Printer-friendly versionPrice: between $80-$300
Storage Capacity: 60gigs and 2terabytes of data. (Subject to change at any time)
Recommended Use: Suitable for System and Personal Data backups on one computer.
Interface Type: USB, Firewire, or eSATA. (please check your computer to make sure you have the right interface type. Most computers have USB ports, but not Firewire or eSAata. The reason why this matters is how fast data will transfer from the computer to the external hard drive. USB can be the slowest, Firewire is a bit faster and eSATA is faster then both USB and Firewire.
Advantages:
The capacity/price ratio of hard disk has been rapidly improving for many years. This is making it more competitive with magnetic tape as a bulk storage medium. The main advantages of hard disk storage are quick backup and restore times, availability, high capacity and ease of use.
Disadvantages:
The life span of hard drives (while operating) are around five years since this form of media uses many moving parts to function. Also the storage device is susceptible thermal conditions. Always store hard drives in a a cool and dry place preferable in a static bag, or a static free container. Data on hard drives can be over written very easily, either by accident or on purpose. Data on hard disks can be easily overwritten and in certain situations be unrecoverable if someone obtains access to your system or you accidentally delete the data yourself. The system can also accidentally delete your data.
