Let's talk external hard drives (again)!

A question I have been fielding lately is, "What hard drives do you recommend as external to my computer?"

I posted something on this subject two years ago here. In that post, I gave advice as to why you should stick to hard drive manufacturers when purchasing an external drive. That advice is still relevant, but does not entirely answer the question above.

I recommend Seagate as the manufacturer with the best track record for reliability in hard drives, internal or external. Western Digital is a very close second. However, each manufacturer makes several lines of drives. So, right this very minute, I go on record as recommending Seagate's FreeAgent® GoFlex™ line of hard drives. There are three levels of those drives, but the FreeAgent® GoFlex™ Desk line is fine for homeowners and small businesses (those folks for whom this blog is written). Here's why I recommend them (taken directly from their site):

Features USB 2.0 or 3.0 plug-and-play connectivity
Ensures automatic continuous backup and protects your privacy with powerful encryption software
Lets you upgrade to a faster interface to increase your transfer speeds when paired with another GoFlex Desk desktop adapter
Includes an illuminated capacity gauge
Comes in 1TB, 2TB, and 3TB models

Basically, these drives are relatively inexpensive (1TB - $99 at Best Buy and online at Seagate.com), and they are the capacities that most people are looking for today. In addition, they are upgradeable to faster interfaces as new communications technology standards come out.

That last statement's huge - it means that, if you bought the drive with USB 2.0 built in and you buy a new laptop, for instance, with a USB 3.0 connection on it, you can use that faster USB connection to its full capability as long as you buy an adapter for the drive. Today, USB 2.0 is standard and USB 3.0 will become the standard in the next 12 months or so. Who knows what new standards will come out two years from now, but you can bet that Seagate will have an adapter for it, also.

Oh, yeah. In addition to all of that, you have purchased the most reliable hard drives commercially available in the industry today.

Just please remember, ALL hard drives fail eventually, no matter what their manufacturer's capabilities are, and any one drive can fail at any time - reliability measurements are averages. So take other precautions with your important data, photos, music, or whatever. Use a second backup source, such as an automated online service like Carbonite so that you have backup of your backup. You won't regret it if you do have redundant backups in two different locations, but you certainly might if you don't.