external hard drive.

hi, i was wondering what exactly it would tak to install an external harddrive for my computer. I was told to buy on and a case for it and not much else. Can someone please add some detail to this?

also i was wondering if there are any drawbacks to having one. PLus i wanted to ask what a good brand/make is and what a fair price for it is.

this site is amazing by the way.

 

wouldnt let me edit this in.

would an increase of my RAm be helpful?

im running 900 MHz right now...i think thats called RAM anyways....

thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time

 

You could use a hard drive enclosure like this...Not sure how good it is,never used one. Basically you put the drive (your extra one) inside the case and connect it to your PC via USB. It should come with its own power adapter that plugs in to the wall. Transfer rate won't be super fast, but it should do if your looking for extra storage that you can carry with you.. Also try looking at www.pricewatch.com for better prices.

Outpost.com:
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3710556

 

thank you for the links and info.

you say that the transfer rate wont be amazing. Does that mean that it would be better to install an internal drive?

also, is my 900 MHz adequate enough by today standards?...or do you recommend an upgrade?

 

My experience.I bought a new HD for one of my laptops.I bought a new HD enclosure on ebay for my old HD which is an IBM dara 206000.The ebay seller was selling lots of these enclosures and had 100% positive feed back.
My XP laptop says "USB device defective".
My W98 laptop will not recognise the external HD and refuses to find the drivers.

 

Hi Waryuser
I have an external Maxtor that does just great.120 gigs.
Does not need a case.
It plugs into the usb port.
It is a little slow but not painfully so.
What I like the most is that it is hot swappable. ( you do not need to turn the computer off to dis connect it.)
I am only running 450 mghz and have no trouble.
The son has a 700 mghz compaq we swap it with.
20 gigs of mp3's and it works just great.
Might want to look at something like that.
I.M.H.O.