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Learn how to use external hard drives & secondary storage devices to store large mp3, music, video, & multimedia files, programs, & sensitive data. Backup your hard drive & help protect from online internet viruses.
There are 27 videos in this series:
What are external hard drives and how do you use external hard drives? Learn about storage and other tips in this free video.
Using USB external hard drives 2.0! Tips for USB hard drive use in this free video.
Learn about plugging in a USB 2.0 external hard drive in this free video guide on data storage for computer users.
Learn tips on using flash and thumb drives for easy plug & play secondary data storage. External hard drive use and expert advice in this free video.
Speed benefits of using FireWire hard drives. Learn about external hard drives in this free video.
Tips for connecting a FireWire external hard drive. Learn how to use a FireWire drive with these video instructions.
Connecting multiple external hard drives, including FireWire drives. Learn how to use multiple drives with these video instructions.
Make your own external hard drive! Learn how to build and use and external hard drive for file storage in this free video.
Why won't my external hard drive work? Learn how to troubleshoot your device in this free online video on external hard drives.
Learn how to fix external hard drive problems and errors. Troubleshooting tips for computers and external drives.
Problems with FireWire or USB external hard drives? Learn how to troubleshoot problems with external hard drives with these video instructions.
Is your external hard drive plugged in, but it's not showing up on your computer? Learn how to troubleshoot external hard drive connection errors with these video instructions.
Learn about Mac hard drive computer networks and data sharing in this free video on secondary storage devices and data backup for computer users.
Learn how to open and configure a Macintosh's networked hard drive in this free online video on external hard drives and other secondary data storage devices.
Learn how to rename a Macintosh external hard drive is this free video on secondary storage devices.
Checking an external hard drive to see how many gigabytes (GB) of storage space it has. Learn how to use external hard drives with these video instructions.
Learn to format an external hard drive on a Mac computer with these video instructions.
Burning a CD-R to backup data. Learn how to store data on external storage devices in this free video.
Burning a DVD-R to backup data. Learn how to store data on external storage devices in this free video.
Burning a CD-RW to backup data. Learn how to store data on external storage devices in this free video.
Burning a DVD-RW to backup data. Learn how to store data on external storage devices in this free video.
Burning a Dual Layer DVD to backup data. Learn how to store data on external storage devices in this free video.
Learn how to determine what media types your computer system supports in this free video on secondary data storage and backup devices.
Learn about CD and DVD burning drive speeds in this free video on data backup and storage media.
Learn about using floppy discs for secondary data storage and backup in this free video for computer users.
An external hard drive is a device that stores data that would otherwise be kept on the hard drive of your desktop or laptop computer. It is usually reserved for large capacity storage of big files that could clog up your internal hard drive. External hard drives are a must for music lovers, artists, photographers, and other people who store large amounts of multimedia information on their computers. With the proliferation of increasingly higher resolution videos and other media that have a wide scale digital distribution, having an external hard drive makes sense; as it is usually a plug and play solution that is much more cost effective and convenient than adding memory to an existing internal hard drive.
External hard drives, and other secondary storage devices, are great for portability; they allow you to take large amounts of data with you wherever you go; thumbdrives and other flash memory devices can fit on your keychain comfortably. They are useful for security reasons as well. They help protect your computer from viruses, because they’re not perennially immersed in the digital stream known as the internet. They can also be used to store sensitive data, restricting access to a certain document to the one person who has the drive in their possession.
In this free online video guide to using external hard drives and other storage devices, learn how to get started connecting the drive and storing your data, whether for regular use or just as a backup. Our expert will walk you through the different types of drives, including USB 2.0 and FireWire. Lessons also include data backup on CD, DVD, zip disc, and floppy disc.
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