External hdds- how reliable are they?

[GrimReaper]

hii all!
i just want to know how reliable external 2.5 " hdds are.. i had this one 80gb with usb support purchased a couple of months earlier. my system is not recognising it anymore. i could feel the disk spinnin but windows is not able to recognise the device. i am kinda not sure whether the problem is with the usb support interface. now i kinda need to buy a new 1 are these devices prone to crashes or was this once in a blue moon kinda incident??
thanx in advance

[ash]

Welcome to CE, GrimReaper!
2.5" hdd's themselves are pretty durable (they can withstand a bit of shaking, but are not shock resistant like flash drives), so its likely the problem lies with the external casing or cable you are using. What message comes out? USB device not recognizable or along those lines?

Its important to remember that they require enough power.. so make sure you plug them in at the rear USB slots, not the front (they sometimes don't provide enough). Also, check that the USB cables are the thick ones.

Also, check that the USB connectors themselves do not have dust in them.

If you get a message that the HDD is detected, but it still doesnt appear on My Computer, the IDE-USB converter might be loose. Just remove the casing, pull out then push it back it (gently of course). Make sure it fits in snugly with the HDD, then assemble the casing back. This happens rarely though.

[GrimReaper]

thanx ash! i just changed the cable its workin fine now. i was abt to get a new 3.5" hdd, u saved me a lot of bucks!!!

[ash]

No problemo Come and join the discussions in the other threads! Would like to see some insights from Instrumentation engineers!

[suyash]

In case anyone wants to convert an existing hdd to an external one, you always have an option to buy the "external case" which has the requisite ATA/SATA to USB bridge and it comes quite cheap these days...

bought a 3.5" case for just 600 INR and I'm now able to get my 320 GB hdd with me anywhere without purchasing a new hdd... !!

[ash]

Ah, just remember that internal 3.5" HDDs are less durable than 2.5" (since laptops are in motion more often), so try not to knock it around too much Theres a reason why the cost of an internal 3.5 HDD plus casing is much cheaper than dedicated 3.5" external HDDs!

[just2rock]

Ah, just remember that internal 3.5" HDDs are less durable than 2.5" (since laptops are in motion more often), so try not to knock it around too much Theres a reason why the cost of an internal 3.5 HDD plus casing is much cheaper than dedicated 3.5" external HDDs!

thats true ...external HDD must be a better choice and should be handled well enough for longer life

[arunbasillal]

@ Sayush

Thanks for that. I never knew that we could get caes like that. Let me try that. I was going to pruchase a 160 GB and if I find a case, then I am going to save a lot...