How to Use an External Hard Drive on Your PC
An external hard drive can be used to store digital images, large music files, large documents and other personal files that may take up too much space on your computer's original manufactured hard drive. An external hard drive is portable. Thus, you could take a drive with you and share your data with other computers.
Be aware of the amount of space you will need before purchasing an external hard drive. A good way to do this is by projecting the amount of files you'll need to store. If you're unsure of the amount of space your files will take up, ask the sales professional to advise you on the amount of gigabytes you may need.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
-
-
1
If your external hard drive doesn't draw power from the computer but from an external source, connect the external hard drive's power cable to an electrical outlet.
-
2
Connect the external hard drive to your computer with the appropriate cable. Your computer will identify the new hard drive and assign it a letter.
-
3
Test your new external hard drive by creating a document and saving it to your new drive. Then open the document. If the document opens, your new hard drive is properly running. If the document doesn't open, refer to your external hard drive's instruction manual for further assistance.
-
4
Begin transferring files from your original hard drive to your external hard drive.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
It's better to have too many gigabytes than not enough.
As external hard drives are inexpensive, there's no real advantage to purchase a used drive.
Set the external drive in a safe place that is away from liquids and food.
Keep your receipt for this item in case you need to return it. Always check the retailer's return policy when buying electronics of any kind.
Make sure your documents have been stored on your external hard drive before deleting them from your desktop.
Make sure the external hard drive is plugged in and turned on. This may be the reason why your computer isn't recognizing it.
Be careful when using your portable external drive. Keep it in a safe, cool place. You do not want your external hard drive to get damaged.
Related Searches
References
Comments
-
Thanks for the advice.
-
appreciate the advice -thanks.
-
Tks, I'm buying a 1TB soon £50 seems like a good price. nice to find easy-to-read information/instructions minus all the sales pressure and hype. thank you:-)
