How to choose the best external hard drive for you Best computer speakers: get immersive audio.
A variety of connection options are included, from USB 3.0 Type-C to Thunderbolt and Firewire, and it's Mac and Windows compatible as well.
It's also pressure-resistant, and comes with automatic backup software and encryption to keep your data as safe as possible. If you're looking for an external hard drive to cope with the stresses and strains of modern-day life then you can't do much better than the bright, padded Rugged model from Lacie, shock and drop resistant to a height of 1.2 metres when not running. If you want to take a lot of storage around with you anywhere, give it a look. Some people won't care what their external hard drive looks like, and perhaps they're right not to, but we're very much fans of the aesthetic on show here.Ĭapacities go all the way up to 5TB but it's the slimline 2TB that's the real star of the range: it's very slim and very light, and it won't get noisy or hot during use, as it transfers data over its USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection (with a USB-A plug). It'll transfer your files quickly enough, but we wouldn't recommend trying to actually run games from this.Īs with the rest of the WD Black series, the industrial looks of the drive really catch the eye: all ridged black plastic that gives an extra sense of style and durability. The WD Black P10 is a fine choice for your next external hard drive if you're prioritising value for money over raw speed: it's a 2.5-inch HDD running at a speed of 5,400 rpm, so don't expect blistering SSD performance, and it's priced accordingly. The best external drives you can buy today If you've been considering a high performance or high capacity external drive – or both – then Black Friday can be a very good time to buy. External drives are a Black Friday regular, with decent discounts usually available from all the usual suspects. Not only do we list what we consider the best drives, but we also provide buying advice and top tips to make sure you end up with the right drive for your needs and budget.ĭon't forget to check out the best Black Friday deals this year. Like when you shop for one of the best laptops, best SSDs, or best keyboards, there are a few things to consider before making a purchase, and that's what this best external hard drive guide is designed to help with. Step 1: Type cmd in the Search box, right-click the fist result to choose Run as administrator to open Command Prompt.Getting the right hard drive in place can solve your digital storage problems for years: you'll finally have enough room for all those movies, music files, photos, documents, and everything else you've managed to amass – and if you buy one of the best external hard drives, you'll be able to trust it with your data. If it’s not successful to prevent hard disk from going to sleep by changing the Turn off hard disk after option. If the issue persists, you can try the next method. Then you can check if your hard disk still goes to sleep or not.
If you don’t want to turn off hard disk after PC inactivity, you can also set the above settings to Never. Note: The default is 20 minutes and it is not recommended to set a low amount of minutes. You need to change the settings for On battery and Plugged in to specify after how many minutes (of idle time) you want the hard disk to turn off. Step 4: Then you can see the Turn off hard disk after option. Step 3: Then click the Change advanced power settings link at the bottom. Step 2: Next to your currently selected power plan, click the Change plan settings option. Step 1: Type Control Panel in the Search box, then navigate to Power Options.
Method 1: Change Plan Settingsįirst, you can change the power plan. However, you don't want the external hard disk or USB to go to sleep, so don't worry because you can configure each drive or USB to go to sleep or not to go to sleep after a specified time if the PC is idle. This setting does not affect the SSD, and once the system resumes from sleep, it will take some time for you to turn on the hard drive before you can access it. This is done to save battery and thus extend the battery life of your PC. If you configure the “Turn off hard disk after” setting in Power Options, then you can set the specified time (inactive) and then the hard disk will power off. This post written by MiniTool will help you prevent hard disk from going to sleep on Windows 10. This setting is configured using the “Turn off hard disk after” setting in Power Options. You may notice that your hard disk turns off after a specific period of inactivity.