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Step 1
indeed. External drives are handy for backing up data. But you're right—they're more expensive than internal drives. However, you can easily construct an external drive, using internal equipment
First, you should buy your hard drive. I don't know what your size requirements are, but I'd go big. Better too much space than not enough. I saw a 200-gigabyte drive advertised last week for $50, after rebate. That's hard to beat!
Next, you will need a drive enclosure. You can spend as little as $30, or you can spend more than twice that. It depends on the features.
Decide how you want to connect the drive. You'll have the option of FireWire or USB connections. Base the decision on your computer's ports. Some enclosures will have both. There's no point in paying extra for connections you don't need.
Also, some enclosures will accommodate CD drives in addition to hard drives. Again, don't pay extra for something you won't use. -
Step 2
The enclosure will include instructions for putting everything together. Generally, you attach the hard drive to the enclosure with screws. A couple of cords are connected to the back of the hard drive. One goes to a power source. The other is used to transfer the data. Close the case and plug it into the computer.
You will have to set the jumper on the back of the drive. That is a piece of metal that fits over pins. Use the setting recommended by the enclosure manufacturer. The jumper assures that the drive works properly with the primary hard drive. -
Step 3
Now you will have a spiffy new external drive. But this is missing one thing prebuilt ones may have: synchronization software.
You can use Microsoft's Synctoy to back up your files. It is one of the PowerToys Microsoft developed for Windows XP.
It is also worth noting that, if size is important, you can use a Notebook hard drive. There are enclosures specially suited for these small hard drives. But expect to pay a premium for the difference in size.
