[accesscomp] Fw: How to build your own external hard drive, Dan's tip for April 29 2013
- From: "Bob Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tektalk discussion" <tektalkdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:41:24 -0700
----- Original Message -----
From: dan
To: dan
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 4:27 AM
Subject: How to build your own external hard drive, Dan's tip for April 29 2013
How to build your own external hard drive
Document Source:
by Ed Rhee
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57404939-285/how-to-build-your-own-external-hard-drive/
Building your own external hard drive is easy to do, can save you some cash,
and offers more custom options than buying prebuilt ones.
External hard drives are great for storing photos, music, videos, and backup
files. Not only can they can be used with a PC, but also with media devices to
add streaming storage, and with Wi-Fi routers as cheap NAS solutions.
Off-the-shelf external hard drives often contain mystery drives inside and the
enclosures aren't meant to be reused. Building your own external hard drive can
sometimes be a cheaper, more flexible solution. And if you already have an old
internal hard drive lying around, you can turn it into a cool external drive,
for as little as $10.
Make an external hard drive
Choosing your internal hard drive
Internal interface
Modern hard drives have SATA interfaces and are easy to identify because they
only have 7 pins. If you're buying a new drive, it'll be a SATA drive. If
you're reusing an old drive, it's possible that it's a PATA (IDE) drive, with
40 pins. Most enclosures support one or the other, so it's important to know
which internal interface your drive has.
Note from Dan: I have a few enclosures that support both types of drives. So
it is very important to check with your tech store on what is supported in the
chosen enclosure.
Size, height, and capacity
3.5-inch drives are used in desktop computers, while 2.5-inch drives are
normally used in laptops. 3.5-inch drives offer higher storage capacities than
2.5-inch drives, so if you want 2TB of storage, a desktop drive is your only
choice. However 2.5-inch drives are a better pick for portable use. While most
2.5-inch drives are 9.5 mm in height, some are 12.5 mm. Note the size of your
drive before deciding on an enclosure.
Rotational speed
7,200rpm and 5,400rpm hard drives are the most common rotational speeds for
internal hard drives. 7,200rpm drives are faster than 5,400rpm drives, but they
tend to run hotter and are less energy efficient than 5,400rpm drives. If you
choose the faster, hotter drive, the enclosure's ability to keep the drive cool
will be an important consideration.
Choosing your enclosure
Plastic vs. aluminum
Aluminum enclosures are more durable than plastic and inherently better at
keeping drives cool. If you plan on running your external hard drive 24x7 or
using a 7,200rpm drive, we suggest going with an aluminum enclosure. Plastic
enclosures are generally cheaper than aluminum ones, but aren't as good at
cooling. Occasionally, you can find a plastic one with a fan, but the drawback
with fans is that they can get pretty loud, especially if they're sitting on
top of your desk. On the other hand, if you're using a 5,400rpm laptop drive
for portable use, a plastic enclosure is fine.
External interfaces
Choosing an external interface depends a lot on how you want to use your drive
and how much you want to spend. A vast majority of enclosures are USB 2.0-only
enclosures. Most media devices and routers only support USB drives. USB 2.0 is
a good value choice and great for broad compatibility, but has the poorest
performance among available interfaces.
USB 3.0 is currently the fastest available interface on enclosures and is
backward-compatible with USB 2.0. The drawback with USB 3.0 is that it's not as
common as USB 2.0, and Macs only adopted the format in mid-2012.
FireWire is more prevalent in Macs than PCs. FireWire 800 (EEE-1394b) is faster
than USB 2.0, but slower than USB 3.0. For the best performance with a Mac,
FireWire 800 is your best choice, unless someone releases an affordable
ThunderBolt enclosure.
eSATA performance is better than FireWire and USB 2.0, but is the only
interface that doesn't power the drive via cable; it requires a separate power
adapter. eSATA drives have notorious connectivity problems as well. Unless
you're dedicated to using this interface for some reason, we'd recommend
against eSATA as your lone interface
Putting your external drive together
Putting an external drive together is fairly straightforward. You typically
mount the internal drive onto the tray of the enclosure -- or sometimes the
rear cap -- and then screw the enclosure shut.
That's it. After it's all put together, just plug it in to your computer and
format it. For help on deciding what filesystem to use, Sharon Vaknin has a
must-read post on the best ways to format an external drive for Windows and Mac.
This article will be posted on Dan's tips on May 5th 2013. However, if you
wish to investigate the article before then, the link is below.
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57401784-285/the-best-ways-to-format-an-external-drive-for-windows-and-mac/
Focus Factor
Focusing on God can be a huge struggle: each day we are surrounded by things
that compete for our affections. When we say "no" to the distractions of the
world and choose not to indulge our overactive appetites for food, media
images, or some other thing, we may feel surprisingly weak; even nervous. Our
anxiety level jumps at the thought of being empty of some familiar thing.
But this emptiness pleases God. When we empty ourselves for his sake, he can
fill us in ways nothing else can. When we make ourselves weak, he is able to
make us strong. ... This emptying also reminds us of how Jesus emptied himself
of his divine rights and humbled himself when he came to walk with us, and to
die on the cross in our place.
Psalm 33.13-20
The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne
he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands
everything they do. The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great
strength enough to save a warrior. Don't count on your warhorse to give you
victory - for all its strength, it cannot save you. But the LORD watches over
those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from
death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We depend on the LORD alone to
save us. Only he can help us, protecting us like a shield. (NLT)
Prayer: Lord help me to stay focused in faith as worldly influences swirl
About. You are my rock and foundation and upon the Gospels I stand.
(Devotion, Bright Sadness)
to ssubscribe, email dthompson5@xxxxxxxxx with subscribe in the subject.
Focus Factor
Focusing on God can be a huge struggle: each day we are surrounded by things
that compete for our affections. When we say "no" to the distractions of the
world and choose not to indulge our overactive appetites for food, media
images, or some other thing, we may feel surprisingly weak; even nervous. Our
anxiety level jumps at the thought of being empty of some familiar thing.
But this emptiness pleases God. When we empty ourselves for his sake, he can
fill us in ways nothing else can. When we make ourselves weak, he is able to
make us strong. ... This emptying also reminds us of how Jesus emptied himself
of his divine rights and humbled himself when he came to walk with us, and to
die on the cross in our place.
Psalm 33.13-20
The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne
he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands
everything they do. The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great
strength enough to save a warrior. Don't count on your warhorse to give you
victory - for all its strength, it cannot save you. But the LORD watches over
those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from
death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We depend on the LORD alone to
save us. Only he can help us, protecting us like a shield. (NLT)
Prayer: Lord help me to stay focused in faith as worldly influences swirl
About. You are my rock and foundation and upon the Gospels I stand.
(Devotion, Bright Sadness)
to ssubscribe, email dthompson5@xxxxxxxxx with subscribe in the subject.
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