# Advice on buying an external hard drive for my PC **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-buying-an-external-hard-drive-for-my-pc/464698 "2008-09-22T16:54:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-buying-an-external-hard-drive-for-my-pc/464698/21 "2008-09-23T15:43:04Z")
BTW, if you do replace the primary drive, I like to keep it partitioned into a small C partition for the system, and a large D partition where apps are installed and all actual data is kept. I’m also fanatic about making applications keep profile and configuration data in directories of my choosing on the D drive if they have options for that. I want as little as possible in the Windows ghetto, and as much as possible in my own directories. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-buying-an-external-hard-drive-for-my-pc/464698/22 "2008-09-23T16:49:55Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > What Mhendo showed was a molex to SATA power adapter. You’re right. Sorry 'bout that. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-buying-an-external-hard-drive-for-my-pc/464698/23 "2008-09-23T16:52:20Z")
> [@old\_joe](#): > > im kinda surprised no one has said to just replace the hard drive with a larger one. as a tech i do this all the time. But if he has space for a second drive, why bother getting rid of the original? Why not just add one? It eliminates the need for ghosting the OS and all the programs, and it gives him more hard drive space. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-buying-an-external-hard-drive-for-my-pc/464698/24 "2008-09-23T18:26:48Z")
Right, I agree with Mhendo. If that drive was smaller, say under 60 gigs I would recommend replacing it, but the simplest solution, given that 80 gigs is plenty for windows + office/utility apps/games and then some, is simply to add in the new one and move all his junk in there. In this day and age partitioning the drive is really unnecessary and can actually reduce performance on some modern OS’s. I wouldn’t recommend doing this unless you’re going to run vista 64 bit and the encryption security measures that requires, but even then it’s not really for the purpose of separating the Os from the programs/data. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-buying-an-external-hard-drive-for-my-pc/464698/25 "2008-09-23T18:33:08Z")
As an aside to the OP, I would still recommend looking into either a NAS (best option) or an external drive or enclosure. Remember, it’s not a question of WHETHER a drive will fail, it’s a question of WHEN. Keep your data safe! I shed some tears once after realizing a drive crash had cost me irreplaceable family pictures simply because it caught me at a bad time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-buying-an-external-hard-drive-for-my-pc/464698.md?page=1)