External Hard Drive Questions...

Brian · 08-14-2006, 02:49 AM

I just ordered a brand new Seagate 320GB hard drive and a Vantec NexStar 3 external hard drive enclosure to store backups, images and the excessive video and music files accumulating on my internal drives.

Question 1. Is it OK to defrag the external drive? I am getting mixed reports on this subject online with some places saying that it is OK and others saying not to bother since it is just for storage and it could be dangerous.

Question 2. Should the external drive always be turned off when not in use?

Question 3. Should the hard drive be made a Primary partition or a Logical drive? And should the formatting of the hard drive be done before I put the drive into the enclosure and hook it up to the computer or is it OK to put the new hard drive in the enclosure raw and do the partitioning and formatting when it is first connected to the PC?

Thanks in advance!

Monkey Hanger · 08-14-2006, 02:59 AM

Hiya Brian!

For what it's worth I'll tell how my USB connected drives are configured.

Dunno - Never done it. Suggest you try it before deleting the copied files!
Doesn't seem to matter. I leave mine on nearly all the time, but do occasionally turn them off. Nothing seems to suffer.
It's a Primary Partition. It was partitioned & formatted inside the enclosure.

Hope this helps!

traveler · 08-14-2006, 04:45 AM

Your first external drive Brian?

I have four of them. All factory built. All plugged into the system either directly or daisy chained. Thank goodness for the USB2 and Firewire daisy chain capability so I can have them all plugged in.

My latest is the Western Digital My Book 500 gigabyte external USB2/Firewire drive. They have finally got it right with this drive. Read my post review on it from about a month ago both here at ABX and at BleedinEdge. All my external hard drives except my first are Western Digital. I have tried both the USB2 connections and the Firewire connections and prefer to use the Firewire. It seems faster and smoother.

Answer 1.) I defrag them all the time. Never a problem. Give me a link to something that says not to. I'd like to read it. I'm defraging my Western Digital 250 gigabyte external USB2/Firewire drive which has one 250 gig partition right now as I type this. My external drives are not just for storage. They are semi-active since I view DVDs which were ripped directly to the external hard drive and watch recorded TV shows from my ATI All-In-Wonder Card recorded directly to the external drive.

Answer 2.) My external hard drives are always off when not in use. The latest drivers from Western Digital allow for the turning off of the external drives with a click of the mouse. Love those latest drivers released with the My Book series of external drives. However to turn on the external drives, I have to reach and push the button on the front of the drive itself to turn it on. Also, I have windows set to power down all drives when not used for more than an hour so my external drives stop spinning if I leave them on for more than an hour and they are not used. I always turn them off prior to rebooting. But if I forget to it's not a problem.

Answer 3.) I have two of my external drives turned on at the moment. PowerQuest PartitionMagic 8 says that both my 250 gig drive and my 500 gig drive are both one big primary NTFS partition in each. I reformat all my external drives after plugging in the USB2 cable and copying anything that is on the drive to an internal hard drive. I like to run them on USB2 first and then switch to FireWire to get a feel for how they operate with each connection.

One of these days I'll get an external drive enclosure. But I want it for optical drives. So the Vantec NexStar 3 is a good one?

__________________

Asus P4P800 Deluxe
Intel P4 3.2 Extreme Edition / Zalman CNPS7000-AlCu / Arctic Silver Ceramique
2x512 Mushkin PC3500 222 Black Hi Performance Level II
ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon X800 XT / Samsung Syncmaster 215TW 21" Wide Screen LCD
Two Western Digital 250 Gb Raid Edition hdd's
Western Digital My Book 500 gigabyte external USB2/Firewire drive
LiteOn 165H6S DVD Super AllWriter / LiteOn 166s 16x DVD-Rom
Onboard LAN
Antec SX1240 full tower
Soundblaster Audigy 2 zs Platinum / CambridgeSoundworks 5.1 DTT 3500 Digital Speakers
Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard
win2000

BoWevil_abx · 08-14-2006, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian

I just ordered a brand new Seagate 320GB hard drive and a Vantec NexStar 3 external hard drive enclosure to store backups, images and the excessive video and music files accumulating on my internal drives.

Question 1. Is it OK to defrag the external drive? I am getting mixed reports on this subject online with some places saying that it is OK and others saying not to bother since it is just for storage and it could be dangerous.
Question 2. Should the external drive always be turned off when not in use?

Question 3. Should the hard drive be made a Primary partition or a Logical drive? And should the formatting of the hard drive be done before I put the drive into the enclosure and hook it up to the computer or is it OK to put the new hard drive in the enclosure raw and do the partitioning and formatting when it is first connected to the PC?

Thanks in advance!

1. I have 2 external drives (USB) and I defragged the drive that I keep videos and pictures on last week. I had not heard that it might be dangerous and could cause the loss of data. Everything was fine after the defrag. I assumed that acccess time is affected by a fragmented disk, although it might not matter that much since it is attached via USB.

2. I only turn the drives off if I attach one to another computer temporarily. I suppose it would be better to turn them off when you turn the off the PC, I just haven't thought to do it.

3. It is OK to format the HDD after installing it in the enclosure and attaching it to the PC. I did both that way and there were no problems at all. The partitions are primary partitions.

Brian · 08-14-2006, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Your first external drive Brian?

Yes!

Quote:

I defrag them all the time. Never a problem. Give me a link to something that says not to. I'd like to read it.

"No, I wouldn't recommend that you defrag an external hard drive that's used as a backup media. The performance gains will be minimal and there's a risk that something will go wrong and you damage your backups."

http://www.pcdoctor-guide.com/wordpress/?p=2619

Quote:

So the Vantec NexStar 3 is a good one?

I don't know yet. It hasn't been delivered. I just went by online reviews I had read as well as the positive user reviews of the product where I bought it.

And thanks a lot for all the answers Monkey Hanger, traveler and BoWevil!

*Bofinn* · 08-14-2006, 10:30 AM

1. I use 160GB external for keeping copies of employee's data when I've redone their system. I usually wait 3 months and delete the older folders. So I do a lot of adding and deleting. I do defrag the drive once in awhile but be careful, it seems to really heat up the drive. Sometimes I'll defrag 20 or 30 minutes, then press cancel so it can cool down.

2. If you are keeping backups on it, I would unplug it and store it in a different room of the house or better yet store it at work. You'll be glad you did if your computer gets stolen or your house burns down.

3. Primary and format it in the case.

traveler · 08-14-2006, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian

Yes!

"No, I wouldn't recommend that you defrag an external hard drive that's used as a backup media. The performance gains will be minimal and there's a risk that something will go wrong and you damage your backups."

http://www.pcdoctor-guide.com/wordpress/?p=2619

I don't know yet. It hasn't been delivered. I just went by online reviews I had read as well as the positive user reviews of the product where I bought it.

And thanks a lot for all the answers Monkey Hanger, traveler and BoWevil!

lol ... external drives are great. Need more room? Then add another one.

Ahhhhhh. Defragging a backup file. That's never a necessity. Who cares how fast it performs. All you want is the data.

If all you ever put on the external drive is backup image files than keep it safe and why take a chance is what that poster is saying.

Practically speaking, I have second and third generation image files on my external drives. After defragging, they still work perfectly. My first generation critical image backup files are kept on an internal drive partition. That partition gets defragged from time to time and the image files still work fine.

__________________

Asus P4P800 Deluxe
Intel P4 3.2 Extreme Edition / Zalman CNPS7000-AlCu / Arctic Silver Ceramique
2x512 Mushkin PC3500 222 Black Hi Performance Level II
ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon X800 XT / Samsung Syncmaster 215TW 21" Wide Screen LCD
Two Western Digital 250 Gb Raid Edition hdd's
Western Digital My Book 500 gigabyte external USB2/Firewire drive
LiteOn 165H6S DVD Super AllWriter / LiteOn 166s 16x DVD-Rom
Onboard LAN
Antec SX1240 full tower
Soundblaster Audigy 2 zs Platinum / CambridgeSoundworks 5.1 DTT 3500 Digital Speakers
Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard
win2000

bjbgraphics · 08-14-2006, 03:32 PM

I run a 300GB Maxtor MaXLine III in an AMS VENUS Enclosure 3.5" USB 2.0 that is connected to my server and backs up its 300GB RAID 1 nightly.

1) As the hard drive only holds Acronis TrueImage 9.0 backups I don't defrag it.

2) I keep the hard drive on 24 hours a day as it is a 1,000,000 hours MTTF unit, has a 5 year warranty, and all the data it ever contains exists on other drives.

3) I partitioned the drive as a basic primary partition. You can do your partitioning and formatting after it is already installed in the enclosure. It behaves in Windows XP just as if it were an internal hard drive.

Be sure to do a thorough chkdsk on the disk to verify it is healthy before putting your data on it.

BJB

08-14-2006, 02:49 AM	#1
Brian But you can call me Brain Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Georgetown, Ontario Posts: 5,923	External Hard Drive Questions... I just ordered a brand new Seagate 320GB hard drive and a Vantec NexStar 3 external hard drive enclosure to store backups, images and the excessive video and music files accumulating on my internal drives. Question 1. Is it OK to defrag the external drive? I am getting mixed reports on this subject online with some places saying that it is OK and others saying not to bother since it is just for storage and it could be dangerous. Question 2. Should the external drive always be turned off when not in use? Question 3. Should the hard drive be made a Primary partition or a Logical drive? And should the formatting of the hard drive be done before I put the drive into the enclosure and hook it up to the computer or is it OK to put the new hard drive in the enclosure raw and do the partitioning and formatting when it is first connected to the PC? Thanks in advance! __________________
(Offline)

08-14-2006, 02:59 AM	#2
Monkey Hanger Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 10,590	Hiya Brian! For what it's worth I'll tell how my USB connected drives are configured. Dunno - Never done it. Suggest you try it before deleting the copied files! Doesn't seem to matter. I leave mine on nearly all the time, but do occasionally turn them off. Nothing seems to suffer. It's a Primary Partition. It was partitioned & formatted inside the enclosure. Hope this helps!
(Offline)

08-14-2006, 04:45 AM	#3
traveler Where to next? Join Date: May 2001 Location: South Florida Posts: 18,226	Your first external drive Brian? I have four of them. All factory built. All plugged into the system either directly or daisy chained. Thank goodness for the USB2 and Firewire daisy chain capability so I can have them all plugged in. My latest is the Western Digital My Book 500 gigabyte external USB2/Firewire drive. They have finally got it right with this drive. Read my post review on it from about a month ago both here at ABX and at BleedinEdge. All my external hard drives except my first are Western Digital. I have tried both the USB2 connections and the Firewire connections and prefer to use the Firewire. It seems faster and smoother. Answer 1.) I defrag them all the time. Never a problem. Give me a link to something that says not to. I'd like to read it. I'm defraging my Western Digital 250 gigabyte external USB2/Firewire drive which has one 250 gig partition right now as I type this. My external drives are not just for storage. They are semi-active since I view DVDs which were ripped directly to the external hard drive and watch recorded TV shows from my ATI All-In-Wonder Card recorded directly to the external drive. Answer 2.) My external hard drives are always off when not in use. The latest drivers from Western Digital allow for the turning off of the external drives with a click of the mouse. Love those latest drivers released with the My Book series of external drives. However to turn on the external drives, I have to reach and push the button on the front of the drive itself to turn it on. Also, I have windows set to power down all drives when not used for more than an hour so my external drives stop spinning if I leave them on for more than an hour and they are not used. I always turn them off prior to rebooting. But if I forget to it's not a problem. Answer 3.) I have two of my external drives turned on at the moment. PowerQuest PartitionMagic 8 says that both my 250 gig drive and my 500 gig drive are both one big primary NTFS partition in each. I reformat all my external drives after plugging in the USB2 cable and copying anything that is on the drive to an internal hard drive. I like to run them on USB2 first and then switch to FireWire to get a feel for how they operate with each connection. One of these days I'll get an external drive enclosure. But I want it for optical drives. So the Vantec NexStar 3 is a good one? __________________ Asus P4P800 Deluxe Intel P4 3.2 Extreme Edition / Zalman CNPS7000-AlCu / Arctic Silver Ceramique 2x512 Mushkin PC3500 222 Black Hi Performance Level II ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon X800 XT / Samsung Syncmaster 215TW 21" Wide Screen LCD Two Western Digital 250 Gb Raid Edition hdd's Western Digital My Book 500 gigabyte external USB2/Firewire drive LiteOn 165H6S DVD Super AllWriter / LiteOn 166s 16x DVD-Rom Onboard LAN Antec SX1240 full tower Soundblaster Audigy 2 zs Platinum / CambridgeSoundworks 5.1 DTT 3500 Digital Speakers Logitech G5 Laser Mouse Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard win2000
(Offline)

08-14-2006, 10:30 AM	#6
Bofinn I'm gettin' dizzy! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 11,035	1. I use 160GB external for keeping copies of employee's data when I've redone their system. I usually wait 3 months and delete the older folders. So I do a lot of adding and deleting. I do defrag the drive once in awhile but be careful, it seems to really heat up the drive. Sometimes I'll defrag 20 or 30 minutes, then press cancel so it can cool down. 2. If you are keeping backups on it, I would unplug it and store it in a different room of the house or better yet store it at work. You'll be glad you did if your computer gets stolen or your house burns down. 3. Primary and format it in the case. __________________ ---------- JimBo ----------- When in doubt, smack it!
(Offline)

08-14-2006, 03:32 PM	#8
bjbgraphics "You're no beggar!" Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: United States Posts: 657	I run a 300GB Maxtor MaXLine III in an AMS VENUS Enclosure 3.5" USB 2.0 that is connected to my server and backs up its 300GB RAID 1 nightly. 1) As the hard drive only holds Acronis TrueImage 9.0 backups I don't defrag it. 2) I keep the hard drive on 24 hours a day as it is a 1,000,000 hours MTTF unit, has a 5 year warranty, and all the data it ever contains exists on other drives. 3) I partitioned the drive as a basic primary partition. You can do your partitioning and formatting after it is already installed in the enclosure. It behaves in Windows XP just as if it were an internal hard drive. Be sure to do a thorough chkdsk on the disk to verify it is healthy before putting your data on it. BJB __________________ Cybertron: Antec SX600II - SeaSonic M12 SS-700HM - 3x80mm Nexus Real Silent Fans - Intel D875PBZ v205 P27 - P4 3.4c - 2x512MB, 2x1024MB Corsair XMS 3200C2 DDR - Sapphire Radeon HD 3850 512MB AGP - 36.7GB Western Digital Raptor - 40GB Western Digital Caviar Special Edition - JVC Lite-On HD166S DVD-Rom VectorSigma: Antec SLK1600 - Corsair VX450W - Vantec Stealth 1x92mm & 1x80mm Fans - Asus TUSL2 1012 - PIII-S 1.4 - 2x256MB PC133 Kingston Technology KVR133X64CS (CL2) - Apollo GeForce FX 5200 128MB AGP - 200GB Western Digital WD2000JB - 3ware 7006-2 RAID / RAID 1 / 2x300GB Maxtor MaXLine III - JVC Lite-On 851S DVD-RW Junkion: Dell Dimension 4100 - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 360 Dell - Vantec Stealth 1x92mm Fan - PIII 733 - 2x256MB PC133 Atlas Precision (CL3) - ATI Radeon 9800 - 20GB Quantum Fireball Teletran1: Dell Latitude C600 - 512MB Ram - 30GB Hard Drive
(Online)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode