Reasons for Having Removable Hard Drive

[Richard Alexander]

I mentioned a few reasons for having a removable hard drive to Rod
Speed, but there is another reason that I did not mention. Rather than
post it to my earlier thread, I have decided to create a new thread.

I like having a removable hard drive because:

1) I can physically protect data on the drives I remove

2) I can more easily reconfigure my data arrangements (for example,
accessessing another boot drive as a slave, if necessary)

3) I can store my removable drives in a safe while they are removed

and a fourth reason that I had not mentioned before:

4) I can transport my environment to another machine.

I think the 4th reason is interesting, partly because it runs so
counter to the way the computer industry has driven us.

Back in 1996, while I was attending yet another college, I often used
the computers in the computer labs. At that time, I envisioned a
device, like a diamond on a ring, that would carry all of my
computer's personality in it. I could plug this device into any
computer, and it would make that computer just like my computer at
home, temporarily. I would have access to all my data files and all my
applications, arranged on my desktop as I'm used to seeing them.

Today, we have data fobs that are small enough to serve as key rings,
and we even have some fobs that can serve as MP3 players while
transporting data files. We don't really have environment portability,
though.

If I have 3 computers in my home, and one of them develops a problem
with the motherboard or power supply, I could take out the hard drive
from the bad machine and put it in a good machine.

In contrast, Microsoft has gone in the direction of locking down my
environment to a single machine, with as little portability as
possible. If I were to swap my hard drive with Windows XP Home with
another computer, I would have to re-activate my copy of Windows.

 

[Rod Speed]

I mentioned a few reasons for having a removable hard drive to Rod
Speed, but there is another reason that I did not mention. Rather than
post it to my earlier thread, I have decided to create a new thread.

I like having a removable hard drive because:

1) I can physically protect data on the drives I remove

Sure, thats certainly a very viable use and for a personal desktop
system, the most viable large capacity backup approach. My only
difference with you is whether its better to use a proper standard
like firewire or USB2 or sata instead of the monsterous kludge
that removable bay kits are, that flout the ata standard.

It isnt the only way tho, the other obvious alternative is to have
more than one PC, which most have now anyway, and have more
drive capacity in those PCs, for peanuts often if you just buy a
larger drive, and use that extra space for backup of the other PC.

While that doesnt protect you against the worst eventualitys,
fire, flood or having all the hardware stolen, when combined
with having the irreplaceable data on removable MEDIA like
DVDs does have the advantage of no farting around
physically plugging and unplugging at all.

2) I can more easily reconfigure my data arrangements (for
example, accessessing another boot drive as a slave, if necessary)

You dont need a removable bay for that. Most modern bios
will boot from any internal hard drive you want to boot from.

3) I can store my removable drives in a safe while they are removed

Sure, but you get a lot better protection using removable
media like DVDs for the irreplaceable stuff, writing more
than one copy and keeping one copy offsite.

and a fourth reason that I had not mentioned before:

4) I can transport my environment to another machine.

You can do that much better with a firewire/USB2
combo drive just because you are much more likely
to be able to just plug that in to another machine.

I think the 4th reason is interesting, partly because it runs
so counter to the way the computer industry has driven us.

No one has been driven anywhere.

Back in 1996, while I was attending yet another college, I often
used the computers in the computer labs. At that time, I envisioned
a device, like a diamond on a ring, that would carry all of my
computer's personality in it. I could plug this device into any
computer, and it would make that computer just like my computer at
home, temporarily. I would have access to all my data files and all my
applications, arranged on my desktop as I'm used to seeing them.

Yes, but that capability is here right now without
needing the massive kludge that removable bays are.

Today, we have data fobs that are small enough to
serve as key rings, and we even have some fobs that
can serve as MP3 players while transporting data files.
We don't really have environment portability, though.

Corse you do. Thats what a laptop is in spades.

Many use them in that sort of situation.

If I have 3 computers in my home, and one of them develops a
problem with the motherboard or power supply, I could take out
the hard drive from the bad machine and put it in a good machine.

Sure, but the reality is that thats so rare that its rather silly to
use the monster kludge that drive bays are for that when they
introduce their own problems as you have just discovered.

And you can have that without the kludge with sata anyway now.

In contrast, Microsoft has gone in the direction
of locking down my environment to a single
machine, with as little portability as possible.

Bullshit. There's plenty of portability available, at a cost.

And Linux isnt any better, you bigot.

If I were to swap my hard drive with Windows XP Home with
another computer, I would have to re-activate my copy of Windows.

Anyone with a clue uses XP Pro if they want to do that and that doesnt.