Maxtor external HD; file transfer between two laptops

Answer Best answer as chosen by user Lwj328

Re: external disk

by Kees_B - 6/5/12 1:21 PM

In Reply to: Maxtor external HD; file transfer between two laptops by Lwj328

That's not true. External disks can be used on multiple machines. No problem at all to as much PC's in whatever sequence you like. Even Linux machine will work. And Mac's if it's formatted FAT32.

The mysterious thing in your post is your mention of "software for installing and formatting the disk". External hard disks (in any Windows after Windows ME, and current versions of Linux and Mac) don't have to be installed. They just work. If they need to be formatted again (usually they are already if you buy them), if you want more than one partition on it, or if you want a partition with another filesystem they come with, any OS will let you do that. So there's no need at all for "software for installing and formatting".

And then there's the issue that external disk are unreliable and error prone. So they aren't suitable at all for permanent storage of the only copy of a file, unless you're ready to lose it. They are excellent for transferring data between machines that aren't in local network (but yours might very well be if you have a broadband router). And they are nice as an (extra) backup. But don't use them as storage!

Kees

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Maxtor external HD; file transfer between two laptops by Lwj

by Lwj328 - 6/5/12 11:07 PM

In Reply to: Re: external disk by Kees_B

Thank you extremely much.

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