linking a 1Tb to 2 computers

hello,

i am sorry if i missed a previous thread but i did search.

i am trying to link a seagate 1 Tb External HD to a vista laptop and xp desktop and was wondering best way to do it.

i would need to know hardware like usb hubs or something like that

TIA

matt

 

You have to set up the drive as a network shared drive. Plug it in to one PC; it will come up as drive E: or F: or whatever. Then map it as a shared network drive by following the steps in these articles:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4443559_map...ce=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/maintain/mapdrive.mspx
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/windowsxpnetworking/ht/mapnetworkdrive.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Map-a-Network-Drive
I have a tendency to provide too much info, so I'm sorry if the above articles are confusing. They all contain the same basic steps, just they each describe it a bit differently. The first 2 are probably you're best bets as they mention both XP and Vista (I think ).
GOOD LUCK!

(you will need a router in order to set up the networked drive; DO NOT try to plug 2 computers in to a single USB hub with the external drive; it will NOT work and may cause other more serious problems)

 

I avoid the sharing route as that forces opening up sharing and firewall access on the host computer. While there is no "technical" reason this will not work, from a security standpoint, it increases vulnerabilities. It also requires the host computer to be running in order for other computers to use the drive - which may not be convenient, and is not very efficient. If a user is using the host machine, the user may see a frustrating negative impact on performance each time the NAS is accessed.

The best way to do it is to have the 1Tb drive accessible to both your computers, without being dependent on one of them. This is best done with Network Attached Storage or NAS, similar to this. Since you already have the drive, all you need is the enclosure. This method costs a bit more to implement but is much safer, and more convenient. The end result is a mass storage device accessible to all computers on your network. They typically attach to the network via Ethernet cable, or wireless (for greater security, I recommend wired).

If this 1Tb drive is already in an enclosure, and you don't want to purchase a NAS enclosure, then you will need to attach and use as dlb suggests - just be sure you carefully configure access to ensure you don't open up sharing to the world.