External drives for computer and laptop

Probably, some time ago such a device as external drives could have puzzled the computer programmer a lot. After all, often the fact of the existence of a CD-drive inside the PC case automatically made this device "elite": not everyone could afford it.

However time did not stand still. Pretty soon the drives for laser disks became commonplace. And then the external drives appeared on the stage.

External drive - what is it?

Probably, and without any definitions, many understand that an external drive is a compact device designed to work (read and write) with all sorts of disks that connects to the computer through one of its ports.

An external device is called precisely because it is not located inside the system unit, but outside. That is, you can simply take the external drive and disconnect it at any time, connect it to another computer or drive, take it with you on the road or somewhere else.

When you might need an external drive

There are a lot of situations when such a drive can be needed, and even at all - you can not do without it.

For example, for a netbook. For the sake of compactness manufacturers of netbooks did not put the drive for laser discs in the case. So the user has lost the ability to work with such disks. And it would be very bad if it were not for an external CD-drive. It simply connects to the device via a USB port - and you can start working with laser discs. Therefore, most often external drives are purchased in pairs with a netbook.

An external drive may also be needed if the main drive on the device is out of order. Or if you want to quickly rewrite information from one laser disc to another without first transferring data to the hard disk (many will remember the two-cassette tapes that are common at the time).

In short, all sorts of situations when you might need an external drive for your computer, just do not count.

What are external drives?

External drives can be classified in different ways: depending on the connection port, on the possibility or impossibility to record, on the method of power, on the types of readable disks and on other grounds.

However, most often external drives are divided into:

• CD-drives are those that can read and write only CD-blanks (at present they practically do not occur);
• DVD-drives are the most common type of drives that "sees" both CD and DVD;
• Blu-Ray - respectively, except for CD and DVD, such devices can work with Blu-Ray-discs;
• Writing and not writing - those that can not only read, but also write information to disk, or just read (the latter are also hardly used today);
• Powered via USB and through an external power supply.

Are there models only for laptops or only for desktops? No, there are no such. External drives are universal, they work equally well on netbooks, laptops, and paired with a desktop computer.

Pros of external drives

Of course, an external drive has several advantages as well as an independent device, and before its built-in "colleague".

• External devices for working with disks can be disconnected at any time from the computer and, for example, given to a friend. In order to do such a trick with the built-in drive, you need to disassemble the system unit or the case of the laptop.
• The external drive will help out if the main drive on the device has broken.
• It will help to work with disks even on those devices where such drives are simply not structurally provided. For example, recently there were disk drives external for tablets.
• External drives are compact and easy to connect, they are easy to replace.

The disadvantages of external drives

But, as always, there were some shortcomings:

• Speed is the main weakness of any external drive. Anyway, USB port is slower than internal system ports.
• Often an external notebook drive requires a separate power supply. And it can be carried out both through USB, and through an ordinary outlet. Low-quality power supplies burn quickly, finding another exactly the same is practically not possible - it's easier to just buy another drive.
• The external drive is more expensive than its built-in colleague.

How to connect an external drive

Fortunately, there is nothing difficult in how to connect an external drive. Usually, all that's required is to insert the USB cable into the appropriate connector on the computer, and plug the power adapter into the power outlet.

If necessary, you can install additional software and drivers. But often you can not do this - the system simply recognizes the device as a new drive and works correctly with it using the standard tools.

How to choose a removable drive

When choosing an external drive, you need to take into account the following points:

• If the computer has a USB 2.0 port, then you need to buy such a drive. The process of reading and writing will go much more cheerfully.
• If possible, then you need to prefer a model with power from both the USB and the outlet. In the event that the power supply is consumed, the device can be powered directly from the computer. In addition, such external drives allow you to work in the offline mode. For example, on the road with a netbook.
• If possible, the drive must read most common disk formats and record them. For the sake of universality, it is possible to neglect other minor functions, which are most often used only a couple of times in all time, and then only out of curiosity.
• The appearance of the drive also has a role. A beautiful device looks stylishly on the table and will attract a lot of curious looks.
• As for speed, there is no need to purchase the most high-speed ones. Standard 52 speed is enough for the eyes. Moreover, recording at high speeds often occurs incorrectly. And the drive motor itself can quickly fail, if you abuse too often work at high revs.

Regarding the manufacturer - there are no definite recommendations. In principle, all companies today produce good quality external drives. Each company has both successful and not too models. But frankly bad today you will not meet.

Of course, before buying, it will not be superfluous to look at the Internet and get acquainted with the results of independent reviews and tests, as well as read reviews from real users of the selected model of an external drive. Thus, having taken note of these recommendations, you can enjoy using the external drive for more than one year.