Help With External Hardrive Connections

Hi, This is my first post here. I hope someone can help me with some hard drive connections.

My computer is old and it can only use USB2 cables. Both my old and new external HD units can use either USB2 or USB3.

In a nutshell, in order to copy about 300+ one-hour shows, along with some music and photo files...I am hoping I can have a connection like this:

From the computer I have to use a USB2 into the old 2TB unit.
I would like to connect, using a USB3 cable from old 2TB into new unit - thus copying directly from the old unit into the new one without having to go through the computer using USB2 cables in the middle of the mix.

I am hoping I can copy from one unit directly into the other using the USB 3 cable and that the coping process will go much faster that way.

Otherwise, I suppose I would have to work the file transfers from the old unit thru the computer then out and into the new unit (having to use a USB2 cable that is hooked into the computer too).

Below the links and specs of what I'm working with...
--------------------------
My computer that had Win XP, then it was upgraded to Win7:
~AMD Athlon 64 x2 Duel Core Processor, 5000+ 2.61 GHz
~RAM 4GB
~13 GB hard-drive
~64 bit operating type system
~it only has USB 2 type ports.
---------------------------------

In 2012, I bought a 2TB Seagate external hard-drive that could handle both USB 2 and USB 3 cables. It's hooked into the computer via a USB2 cable. Below is a link I found for that model.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1430211

I usually have it unplugged, until when I download a show from the internet onto my computer, then I will plug it in, and copy my show from the computer and into the unit. My computer recognizes it as Drive E.
-------------------------------------

This is my new 5Tb external hard-drive (Seagate brand again) it has USB 3 and USB2 ports:

http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/expansion-hard-drive/#specs
------------------------------------------------------

Again, due to my old computer. I have to use a USB 2 cable from the computer to the 2TB unit. But...I hope I can connect the new 5TB unit directly into the 2TB unit with a USB 3 cable and transfer from one to the other - thus making the transfer process a lot faster.

I have some questions...and I'm not familiar at all with this stuff...so sorry if they sound dumb.

Is it ok to do it the way I hope...or will my computer have issues recognizing the new drive that is connected directly to the old one?

OR...

Am I going to have copy files out of my old 2TB unit, and go through the computer...via the USB2 cable and then into the new 5TB unit....which would also be hooked into the computer via a USB 2 cable due to my computer not having USB 3 ports.

Also, if I can just plug the new unit into the back of the old one the way I hope I can -- Before doing that --> Should I hook the new 5TB unit directly up to the computer so my computer can recognize or format it? After which, then hook it into the old hard-drive unit.

And..if the new unit needs a new drive letter...(my old one is drive E) Do I have to do something to make the new unit Drive F, or will my computer do that automatically?

Sorry if these questions don't make sense... I know what I want to do, but not sure how to ask the right questions to go about doing it. I might be overthinking it...but I don't want to mess up the configuration or something on my new unit because I didn't hook things up properly the first time.

Thanks for bearing with me on this...and I hope someone can give me a little help.

I read that if I can use a USB3 connection...it would take a little over an hour to copy my files...if I have to use a USB2 cable in the path of copying ...then I'm looking at a little over 6 hours to copy all those files

Stormy

 

Couldn't find an edit button for the above post: But I typed in how many GBs I had left on my computer's hard drive (13.6) rather than my total hard-drive space...which is 149. Sorry about that misinformation...although I don't think it's too important given what I'm asking for help about. : )

 

Plug the new 5 TB HDD into the old 2 TB HDD and see if your PC recognizes it.
Up to 127 USB devices can de daisy-chained - at least in theory.
If the drive is not recognized, you'll have to plug each into a USB port. The transfer speed will unfortunately be at USB 2 speed.

 

Eldon, Thanks for the information. When the new unit gets here in a few days, I'll try that.
I just didn't want to do anything that would mess up my new unit.

Stormy

 

All of my external hard drives are USB2 as are my two laptops. How does one "daisy chain" hard drives when they only have one connection? I need to connect each drive to separate ports as it stands now.

 

That's the problem.
I did say in theory...
I have edited my post - it's 127 devices.