External HD Recommendations?

Hello!
I am looking to purchase another external HD. I presently have a 106GB Seagate and it's almost full.

I now want to start putting my camcorder and digital pictures for safekeeping.
I'm thinking of getting a 1TB, which should give me plenty of room. I have 3 computers that I also will be backing up documents.

I would appreciate any recommendations anyone has. Should I get the kind where I can network? I don't mind plugging it in on each computer when it's time to back up. Are there any that are a definate stay away from? The reviews are so different.

All computers run Windows XP....Home Edition, Media Edition and Professional. I've never had a problem with any programs between them. Should I expect a problem with an external HD?

What about USB only? Should I make sure it has an off switch? What is eSATA? Does it matter if it comes FAT32 as I've read that can be a problem? (I don't know what FAT32 is).

Thanks in advance for ANY help you can offer!
BetteBoop
:confused

 

I have 4 external drives and I've built them all myself. I use laptop drives because they don't require an additional power source, they get powered by the USB port so only one cable is needed. The main drawback is that laptop drives have a limited size; I think the biggest 2.5" drives available are either 250gb or 320gb. Desktop drives (3.5") are available in much larger sizes; up to 1TB with 500gb and 750gb drives being quite affordable, but they require their own AC adapter and must be plugged into a power source (wall outlet/power strip/surge protector). External enclosures are easily obtainable at any PC store or online for both 2.5" and 3.5" drives, and they're inexpensive. Just be sure to buy the right enclosure for the hard drive you plan to use; either 2.5" or 3.5", and either SATA or IDE (also called PATA or just ATA). Many enclosures are made with both the SATA and IDE interface so it would work with either type of drive.....
Here's some examples:
2.5" IDE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145751
3.5" IDE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817716029
3.5" SATA http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817397001
2.5" SATA/IDE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817348021 (plugs into USB or eSATA)
eSATA is basically an external SATA port, but the plug is a bit different than a standard SATA port. eSATA is growing in popularity because it's pretty fast, but I prefer USB just because it's so common and universal; every PC made in the past 8 or 10 years has at least one USB port, not so with eSATA....
If you decide to not build one, and you want to buy a pre-built unit, try to be sure the housing is easily opened in case you need to swap out the drive for some reason; like if the cable plug-in on the enclosure breaks, if the enclosure is impossible to open you wouldn't be able to remove the drive and place it in a new enclosure or in a PC. You'd be forced to send the entire unit somewhere for repair and you might lose your data in the process, and the cable plug-ins are the most likely thing to break especially if you have youngsters or pets.... if you build your own and the plug-in breaks, no big deal Just grab a screwdriver and buy another housing, or just pop the drive into your PC....

I hope this clears things up a bit and helps you make an informed decision.

(BTW- building your own external is remarkably simple. If you can use a screwdriver, you can build an external drive )

 

Hmmm...might be simple for you!! I don't know about that for me. rolleyes

I like newegg.com too. I wonder if I called them if they would help me match up what I need? I have no idea what Just 2.5" or 3.5", and either SATA or IDE (also called PATA or just ATA) means!!

Maybe I should just get one that is already built. I understand what you mean by making sure the case comes off easily. Makes sense.

I've been reading reviews and the Western Digital Book didn't do well, however the Hitachi one did.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it very much. Do you have any thoughts on already built ones?
BetteBoop

 

I'm not a fan of the pre-built ones, mainly because they generally are built so that you can't remove the drive from the enclosure in the event the cable plug-in breaks. If anything is going to break on an enclosure, it's the cable plug-in. But if this isn't enough for you to worry about, then the pre-built ones are fine....