Recommendations for external hard drive

[CalvertNewbie]

My Mom asked for an external hard drive for Christmas. She has a new Gateway computer with Vista, only used for personal use. She's had issues in the past with computers crashing and personal info being "lost" so she wants to prevent that from happening again.

I know nothing about them and she's no expert either. I'm hoping you guys can give me some recommendations on what to buy for the best price. She saw one on QVC for about $130. I quickly looked online at Best Buy and saw some in that price range as well. Is that a reasonable price?

Originally Posted by CalvertNewbie

My Mom asked for an external hard drive for Christmas. She has a new Gateway computer with Vista, only used for personal use. She's had issues in the past with computers crashing and personal info being "lost" so she wants to prevent that from happening again.

I know nothing about them and she's no expert either. I'm hoping you guys can give me some recommendations on what to buy for the best price. She saw one on QVC for about $130. I quickly looked online at Best Buy and saw some in that price range as well. Is that a reasonable price?

Seagate Free Agent with firewire connection, fast and awesome!!!!

[dustin]

How much does she intend to backup? Hard-drive sizes vary greatly. More space = more $$$

I'd go with any brand name. Or you can buy the chassis/box and install your own hard drives. It ends up being close to the same price if you build one.

Also, plug and play is always a good thing. The less drivers to install the better.

[Kerad]

I've had a Western Digital MyBook (firewire/USB 2) for years now. Never had a problem with it.

[donmagicyourmom]

get a maxtor one touch. it comes with software to do automatic backups as frequently as you want and restoring it is a breeze. My 500gb was $130 about 18 months ago so it'll prolly be around $100 now

[GWguy]

Originally Posted by donmagicyourmom

get a maxtor one touch. it comes with software to do automatic backups as frequently as you want and restoring it is a breeze. My 500gb was $130 about 18 months ago so it'll prolly be around $100 now

I've had a lot of issues with the Restrospect Express software that comes bundled. The Maxtor drives are fine, I just use different software for backups.

All but one of my external drives is LaCie. I've had no issues with them at all. I usually buy one of their refurb units at a substantially lower cost, 90 or 180 day warranty.

[donmagicyourmom]

now i've been using my Apple Time Capsule. Its a wireless N router with a 1tb drive built in so i can back up my macbook pro without wires. I think it works with windows but its pricey (around $500)

[itsbob (Premo)]

I have a Dragon, 2.5 external HD.

Small, compact, easy to travel with. Can fit in the inside pocket of a suit jacket..

ZERO issues in the last two years that I've owned it.

[CalvertNewbie]

Originally Posted by donmagicyourmom

get a maxtor one touch. it comes with software to do automatic backups as frequently as you want and restoring it is a breeze. My 500gb was $130 about 18 months ago so it'll prolly be around $100 now

This sounds nice and simple. For my Mom, the easier to use the better. Her words were, "for dummies is best."

We'd like to keep it under $150 if possible. She probably won't have a tremendous amount to backup. Thanks everyone, for your recommendations so far.

Originally Posted by CalvertNewbie

This sounds nice and simple. For my Mom, the easier to use the better. Her words were, "for dummies is best."

We'd like to keep it under $150 if possible. She probably won't have a tremendous amount to backup. Thanks everyone, for your recommendations so far.

check amazon!