Question USB micro B super speed connector for external HDD - how to use?

[Airlane1979]

I've bought my first USB external HDD to back up the files on my Windows 11 Dell Optiplex 3020 PC (before I downgrade it back to Win 10). It has a connector I've not used before, the micro B super speed which I can't find much about online and I'm a little confused. My Dell has a USB 3.0 port. The drive came with a very short cable. If I use a standard USB extension cable into that port, will that work at maximum speed? Edit: When I tried that cable, a Windows error message appeared saying the drive was malfunctioning. With only the original cable, it is fine.

 

[rgd1101]

what is this external usb hdd? brand and model?

 

[Airlane1979]

what is this external usb hdd? brand and model?

It's unbranded. I ran several different validity scans on it to check it is working correctly, as I've had previous occasional fake flash drives. But my question is whether the micro B super speed connector has its own USB specification which requires a specific cable to run properly, which would mean the standard USB extension I tried would not be suitable and I should buy a longer cable designed for this.

 

[rgd1101]

found this chart https://tripplite.eaton.com/products/usb-connectivity-types-standards
chart 1

 

[Moonstick2]

It doesn't have its own specification as such. It consists of the standard 2.0 connector plus an extra connector to the side for USB 3.0 high speed data.

You mention your standard USB extension cable without specifying if its 3.0 or not. Even assuming it is, to be honest I find external USB 3.0 drives get flaky unless plugged into the motherboard direct or at worst a case front port. Extension cables or hubs tend to cause problems with them.

 

[Airlane1979]

It doesn't have its own specification as such. It consists of the standard 2.0 connector plus an extra connector to the side for USB 3.0 high speed data.

You mention your standard USB extension cable without specifying if its 3.0 or not. Even assuming it is, to be honest I find external USB 3.0 drives get flaky unless plugged into the motherboard direct or at worst a case front port. Extension cables or hubs tend to cause problems with them.

Ah, I see. As I write, it's plugged into a USB 3.0 port on the back of the PC tower using the really short cable supplied. I'm backing up files using the free version of EaseUS Todo Backup. For convenience, then, in future when I set up scheduled backups, would buying a longer specific 'micro B super speed' cable be worthwhile?

 

[Misgar]

When it comes to using USB3 perpherals of any sort, e.g. desktop hard drives, portable SSDs, M.2 NVMe drive enclosures, CF and SD card readers, etc., I use the shortest cables possible, to reduce the chance of data corruption.

On a desktop PC, if I encounter problems using the front panel USB-A or USB-C ports, I move the device round to the back of the computer for direct connection to the motherboard. This removes up to 1.5ft (50cm) of internal case wiring, between the motherboard and the front panel.

I've just purchased some 1ft (30cm) Amazon Basics USB-A to USB-C cables for use with my Crucial X6 2TB portable SSD. One of my 1.5ft (50cm) leads was throwing up errors. If the drive came with a short cable, stick with it unless it generates faults. It's kept short for a very good reason.

I use a program called FreeFileSync to transfer photos from my camera memory cards to a laptop. FreeFileSync recovers gracefully from errors in the middle of copying. It also has a handy facility to perform a 'byte-by-byte' comparison of the original files on the SD card with the files copied to the laptop. If there are any discrepancies, you can re-copy the corrupted file(s).

https://freefilesync.org/

To set FreeFileSync for a full comparison of source and destination folders, click the blue cog wheel next to 'Compare' and select 'File Content' from the drop down menu.

 

[Airlane1979]

Some excellent advice there for me, Misgar, thank you. I had no idea that the short cable was any other than an economy measure. I'll investigate FreeFileSync.