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View Full Version : Stupid computer question

stewie
05-05-09, 02:44 PM
Iv'e got an old, well at 3 yrs prehistoric, Dell pc and I want to free up a bit of space on it by buying an external hard drive and storing all my music and images in it, I was all set to buy one of these

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141558

until I was told it was only suitable for a laptop, that cant be right can it ? btw my system is still running XP if that makes anay difference
thanks
Stew
the_lone_wolf
05-05-09, 02:47 PM
That one looks suitable for any PC with a powered USB port, your desktop should be fine

However...

For that money you can almost get a 1TB (1000GB) internal hard drive, they're very easy to install and you'll never be likely to fill one of them...
RatchetJob
05-05-09, 02:48 PM
That external drive will be fine on any machine (laptop or desktop) running Windows XP and a free USB 2.0 port.

I think what the person advising you may have meant is that this external caddy contains a 2.5" drive which is typically used inside laptops.

However as it is in the caddy and not just a bare drive you will have no problems if you meet the spec above.
fizzwheel
05-05-09, 02:49 PM
until I was told it was only suitable for a laptop, that cant be right can it ?

no its not right.
stewie
05-05-09, 03:08 PM
Thanks guys, thought it would be ok,
ta :D
embee
05-05-09, 05:19 PM
I'm not sure about this, but I think because it's described as a "portable" rather than simply "external" you'll be paying more for it. Do you actually want a portable drive?

External hard drives are simply what they say, and suitable for anything with a USB2 connection.

When I looked into it a couple of years ago I decided on Seagate as they appeared to have very few bad reviews, unlike some of the other makes. Got mine from Maplins, they regularly do offers on specific units.

I was amused by the instructions that came with it, blatantly tongue in cheek. It went "Take it out of the box, plug it in".
Thingus
05-05-09, 07:56 PM
It only has the laptop thing because it's powered by a usb not a plug, and it's kinda pocket portable. Designed for laptops but you can just as easily use it on your pc. I bought one of these in Canada last year i think and it looked pretty handy.