# Which external HDD to buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 24, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311 "2008-11-24T20:11:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311/1 "2008-11-24T20:11:13Z")
I need to reformat and want to back up my data first, ergo the purchase of an extermal drive. I know nothing of these things. Do they all connect with USB? Any brands/models that are recommended, or which are to be avoided? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311/2 "2008-11-24T20:18:32Z")
You cannot go wrong with Seagate or Western Digital hard drives. I’m partial to Seagate, mainly because of their warranty and no need to ever exercise the warranty. ---
**Author:** ![ginman999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@ginman999](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ginman999)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311/3 "2008-11-24T20:38:28Z")
Buy an enclosure just for a HD and use a cheaper internal drive in it. Yes on the USB ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311/4 "2008-11-24T21:01:00Z")
I don’t recommend the Western Digital MyBook. Lots of people have a problem where the files seem to disappear and the drive becomes unusable until you disconnect/reconnect it. It’s not the drive itself that’s the problem, but it somehow triggers a bug in Windows. Either way, it’s pretty useless if you experience the problem (not everyone does, but enough people do to make it not worth the gamble). ---
**Author:** ![dgrdfd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@dgrdfd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dgrdfd)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311/5 "2008-11-24T21:17:17Z")
I have this [Seagate external drive.](http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST305004FPA1E3-RK-FreeAgent-3-5-Inch-FireWire/dp/B000ND93DE) I have had it for maybe a year and it has done everything I need it to. The only problem I have had (and I am not sure if ANY external HDD will fix this, is that I keep all my music on the drive and stream via Winamp the music straight from there. And often times if it’s idle for awhile and I click play my computer will lock up for 2 or 3 seconds while the external HDD spins up. But, like I said, I don’t know if any would fix this and it isn’t that big of a deal anyways. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311/6 "2008-11-24T21:19:13Z")
> [@Jeff](#): > > I need to reformat and want to back up my data first, ergo the purchase of an extermal drive. > > I know nothing of these things. Do they all connect with USB? > > Any brands/models that are recommended, or which are to be avoided? FWIW I have a WD Passport; it seems to work reasonably well. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311/7 "2008-11-24T21:19:28Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > I don’t recommend the Western Digital MyBook. Lots of people have a problem where the files seem to disappear and the drive becomes unusable until you disconnect/reconnect it. It’s not the drive itself that’s the problem, but it somehow triggers a bug in Windows. Either way, it’s pretty useless if you experience the problem (not everyone does, but enough people do to make it not worth the gamble). Hmm. I’ve had a WD MyBook for about eight months and have had no problem with lost data, thank goodness, but I’m constantly disconnecting and reconnecting the thing (Thanks for not including an on/off switch WD), so I’m constantly worried something like that will happen. It is very good for back-ups and general storage, and quick. I wouldn’t touch a Seagate drive with a ten-foot pole, but I’m still in shock from the massive problems Seagate had with their drives in the late '90s. Their products may be better now, but I’ve lost too many Seagate drives to crashes to care to try them again. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-external-hdd-to-buy/474311/8 "2008-11-24T22:08:27Z")
> [@ginman999](#): > > Buy an enclosure just for a HD and use a cheaper internal drive in it. Yes on the USB That’s what I did with a drive from a dead computer. When I first bought the one I’m using now, I also got a MyBook to easily transfer files from the other (now dead) one.