How to Save Music to an External Hard Drive
By Bailey Granger
A massive music collection may take up too much space on your computer's hard drive, requiring the songs to be moved to a larger drive. External hard drives are also good places to back up information in case the original files are lost. These drives come in different storage sizes and power options. Smaller external drives can be self powered through the USB port, while others need an external power source. Music can save directly to this drive, or transferred from another drive.
Step 1
Plug the external hard drive into the computer and a power source, if necessary. Connect the drive to the computer with the provided cable. This cable usually plugs into the USB port on the computer.
Step 2
Open "My Computer" then double-click the new hard drive. This will open a window of the drive's contents.
Step 3
Hit "Start" then "My Music." This opens the folder where music is contained on your computer. If you save your music elsewhere, navigate to that location.
Step 4
Select the music you want to save on the external hard drive and drag the files over to the external hard drive window. The files will then begin to transfer. Do not disconnect the external hard drive or shut down the computer until this process is complete.
Tips
- If you want to save music directly to the hard drive, when saving a music file, select the external hard drive as the location.
Writer Bio
Bailey Granger has been a military journalist since 2006. She also has an extensive professional background in computer repair, performing arts and social sciences. Granger holds a Master of Science in strategic intelligence from American Military University and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Bridgewater State College.