Jim Cladingboel said:My Seagate 160 GB external HDD is almost full. Is replacing it with a
larger HDD any more difficult than installing a HDD in my PC?
I'm not keen to open that case without some good advice.
The unit is ST3160203U2-RK.
Thanks,
Jim.
My Seagate 160 GB external HDD is almost full. Is replacing it with a
larger HDD any more difficult than installing a HDD in my PC?
I'm not keen to open that case without some good advice.
The unit is ST3160203U2-RK.
Ken Blake said:Are you talking about replacing a hard drive in an external case? No,
it's not more difficult than installing an internal drive. In fact
it's considerably easier.
Even if you're all thumbs, it should take under five minutes.
Ken Blake said:Are you talking about replacing a hard drive in an external case? No,
it's not more difficult than installing an internal drive. In fact
it's considerably easier.
Even if you're all thumbs, it should take under five minutes.
Thanks Patrick. I'm proposing to put the original disk into my PC andPatrick Keenan said:Decent drive cases start around $30, 500-gig hard disks cost around $90,
and it will take you about ten minutes to assemble the two components.
You only need a small phillips screwdriver. Then, you just plug it in,
let Windows initialise the disk, you format it, and it's ready to go.
Just be sure to get a case that matches the connector type of the hard
disk you buy, i.e. IDE and IDE or SATA and SATA.
If you were to replace the disk in your current case, how will you
retrieve the data from that disk?
HTH
-pk
Jim Cladingboel said:Thanks Patrick. I'm proposing to put the original disk into my PC and
transfer all data to the new HDD.
I will then leave it in the PC as a slave and format it.
Jim.
Jim Cladingboel said:Thanks, Ken. I now feel quite confident about tackling this job.
But on a related point, is there any way to avoid losing about
12% of space on the new disk as "Reserved system Space"?
Jim.
Thanks to all for so much good advice and information. What a great NG !Patrick Keenan said:There's a utility I use for this purpose, which is much faster than COPY
or XCOPY. You might also try Robocopy, but I use FileSync. Get it
here:
http://www.fileware.com/download.htm'
But I would leave that drive where it is, get a new case with the new
drive, then format the old one. The cost is not that high.
HTH
-pk
Patrick said:No, that's for NTFS use, mostly for the Master File Tables. You do need
this, or more specifically, the drive does.
HTH
-pk
Thanks to all for so much good advice and information. What a great NG !
I will get a new HDD and new case, probably SATA which my new mobo
supports.
I have downloaded FileSync in readiness for the data transfer.
Jim.
| On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:15:42 +1000, "Jim Cladingboel"
|
| > My Seagate 160 GB external HDD is almost full. Is replacing it with a
| > larger HDD any more difficult than installing a HDD in my PC?
| > I'm not keen to open that case without some good advice.
| > The unit is ST3160203U2-RK.
|
|
| Are you talking about replacing a hard drive in an external case? No,
| it's not more difficult than installing an internal drive. In fact
| it's considerably easier.
|
| Even if you're all thumbs, it should take under five minutes.
|
| --
| Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
| Please Reply to the Newsgroup
The cost of a new HD, already in a case, wont be much more than the HD itself.
Then you will still have access to the files you backed up on your current external drive too.
That's definitely food for thought. I'am now compressing files on myAnna said:(Jim later adds...)
Jim:
Assuming you're working with a desktop PC, let me just add another
possible approach for your consideration...
Why not just retain your present USBEHD, purchase a large-capacity SATA
HDD of your choosing and install same as a secondary HDD in your system?
You can then use the new SATA HDD as your primary backup and continue to
use the USBEHD in some auxiliary role such as a recipient for "on-the-fly"
duplicate backups of critical files or for some other desirable purpose.
Should you go that route you might want to consider employing a
disk-to-disk type of "cloning" program in order to establish & maintain a
comprehensive backup of your system - using, of course, the internal
secondary SATA HDD as the recipient of the "clone". Thus you could backup
your system on a routine basis, in effect creating a precise copy of your
day-to-day working HDD including the operating system, all programs &
applications, and of course your personal data - in short *everything*
that's on your primary HDD. And you could routinely accomplish this rather
simply & quickly especially through the use of SATA HDDs. What better
backup system can one imagine?
So if & when the time ever comes when your day-to-day HDD goes to "HDD
heaven" (hell?) or the system becomes unbootable and/or otherwise
dysfunctional because of operating system files corruption, malware
infestation, or any other cause, you would have a bootable functional HDD
(the secondary SATA HDD) at hand and your system could be immediately
restored to its previous bootable functional state. Again, it's hard to
imagine a better comprehensive backup system.
Anyway, I thought the above would be another approach you might want to
consider.
Anna
Jim said:Thanks to all for so much good advice and information. What a great NG !
I will get a new HDD and new case, probably SATA which my new mobo
supports.
Swifty said:Hey! If your mobo supports SATA then you may have an ESATA connector on
the back, which will give you considerably better performance than a USB
enclosure.
Even if you don't have an ESATA connector, you can get devices that *look*
like IDE cards, but all they do is take a spare internal SATA socket and
make it available externally.
Of course, if you have a spare internal SATA socket, and physical space,
and a spare power connector internally, then going inside is the best bet,
is quieter (and also a lot cheaper). Most drives these days come with
exquisitely detailed instructions on how to install them properly (writing
instructions once, correctly, is cheaper than manning a helpdesk).
It's worth reading your PC's hardware manual before going inside, so you
have a rough idea what to expect. In my experience, the hardest part is
figuring out how to get the case open.
Jim Cladingboel said:Thanks Steve. The mobo manual states that it came (?) with an
"eSATA Port adapter bracket". Can't remember seeing it, but my guru
probably still has it..
An internal backup as you describe has attractions and would be quite
feasible but the portability of the external backup means it can be left
with a friend if ever the house is empty for a few weeks. Eggs and basket.
Jim.
Anna, Thank you again. The mobo is an Intel DP35DP. You clearlyAnna said:Jim:
It's interesting that your motherboard came equipped with a eSATA port
adapter bracket. I had previously heard of some motherboards coming with
that accessory but hadn't come across any. Virtually all motherboards that
are equipped with an eSATA port are designed so that the port is an
integrated component within the motherboard (similar to a USB port for
example). BTW, could you let us know the make/model of your motherboard?
The eSATA brackets are generally third-party accessories that a user can
affix to the backplane of his/her desktop computer - the general area
where the various monitor, USB, keyboard, mouse, etc. ports are located.
It's a very handy device since it allows the user to connect an external
SATA HDD to the system. This accomplishes two important things...
1. The user achieves better performance of his/her system in that the SATA
HDD (using a SATA-to-SATA connection) achieves a significantly higher data
transfer rate than does a USB device, and,
2. Should the external SATA HDD be used as a backup device (as we've
previously discussed) and the contents of one's day-to-day working booting
HDD be "cloned" to the external SATA drive, the latter will be bootable as
well. In other words the system will treat the *external* HDD as if it
were an *internal* HDD. This can be an important consideration especially
since the "bootability" aspect is missing from a USB external HDD.
Since the use of an internally-connected SATA HDD (acting as a secondary
HDD) is apparently not practical for you based on your latest final
comment, Steve's approach re using the eSATA device is a good one all
things considered.
Just make sure that if & when you purchase an external enclosure for the
new SATA HDD you purchase one that comes equipped with a eSATA port so
that a direct SATA-to-SATA connection can be made between the enclosure
and your installed eSATA bracket. Most of these enclosures come with the
necessary eSATA data cable.
Anna
Jim said:Anna, Thank you again. The mobo is an Intel DP35DP. You clearly
indicate that the eSATA bracket is an internal fitting, not an external
device which, in my ignorance of most things SATA, I had assumed.