External Storage For Windows 10

Summary :

1. Best External Storage Drives For Windows 10
2. External Hard Drive Windows
3. Using External Storage For Windows 10 Update

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How to use an external hard drive? In this article, you can know how to add an external drive to your computer. In addition, you are offered the way to manage, use and maintain an external hard drive. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a good tool to help you to manage the drive.

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• For instance, an external drive formatted for Windows 10 may have problems working with MacOS, and vice versa. Some hard drives are formatted specifically for Linux too. This setup isn't.

What Is an External Hard Drive

An external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer wirelessly,or through a USB FireWire connection. It becomes more and more popular in computer users for the following benefits:

1. It is portable. An external hard drive can be connected to almost all computers because they have a USB port. Therefore, you can easily pick up your external hard drive, take it out and connect it to another computer.
2. It comes with a high storage capacity. An external hard drive can store much larger data than a USB flash drive. It helps a lot if you are found of videos or audios, whichtake up a large amount of disk space. In addition, you can use it to store lots of photos, entire programs, and more on it.
3. It is a safe Backup Device. To avoid data loss, you can use an external hard drive to back up your files and programs. After system crashes, you can easily connect the external hard drive to another computer so that you can recover important data.
4. It is easy to be upgraded. If your external hard drive is running out of storage space for your backup files, you can easily replace it with a bigger one.
5. It can prevent your computer from getting clogged up with downloads and large files. You could transfer large files from your computer to an external hard driveto improve

How to Add an External Hard Drive to Your Computer

If you get a new external hard drive, you need to add it to your computer before you can use it. Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Plug one end of the external hard drive's cable (usually the larger end) into the USB port on the housing to see whether it works.

Step 2: Adobe premiere pro cs5 price. Plug the other end of the cable into your external hard drive.

Step 3: Now you need to format the external hard drive.

1. Double click This PC.
2. Right-click your external hard drive and choose Format..from menu.
3. Uncheck Quick Formatand select a file system. Then click Start.

After formatting the external hard drive, you should partition the drive reasonably for better management. As for partitioning tool, you can choose freeware MiniTool Partition Wizard.

How to Use an External Hard Drive in Windows 10

Extra Storage Device

It has been mentioned that an external hard drive has many benefits. The basic one is to use it as an extra storage device, especially when you need to free up disk space.

You can transfer files to an external hard drive after you connect it to your computer. Here is a tutorial on how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10.

Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Select the folders or files you want to move and press Ctrl + X to cut them.

Step 3: Click your external hard drive from the left action panel to access the external hard drive and press Ctrl + V to paste the folders and files.

Data Backup Device

Do you know your data is in danger? If you don't have more than one backup solution, plenty of critical information includes photos, music, videos, financial and official documents could be lost when your computer dies due to hardware failure, natural disaster, system crashes or viruses attacks.

Clearly, the more copies you have, the less risk of data loss you face. Thus, just create as many copies as you entail. In other words, you'd better protect the original data with two backups.

Download mojave 10 14 6. Usually, cloud backup can be a good choice,such as Google Cloud Storage, Microsoft Onedrive, etc.

However, they are not the best solutions.They may cost you much. Some cloud services such as iCloud and IDrive just offer you a storage capacity about 5 GB for free, and most cloud services need you to pay for month. What's more, it will be troublesome if you decide to shift among these services.

In addition, it may take much time to download everything from a cloud-based backup service if you want to manage large files or large quantities of files.

On the other hand, data stored in a cloud service is possible to be attacked by a hack. So, you can store your backup in an external hard drive, which is portable and safer. Some external devices come with security features like fingerprint recognition, which prevents other people from gaining access to the stored data.

To buy the right backup drive, here are some tips you need to know.

With MiniTool Partition Wizard,a free backup tool, you can easily back up your partitions or the whole disk to your external hard drive. Here is how to use an external hard drive for backup.

Step 1: Click the following button to download and install the tool.

Step 2: Make a backup.

• To copy disk, just right-click the disk you want to back up and choose Copy from menu.
• To copy partition, you can click the Copy Partition Wizard from action panel and choose the partition you want to back up.
• Then follow the instructions to finish the copy

Create a Windows To Go Workplace

Windows To Go is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to boot and run Windows from USB flash drives or external hard disk drives so that you can take it to anywhere.

To create a portable Windows, you need to prepare a device with requirements as follows:

• With 32 GB capacity at least
• With USB 2.0 and faster USB connections.

With an external hard drive, you can easily achieve it. Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Connect your external hard drive to the computer.

Step 2: Search for Windows To Go in Windows and click it from the results.

Step 3: Choose your external hard drive to create a Windows To Go workplace and follow the guide to complete the process.

Then you can connect the external hard drive to another computer and boot Windows from the external drive when you go out.

How to Use an External Hard Drive for Longer

You may be aware that an external hard drive is necessary for you. However, it is easy to be broken if you don't maintain it in the right way. To avoid decreasing the life of it, you can read these tips on how to use an external hard drive for longer.

1. To protect your external hard drive, you'd better place it on a stable, flat and hard surface. Considering that the hard disk is a mechanical device, it can be damaged by vibrations. And you should also be careful to prevent it from falling off the table.
2. You need to make sure that it will not be banged around or treated roughly. Since the external hard drive is a portable device, you should treat it carelessly when you take it out.
3. You have to avoid getting your hard drive wet or exposing it to liquid.
4. Do not place your external hard drive in a restrictive area where there is no air flow. Similar to the internal hard disk in your computer, the external hard drive also gets hot when it works too long. To avoid overheating, which can damage the disk, you need to place it in an open area to dissipate the buildup of heat.
5. Check error before you transfer files to an external hard drive. It can fix disk errors and ensure that you are starting with a well-functioning drive.To do that, you can use the error checking tool in Windows.
6. Always eject the drive before you unplug it from your computer. It ensures data still stored in the cache memory will be removed, which prevents existing data on the disk from being damaged.
7. The best way to protect your data in the external hard drive is to back up it as much as possible. Hard drive failure may happen to your external hard drive.To ensure the security of your files, you'd better prepare a second external drive to back up it.

Save Lost Data from an External Hard Drive

Similar to internal hard drivers, an external hard drive may also lose data due to various reasons, such as mistaken deletion or hard drive failure when you manage it.

If you have a backup for the data in the external hard drive, you can restore your data with the backup.

If you unfortunately find that your files or programs stored in the external hard drive is lost and you have no backup for the drive, you need to stop using it right now and try to recover files from the external drive with a third-party software as soon as possible.

MiniTool Partition Wizard is powerful in recovering deleted files and data from formatted or virus attacked disk. It is worth trying.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 2: Click Data Recovery from the tool bar and select your external hard drive in This PC. And then click Scan.

Step 3: Now you just need to check the files you want to recover and then click Save to place the recovered files into a safe position.

If it is the first time to recover files from an external drive, you may be a little confused. To know more details, you can read the following article: The Full Guide to SSD File Recovery on Windows 10/8/7/XP.

Bottom Line

An external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer wirelessly,or through a USB FireWire connection. It becomes more and more popular in computer users for the following benefits:

1. It is portable. An external hard drive can be connected to almost all computers because they have a USB port. Therefore, you can easily pick up your external hard drive, take it out and connect it to another computer.
2. It comes with a high storage capacity. An external hard drive can store much larger data than a USB flash drive. It helps a lot if you are found of videos or audios, whichtake up a large amount of disk space. In addition, you can use it to store lots of photos, entire programs, and more on it.
3. It is a safe Backup Device. To avoid data loss, you can use an external hard drive to back up your files and programs. After system crashes, you can easily connect the external hard drive to another computer so that you can recover important data.
4. It is easy to be upgraded. If your external hard drive is running out of storage space for your backup files, you can easily replace it with a bigger one.
5. It can prevent your computer from getting clogged up with downloads and large files. You could transfer large files from your computer to an external hard driveto improve

How to Add an External Hard Drive to Your Computer

If you get a new external hard drive, you need to add it to your computer before you can use it. Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Plug one end of the external hard drive's cable (usually the larger end) into the USB port on the housing to see whether it works.

Step 2: Adobe premiere pro cs5 price. Plug the other end of the cable into your external hard drive.

Step 3: Now you need to format the external hard drive.

1. Double click This PC.
2. Right-click your external hard drive and choose Format..from menu.
3. Uncheck Quick Formatand select a file system. Then click Start.

After formatting the external hard drive, you should partition the drive reasonably for better management. As for partitioning tool, you can choose freeware MiniTool Partition Wizard.

How to Use an External Hard Drive in Windows 10

Extra Storage Device

It has been mentioned that an external hard drive has many benefits. The basic one is to use it as an extra storage device, especially when you need to free up disk space.

You can transfer files to an external hard drive after you connect it to your computer. Here is a tutorial on how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10.

Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Select the folders or files you want to move and press Ctrl + X to cut them.

Step 3: Click your external hard drive from the left action panel to access the external hard drive and press Ctrl + V to paste the folders and files.

Data Backup Device

Do you know your data is in danger? If you don't have more than one backup solution, plenty of critical information includes photos, music, videos, financial and official documents could be lost when your computer dies due to hardware failure, natural disaster, system crashes or viruses attacks.

Clearly, the more copies you have, the less risk of data loss you face. Thus, just create as many copies as you entail. In other words, you'd better protect the original data with two backups.

Download mojave 10 14 6. Usually, cloud backup can be a good choice,such as Google Cloud Storage, Microsoft Onedrive, etc.

However, they are not the best solutions.They may cost you much. Some cloud services such as iCloud and IDrive just offer you a storage capacity about 5 GB for free, and most cloud services need you to pay for month. What's more, it will be troublesome if you decide to shift among these services.

In addition, it may take much time to download everything from a cloud-based backup service if you want to manage large files or large quantities of files.

On the other hand, data stored in a cloud service is possible to be attacked by a hack. So, you can store your backup in an external hard drive, which is portable and safer. Some external devices come with security features like fingerprint recognition, which prevents other people from gaining access to the stored data.

To buy the right backup drive, here are some tips you need to know.

With MiniTool Partition Wizard,a free backup tool, you can easily back up your partitions or the whole disk to your external hard drive. Here is how to use an external hard drive for backup.

Step 1: Click the following button to download and install the tool.

Step 2: Make a backup.

• To copy disk, just right-click the disk you want to back up and choose Copy from menu.
• To copy partition, you can click the Copy Partition Wizard from action panel and choose the partition you want to back up.
• Then follow the instructions to finish the copy

Create a Windows To Go Workplace

Windows To Go is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to boot and run Windows from USB flash drives or external hard disk drives so that you can take it to anywhere.

To create a portable Windows, you need to prepare a device with requirements as follows:

• With 32 GB capacity at least
• With USB 2.0 and faster USB connections.

With an external hard drive, you can easily achieve it. Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Connect your external hard drive to the computer.

Step 2: Search for Windows To Go in Windows and click it from the results.

Step 3: Choose your external hard drive to create a Windows To Go workplace and follow the guide to complete the process.

Then you can connect the external hard drive to another computer and boot Windows from the external drive when you go out.

How to Use an External Hard Drive for Longer

You may be aware that an external hard drive is necessary for you. However, it is easy to be broken if you don't maintain it in the right way. To avoid decreasing the life of it, you can read these tips on how to use an external hard drive for longer.

1. To protect your external hard drive, you'd better place it on a stable, flat and hard surface. Considering that the hard disk is a mechanical device, it can be damaged by vibrations. And you should also be careful to prevent it from falling off the table.
2. You need to make sure that it will not be banged around or treated roughly. Since the external hard drive is a portable device, you should treat it carelessly when you take it out.
3. You have to avoid getting your hard drive wet or exposing it to liquid.
4. Do not place your external hard drive in a restrictive area where there is no air flow. Similar to the internal hard disk in your computer, the external hard drive also gets hot when it works too long. To avoid overheating, which can damage the disk, you need to place it in an open area to dissipate the buildup of heat.
5. Check error before you transfer files to an external hard drive. It can fix disk errors and ensure that you are starting with a well-functioning drive.To do that, you can use the error checking tool in Windows.
6. Always eject the drive before you unplug it from your computer. It ensures data still stored in the cache memory will be removed, which prevents existing data on the disk from being damaged.
7. The best way to protect your data in the external hard drive is to back up it as much as possible. Hard drive failure may happen to your external hard drive.To ensure the security of your files, you'd better prepare a second external drive to back up it.

Save Lost Data from an External Hard Drive

Similar to internal hard drivers, an external hard drive may also lose data due to various reasons, such as mistaken deletion or hard drive failure when you manage it.

If you have a backup for the data in the external hard drive, you can restore your data with the backup.

If you unfortunately find that your files or programs stored in the external hard drive is lost and you have no backup for the drive, you need to stop using it right now and try to recover files from the external drive with a third-party software as soon as possible.

MiniTool Partition Wizard is powerful in recovering deleted files and data from formatted or virus attacked disk. It is worth trying.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 2: Click Data Recovery from the tool bar and select your external hard drive in This PC. And then click Scan.

Step 3: Now you just need to check the files you want to recover and then click Save to place the recovered files into a safe position.

If it is the first time to recover files from an external drive, you may be a little confused. To know more details, you can read the following article: The Full Guide to SSD File Recovery on Windows 10/8/7/XP.

Bottom Line

You can benefit a lot from an external hard drive. With the high storage capacity, you can store a huge number of videos, photos and programs, and it is a proper device for data backup.

This article helps you to know how to add an external hard drive to your computer, how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10, and how to maintain it to use it longer.

If you still have any questions about the external hard drive, you can contact [email protected] or post it in the comment section below.

Do you want to try it now?

How to Use an External Hard Drive FAQ

1. It has large storage capacity.
2. It's portable so that you can take it anywhere.
3. It's a safe backup device.
4. It can be used for a long time.

1. Plug the external hard drive into the computer.
2. Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
3. Navigate to your program setup file and double-click it.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the program, and when you are asked where you want to save the program, choose on location on your external hard drive.

While most external hard drives are already designed to work for Windows computers, there are times when you need to reformat one. You might want a drive that works with Macs and PCs, or maybe you want to partition it, which will split it up into two different formats. Here's how to format an external hard drive for Windows 10 or partition it.

Best External Storage Drives For Windows 10

How to Format a Hard Drive for Windows 10

Note: Formatting your drive will erase all the existing files on it. So if your external hard drive already has important files on it, make sure to back them up before proceeding.

1. Connect your external hard drive to a Windows computer. If your external hard drive is working, your computer will automatically detect it, and the drive will appear under Devices and Drives next to your internal drives in the This PC window. You can also find it in the left sidebar of File Explorer.

   Note: If you already used your external hard drive on a PC, be sure to back up any files on it. Formatting your drive will wipe out all the data in it.

2. Right-click on the external hard drive and click Format.
3. Choose a format under File System. By default, Windows computers will choose NTFS (New Technology File System) for you because that's the native Microsoft filing system. But if you want the external hard drive to also work on a Mac, you should choose exFAT.

   Note: The exFAT file system only works on Mac 10.6.5 or later, and Windows XP SP3 or later.

4. Check the Quick Format box, and click Start. Depending on the size of the drive, and if there are files to be deleted in it, this can take a few to several minutes to finish.
5. Click OK when the Format Complete pop-up screen appears.

Now you have a hard drive formatted for Windows, but what if you wanted to use it with Mac computers also? One easy way to have a hard drive that works with Mac and Windows is by partitioning it. This means you're splitting the drive into two formats, one for Mac and one for PC. Here's how to do that:

How to Partition an External Drivein Windows 10

1. Open the Windows search box, type 'diskmgmt.msc,' and hit enter. The Windows Search Box is the magnifying button icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen.
2. Right-click on your external hard drive and select Shrink Volume. If this option is not available to you, reformat the drive to NTFS and try again.
3. Enter an amount of space that you want to shrink your volume by. The remaining space will be displayed in megabytes.
4. Then click Shrink. This will split the hard drive, with one part becoming unallocated space.
5. Right-click the unallocated space on your drive and select New Simple Volume.
6. Click Next.
7. Then indicate how big you want the partition to be. If you want to use the rest of the space, enter the maximum disk space indicated above it. Then click Next.
8. Next, choose what drive letter you want to use. Letters that have already been assigned to other drives will not be on this list, so don't worry if there are missing letters. Just choose among the drive letters still available.
9. Go to File System and choose a format. Windows will choose NTFS for you because that's Microsoft's native filing system. But if you want the external hard drive to also work on a Mac, you should choose exFAT, which is an upgraded version of FAT32.

   Note: The exFAT file system only works on Mac 10.6.5 or later, and Windows XP SP3 or later.

10. Check the Quick Format box, and click Next.
11. Finally, click Finish. If a pop-up appears telling you to format the disk, click Format Disk. After that, the newly formatted disk will open automatically.

External Hard Drive Windows

Partitioning your external hard drive will enable you to perform tasks in one section without affecting the rest of the drive. If you want to know how to format a hard drive for Mac, check out our previous article here.

Using External Storage For Windows 10 Update

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