wait, we mean that this process could take several hours. While you can continue to use your computer during this process, it's best not to. For this reason, you might want to time your external backup to take place overnight, or even better, while you're powering through Season 4 of Better Call Saul.

A Few Minutes Now Could Save You Hours Later!

So now you have the skinny on external file backups. We know it's not necessarily a fun topic, but keeping your data safe is a vital part of responsible home computing. So, kudos for sticking with us through to the end.

The bottom line is, learning how to backup your computer to an external hard drive is just a smart and prudent thing to do. Sure, it's not the most fun piece of housekeeping, but setting yourself up now with a simple, easy-to-repeat process, may well save you hours of heartbreak and hassle further down the road.

Best External Hard Drive For Backing Up Pc Windows 8

If you'd like to learn more about how Nerds On Call can set you up with an online backup process, check outthis link for Mac users, andthis one for Windows PC users. Or, you could just call us on 800-269-8084.