What is a portable hard drive? Benefits of owning a portable hard drive you should know

A portable hard drive is considered an indispensable device when users have a lot of content to store but the devices do not have enough space. So let’s go through the following article with Tnhelearning.edu.vn to know what a portable hard drive is? Benefits of owning a portable hard drive!

Learn about removable drives

What is a removable drive?

A portable hard drive is an external hard drive device for network devices, laptops that are connected to the computer via a connection cable. It is structured like a normal hard drive but has a compact design.

To put it simply, a portable hard drive is like a USB stick, you can take it anywhere, but it has a capacity and data transfer rate that is many times higher than USB.

In addition to the ability to store large capacity , run the software , the hard drive also has high durability, if you take good care of it, you can use it for a long time.

Structure of removable drive

Internal structure

The removable disk drive is composed of a magnetic platter, which is a circular metal platter consisting of many hard disks made of aluminum or glass-ceramic compounds. The discs are coated with a magnetic or protective layer on both sides, stacked on top of each other and attached to a rotating shaft.

That is why the discs are rotated at the same speed throughout the session, ensuring the best performance.

Disc and head construction

– The read-write head is on each side of the disc, which is responsible for recording data during use. The number of disks on the hard drive corresponds to the number of read and write heads, for example, if a drive has 2 corresponding disks, there will be 4 read – write heads.

– The motor or coil drives the magnetic heads to support the heads to move horizontally on the surface of the disk so that they can write – read data.

– The control circuit is located right behind the hard disk, doing the following tasks:

• Controls the rotational speed of the disk in the hard drive.
• Move the heads during reading and writing of data.
• Encrypt information and decrypt data received from the computer.

– The surface structure of the disk is the main storage place for data when the hard drive starts to work, with the heads performing the task of moving, reading and writing data.

Classification of portable hard drives

Here are the 2 most popular types of hard drives on the market today:

HDD

HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is a device used to store data for computers that use circular disks covered with magnetic material and rotate on motors.

Currently on the market there are two main types of HDDs, 3.5 inch and 2.5 inch . In which, the 3.5 inch type is only used for desktop computers, the 2.5 inch type is mainly used for laptops but can still be used on desktop computers.

SSD hard drive

SSD (Solid State Drive), also known as electronic hard drive, is used to store data for computers with semiconductor memory such as: SRAM, DRAM.

SSD hard drives are often more expensive than HDDs because of faster performance, high security, and maximum support for heavy tasks. In addition, SSD hard drives also have a long life and use less power than HDD hard drives.

Difference between HDD and SSD

SSD	HDD
Price	Quite expensive compared to HDD of the same capacity	Cheaper than SSDs of the same capacity
Popularity	Less popular	Popular
Reliability	High	Low, easily damaged when there is an external force impact.
Noise	No sound, no noise	When the engine is running, it makes noise
Read/write speed	Up to 3500MB/s	Up to 100MB/s
Electric used	Short	High
Fragmentation	Does not affect the performance of the hard drive	Impact on hard drive performance

The benefits of portable hard drives

Here are some benefits when you use a portable hard drive:

Expand storage space

The first benefit to mention when using a portable hard drive is that it helps you expand the data storage space.

When the computer has run out of storage but you do not want to delete the data that you have accumulated in your machine, using a portable hard drive will help you solve this problem.

Portable hard drive helps you to expand data storage space

A safe place to store data

In addition to storing large data blocks, the hard drive also has the ability to safely protect data outside the computer. You just need to unplug the cable, the data in the portable hard drive is impenetrable.

In addition, portable hard drives also help you minimize the files that need to be stored or shared but do not want to be on the computer.

Backup data when needed

In order to avoid unexpected problems with important data such as: mistakenly deleted, damaged computer data stored inside disappear, … then backing up (backing up) data regularly is an option. Essential choice for everyone.

If you store data on your computer, iCloud Drive or Google Drive is not necessarily safe, because if you forget your password or lose your account, the data will also be lost. As for the portable hard drive, you just need to drag and drop the data to be backed up and kept safe.

The device supports you to back up your data when needed

Easy to carry anywhere

The portable hard drive has a compact design , with the size of a smartphone, it can fit in your bag or personal luggage bag you take anywhere.

If you often carry data out to work or business, the portable hard drive is one of the very convenient devices for you.

Portable hard drive has a compact design, easy to carry anywhere

Diverse models and brands

Currently, on the market, there are many types of portable hard drives with designs and models from many different brands such as: Western Digital, Seagate, Samsung,… From there, you can choose the type. Any portable hard drive has the capacity and price that suits your economic conditions.

Should I buy a portable hard drive?

If you are wondering if you need to buy a portable hard drive to store more data, please take a look at the criteria below:

• You need a lot of data storage space that the hard drive of a laptop or computer cannot meet.
• You have to regularly back up working files, manage data due to having to move to many places, work not fixed.
• You like to collect different types of games, movies, music but don’t want to delete the data that you have saved before.

If you are one of the above criteria, a portable hard drive is essential. You can choose to buy hard drives of different capacities to suit your needs.

You should consider buying a portable hard drive if your computer’s storage space is not enough

Which brand of portable hard drive should I buy?

Here are some reputable and trusted portable hard drive manufacturers that you can refer to:

Samsung: Is a famous brand specializing in manufacturing electronic devices and components in Asia. The company’s hard drives have many types depending on the needs of use, but there will be compatible products suitable for you.

SanDisk: Its hard drive gives users outstanding data transfer speeds, up to 550MB/s, suitable for users specializing in graphic design, image processing or storing high-resolution video.

Western Digital (WD) or (WDC) : Is one of the famous American brands, with a long history in manufacturing computer hard drives. WD hard drives come in a variety of models such as: WD Elements Portable, WD My Passport, WD My Book, etc. They meet most of the needs of use from individuals to large businesses.

Seagate (Seagate Technology): This is a large hard drive manufacturer in the world, headquartered in the United States. The company has a variety of models depending on the purpose of use and the capacity ranges from 500GB to 5TB for you to choose freely.

How to install and partition a hard drive on a computer

Step 1 : Right-click This PC > Select Manage .

Step 2 : Select Disk Management .

Step 3 : When the partition information will be displayed, right-click on the partition you want to split. That area will display a diagonal stripe screen as shown.

Step 4 : Left click on the same select> Select Shink Volume .

Step 5 : Fill in the amount of partition you want to cut (in MB) > Select Shink .

For example: You want to cut 80GB, then you will take 80*1024MB = 81920.

Step 6 : Right-click on the partition that has just been cut > Select New Simple Volume .

Step 7 : Click Next to the end > Select Finish to complete the partitioning of the drive.

Hopefully, the above article has provided you with information about portable hard drives, benefits and how to install and divide portable hard drives on your computer. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below to be answered.