Re: USB Exterior HDD questions?


"Mikie" <caseri9@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1132506164.818509.236360@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Hi,
>
> Just bought a Coolmax 310 USB Exterior HDD Enclosure. (Probably won't
> be shipped unitl next week)
>
> Thinking of installing one of two spare HDD's into the Enclosure.
>
> a: Would the HDD require Windows if I use it exclusively for program
> storage and file backups?
>
> b: Without Windows , will I be able to exec a program or simply
> transfer it from exterior to interior drive? And if so, won't that mess
> up the registry? I'm so confuuuuuused!
>
> c: If the HDD has ONLY Windows XP loaded, I'd like it to be an
> emergency replacement HDD, (in case the interior drive goes south), in
> the meanwhile using the remainder of the space for storage and
> backups. That I believe (hope?) would be OK?
>
> ThanX and truest wishes for a great Thanksgiving Holiday!
>
> Mike
> Picture Rocks, AZ


Mike:
You probably would be best served if you would use a disk imaging program
such as Symantec's Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image to routinely clone the
contents of your internal day-to-day working HD to your USB external HD.
This would give you, in effect, a bit-for-bit copy of your source drive and
be an ideal backup system. While the USBEHD would *not* be bootable, should
you need to restore your internal HD, you could re:clone the contents of the
USBEHD back to the internal drive (assuming, of course, the internal drive
is mechanically/electronically sound), or you could remove the cloned drive
from its USB enclosure and install it in your computer to replace your
original drive.

The disk-to-disk cloning process is relatively simple & straightforward. You
could, if desired, install multiple HDs in your USB enclosure and make
additional clones if that's what you wanted.
Anna


.

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