The portable hard drive cannot be described as an invention. It is simply a modification of the existent hard drive. In other words, a portable hard drive is an offshoot of the hard drive. It counters all the disadvantages of the hard drive. It is portable, lightweight and physically robust. In fact, it would seem the ideal solution to all data recovery problems. The portable hard disk comes with a perpendicular magnetic sheath, which protects saved data. Another addition has been the facility of automatic backup. This provision allows the portable hard drive to make a copy of the saved data on the computer hard drive. This backup is done immediately after the portable hard drive is plugged into the computer. It automatically saves time and energy.
However a major drawback noticed recently has been the recycling of hard disks into portable hard drives. In 2005, IBM declared that vendors were selling recycled portable hard drives to meet the demand for small but powerful storage media. Hard disks are usually recycled from old computers. They are used as portable data cartridges. This is done by plugging the computer into a spare loose IDE cable. Portable hard drives, according to CBL Technologies, are unlikely to go out of fashion. They are and will always remain primary players in the data storage market. Portable hard drives have their own niche audience. Today, most companies including IBM, Seagate Technologies, Sony, Hitachi and Dell are making portable hard drives.
In 2006, a new addition was made to the portable hard drive. This new addition involved partitioning the drive enabling the user to store data in a logical sequence. It also provided the user the chance to save data in order of importance dating the saved information for easy accessibility. Thus, portable hard drives seem to be giving competition to the new blue technology chips of mass storage.
Advantages:
- They are small, portable, lightweight and physically robust
- Portable hard drives have the capacity to store more data i.e. usually more than 250 GB. They are greatly used by large commercial enterprises, academicians and photographers. According to the data Recovery Company of Ontrack, this is done through encrypting the data. Thus large chunks of data are saved on finite limited spaces.
- It uses USB 2.0 technology, which offers high transfer rates.
- It compensates for its expensiveness by removing the cost of frequent data recovery. Users are saved the expense of having to call the data Recovery Company frequently.
- The portable hard drive does not require any hardware equipment for functioning. They can function smoothly by simply plugging into a system.
- Portable hard drives offer innumerable rewrites
- Data encryption facility aids in data security.
- They provide for uninterrupted transfer of data between computers, which are not connected, to the same network and when the data size is too large to be transferred online.
- Data stored on portable hard drives can be retained for a period of 15 years. During this period, a user has the facility to do modifications and save the original as well as the modified data.
- Portable hard drives also provide for automatic data backup. It means that the portable hard drive is usually equipped with software that provides for immediate automatic backup as soon as the portable drive is plugged into the computer.
Disadvantages:
- It ought to be remembered that portable hard drives descended from hard drive. Thus, they share data loss features -- mishandling them may lead to data loss.
- They are extremely vulnerable to external magnetic fields. This external magnetic attraction destroys the inner magnetic field of the portable hard drive leading to incomparable data loss.
- The interface of portable hard drives is not user friendly
- They make a lot of noise when functioning. This may cause irritation.
- Recycled portable hard drives are of low quality. They are unreliable and lead to corruption of data and data loss.
- Due to their small size and advanced technology they may be misused. Portable hard drives are usually prone to physical theft.
Portable hard drives are preferred to hard drives due to:
Size and Storage: Hard Drives are manufactured in large sizes with a finite lifespan. This lifespan can be increased by proper maintenance measures. Further, hard drives have limited storage capacity.
Prone to Data Loss: Hard drives are inclined to data loss. They fall an easy prey to natural and manmade disasters. They require a lot of maintenance and care to function properly. Thus, hard drives do not go well with the modern fast-paced society of today.
In comparison, portable hard drives seem like a boon to all computer users. They can be travelled with and are not prone to frequent data losses. They may be costly but it is a good and sound investment.