BleepingComputer.com: Does An External Hd Improve Performance ?

Jump to content


Register a free account to unlock additional features at BleepingComputer.com
Welcome to BleepingComputer, a free community where people like yourself come together to discuss and learn how to use their computers. Using the site is easy and fun. As a guest, you can browse and view the various discussions in the forums, but can not create a new topic or reply to an existing one unless you are logged in. Other benefits of registering an account are subscribing to topics and forums, creating a blog, and having no ads shown anywhere on the site.

Click here to Register a free account now! or read our Welcome Guide to learn how to use this site.

Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

Does An External Hd Improve Performance ?

#1 User is offline   Jove 

  • Forum Addict
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Find Topics
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 2,294
  • Joined: 11-March 07
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Very South Jersey

Posted 31 December 2007 - 12:13 AM

I was just wondering, Does an External H D improve PC performance at all ?

:thumbsup:

{Mod Edit: Moved to more appropriate forum~~boopme}

This post has been edited by boopme: 31 December 2007 - 05:25 PM

When you don't have to worry about your computer anymore, you can start
living again !

Posted Image
The Future is All There Ever Was . . . . . . Jople 2010
Success is a result, not a goal. . . . Flaubert

#2 User is offline   Wildabeast 

  • Bleeping Lurker...
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Find Topics
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1,106
  • Joined: 18-September 06
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Nebraska, USA

Posted 31 December 2007 - 03:22 AM

I would say no, unless your external is a faster HD than your internal. Most extenals are used for storing data, I use mine for backing up stuff from my main drive in case something goes wrong. I've used it a few times too, one time I had not backed up some stuff and lost it. :thumbsup:
"The nine most feared words in the english language, 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help'..."
Ronald Reagan

#3 User is offline   Jove 

  • Forum Addict
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Find Topics
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 2,294
  • Joined: 11-March 07
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Very South Jersey

Posted 31 December 2007 - 01:14 PM

Ok, but from what you are saying when the External is turned on, can the computer make a decision to use it in any way ? And when you say faster, I can understand larger capacity but where would faster come in ?

It dawned on me yesterday when my machine suddenly started to get slow and a little out of control, after I opened a personal joke- e-mail that directed me to a web site, I immediately thought I was infected, I scanned with a couple of anti-V programs and found nothing, but it must have scared the evil spirits away because after reboot, Its ok again ! That made me wonder about viruses and trojans getting into my E-HD, can they ?

This post has been edited by Jove: 31 December 2007 - 01:15 PM

When you don't have to worry about your computer anymore, you can start
living again !

Posted Image
The Future is All There Ever Was . . . . . . Jople 2010
Success is a result, not a goal. . . . Flaubert

#4 User is offline   Demon Cleaner 

  • Forum Addict
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Find Topics
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1,383
  • Joined: 03-August 06
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Chester uk

Posted 31 December 2007 - 06:04 PM

Quote

That made me wonder about viruses and trojans getting into my E-HD, can they ?


If you save an infected file to your external hardrive or run any infected programs from that hd then yes. Also if you connect your hd upto anyone elses Pc you may infect them or transfer infected files to thier Pc.

An example: I downloaded a ropey copy of nero. I saved it to a folder on my external hd that i scan before doing anything with downloaded stuff. The scans all came back clear. At least two months later while my av was doing its routine scan it suddenly picked up a backdoor in the copy of nero. Luckily i had not installed or done anything with the file so i should be alright, but i could of distributed that file to countless friends.

Think of viruses like std's, so be careful what you do with your equipment and where you put it! :thumbsup:

DC

#5 User is offline   Jove 

  • Forum Addict
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Find Topics
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 2,294
  • Joined: 11-March 07
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Very South Jersey

Posted 01 January 2008 - 01:11 PM

Ok, Thanks, . . How about Ext.HD, . .is that using up RAM to an appreciable degree ?
When you don't have to worry about your computer anymore, you can start
living again !

Posted Image
The Future is All There Ever Was . . . . . . Jople 2010
Success is a result, not a goal. . . . Flaubert

#6 User is offline   usasma 

  • Still visually handicapped, new avatar (a camel) :0)
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Find Topics
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 16,689
  • Joined: 02-October 05
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Southeastern CT, USA

Posted 02 January 2008 - 09:15 PM

If you've got Indexing enabled for the drive, it'll take up resources. Otherwise, it's not much different from an internal drive - the major "bottleneck" will be the transfer speed (reads and writes).
- John
**If you need a more detailed explanation, please ask for it. I have the Knack. **

Share this topic:


Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

1 User(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users