Question Use external drives for own data and programs instead of internal storage?

[Kletoss]

I am considering to use with my Notebook an external USB hard drive, 10 TB or bigger for all of my own files (instead of the Win folders inside the OS for one's own files). And to use a second external storage, SSD, for all of my portable programs, connected via USB (or is there a better / faster connection?). And on the internal drive only Win would run. And some installed programs which do not need special or less indiviual settings so they could be installed / set up quite fast without big effort.

So I could avoid problems when Win does not start anymore or such and just reinstall Win without the risk of losing own data / programs.

Is there anything against doing it?

And is there anything against it to connect the external drives, or at least the SSD, just with an adapter instead of a case?

 

[Lafong]

How large is the internal drive?

How full is it?

Can it be upgraded to a larger drive?

 

[Kletoss]

I would do that with my next Notebook, so I could choose that (at least up to a certain price level).

The internal SSD now is 512 GB (or so). I assume for Win 230 GB (or so) would be enough?

 

[Lafong]

I would do that with my next Notebook, so I could choose that (at least up to a certain price level).

The external SSD now is 512 GB (or so). I assume for Win 230 GB (or so) would be enough?

I was referring to the current INTERNAL drive.

Windows itself takes no more than 30 GB.

I have no idea how much space you need on the C partition.

 

[Kletoss]

I was referring to the current INTERNAL drive.

Sorry, I too, I meant the internal one, not the external.

Windows itself takes no more than 30 GB.

Well well, I assume this size would probably not make much sense in everyday life.

I have no idea how much space you need on the C partition.

Yes, of course, how could you?

Thank you very much.

 

[USAFRet]

I would do that with my next Notebook, so I could choose that (at least up to a certain price level).

The internal SSD now is 512 GB (or so). I assume for Win 230 GB (or so) would be enough?

Leave that as one partition. The whole 500/512GB.
OS and applications.

It makes little sense to have your applications on an external, or any other drive or partition.

Maybe for some PortableApps, but other than that...just install everything internally.

 

[Kletoss]

Leave that as one partition. The whole 500/512GB.
OS and applications.

But if I would not have done it I would not have get the Notebook starting again. Respectively with a high / unknown risk of losing the programs / settings.

It makes little sense to have your applications on an external, or any other drive or partition.

Why?

Maybe for some PortableApps, but other than that...just install everything internally.

Yes, that is what I wanted.

 

[USAFRet]

But if I would not have done it I would not have get the Notebook starting again. Respectively with a high / unknown risk of losing the programs / settings.

That is handled with a real backup procedure.

If my C drive were to die right now, I lose zero applications or settings.
Recover from the full drive backup.
The only system I have right now that is 'vulnerable' is the brand new laptop I unboxed an hour ago...lol

Why?

I'll put the question back to you...what benefit do you expect from having applications installed elsewhere?

 

[Kletoss]

That is handled with a real backup procedure.

What is meant by real backup procedure?

If my C drive were to die right now, I lose zero applications or settings.

Even the data that has been added since the last backup has not been changed? How can that be? Is it a NAS or such?

The only system I have right now that is 'vulnerable' is the brand new laptop I unboxed an hour ago...lol

OK, yes, no need to at the moment. I want a new one, too.

I'll put the question back to you...what benefit do you expect from having applications installed elsewhere?

I could say, I'll put the question back to you, again, but...I really do not want to install programs somewhere other than on C: The benefit of having these two external drives would be if Win did not start anymore or the Notebook explodes or whatever I just could plug the storages in in another / a new Notebook and go on doing what I want without losing data, (almost) without further ado. And of course I had much more storage space available I could transport (more or less) easily.

I could imagine even if I had images the last recoverings / "repairs" with them would have failed when Win didn*t start anymore..

 

[USAFRet]

What is meant by real backup procedure?

What is your backup situation at home?

What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...

forums.tomshardware.com

Even the data that has been added since the last backup has not been changed? How can that be? Is it a NAS or such?

Well, no procedure is perfect for every situation.
But my system is never more than 24 hours out of date.

Yes, things added "this afternoon" may be lost.
But applications are installed rarely.

I could say, I'll put the question back to you, again, but...I really do not want to install programs somewhere other than on C: The benefit of having these two external drives would be if Win did not start anymore or the Notebook explodes or whatever I just could plug the storages in in another / a new Notebook and go on doing what I want without losing data, (almost) without further ado. And of course I had much more storage space available I could transport (more or less) easily.

Unless these are Portable Apps, you can't just move that to a new drive and have these applications work.

You say "I really do not want to install programs somewhere other than on C: "
So then why the question about installing to an external?

I could imagine even if I had images the last recoverings / "repairs" with them would have failed when Win didn*t start anymore..

With a tool such as Macrium Reflect, you boot from a Rescue USB to recover a full drive image.
The state of the existing Windows does not matter.

 

[Kletoss]

What is your backup situation at home?
What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com

Many thanks! So doing a normal back up, OK, I understand. To turn off the back up rives between the time they are backing up, I guess, is very important because of black mail malware.

Well, no procedure is perfect for every situation.
But my system is never more than 24 hours out of date.

Yes, so one may be loses a day of work in the worst case, I assume.

So then why the question about installing to an external?

Sorry, it was not intended to ask something like that. Cannot remember to have done it.

With a tool such as Macrium Reflect, you boot from a Rescue USB to recover a full drive image.
The state of the existing Windows does not matter.

So, is using Macrium better than using the (somehow never working) Win options for recovering, repair, etc. (shown on the blue screen when Win does not start anymore) and restore points and whatever Win offers? Should one use the full version generally or the free one? It seems Macrium is considered good everywhere and by everyone.

So if using Macrium I would not need to care about restoring points and other options Win offers? I only could use Macrium?

 

[USAFRet]

So if using Macrium I would not need to care about restoring points and other options Win offers? I only could use Macrium?

Macrium Reflect is the basis for my whole backup routine.
Paid version on my main system, free on all the others.

Restore Points on that same drive are worse than useless.
They do nothing in the face of a physical drive death, and give you the false sense of security that you are 'safe'.

 

[Kletoss]

Paid version on my main system, free on all the others.

Why the paid one?

Restore Points on that same drive are worse than useless.
They do nothing in the face of a physical drive death

I would have thought that they were not intended for that, but only for certain problems when Win no longer starts. Isn't that how it is?

 

[USAFRet]

Why the paid one?

In general, for Images:
Free includes Full and Differential
Paid includes Full, Differential, and Incremental.

I would have thought that they were not intended for that, but only for certain problems when Win no longer starts. Isn't that how it is?

And far far too many people think it is a real backup solution.
And if you DO have a real backup situation, no need to waste drive space on Restore points.

 

[Inthrutheoutdoor]

Get an SSD big enough to hold all of your OS & normal apps.. there is no real benefit to installing apps on an external drive, and could possibly complicate things if the app is coded in such a way that it is required to be installed on the same drive as the OS (dependencies & what not)..

However.....

1. A real, regularly updated back-up plan (2-3 separate, physical copies) of your OS, apps, and personal data on an external drive is the only way to be certain that you won't lose stuff in the event of a major failure

2. In addition to my 4x back-ups, I keep all of my frequently used data (word docs, spreadsheets, photos, videos ect) on an external drive because:

a) I can take it with me if/when needed and
b) Even if my machine would get hacked into, all my personal data is safe (not really happening unless the DOD or some terrorist decides to try & break in) since I only connect that drive when I need data off it, then disconnect it the minute I am done....

 

[Kletoss]

OK.

And if you DO have a real backup situation, no need to waste drive space on Restore points.

Well, the last times they didn't even work when Win didn't start anymore.

Get an SSD big enough to hold all of your OS & normal apps.. there is no real benefit to installing apps on an external drive, and could possibly complicate things if the app is coded in such a way that it is required to be installed on the same drive as the OS (dependencies & what not)..

I have (had) many portable apps, but I have never seen one (as far as I can remember at least) that didn't work because it was not on C: (which would not make much sense for a portable program, because they are portable and should be usable on portable drives, USB Sticks, etc.). I have them on a partition, now J:. But some or many or so of those programs (and of course installed ones) for that crappy Win seems to be poorly coded anyway, do not work properly and of course Win is the last crap at all. Never seen such junk. And if I had have the portable apps on C: I would have lost some data the last times when Win didn't start anymore and I had to install a new version of that crap.

Unfortunately a good back up is not cheap, above all if one had many drives, and to set up a back up (plan) and making it regularly is quite laborious (for me).

Yes, sounds very good your back up plan. For 2.b) (bombs, fire, FBI and terrorists and such) may be one or more further drives to be kept outside of your home, in another house or so.

 

[USAFRet]

Unfortunately a good back up is not cheap, above all if one had many drives, and to set up a back up (plan) and making it regularly is quite laborious (for me).

How much is your data worth?

'laborious' is mitigated by automation.
My backup routine, 4 main systems, 9 physical drives...takes me exactly 0 seconds per day.

 

[Kletoss]

How much is your data worth?

I do not have any idea how to assess that.

 

[Lafong]

I do not have any idea how to assess that.

Here is one idea:

Imagine it all disappeared.

What would you pay to get it back?

500 dollars maximum? Then likely don't even bother with backups.

Alternative point of view: convince yourself the chances of your data disappearing are so extremely low that it isn't worth considering even if extremely valuable. That's a common tactic.

Second alternative, popularized by Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind: "I'll think about that tomorrow." Probably the most common tactic.

 

[USAFRet]

I do not have any idea how to assess that.

What is your level of pain if it were to all go away, right now?
If all you have is Windows and a few games, eh. All that can be easily recreated.

Some of my data is literally priceless.
Family pictures cannot be recreated.

I have a pic of my eldest grandson, at age 2, in a blue tutu.
He graduates high school next year.
I plan to use that pic for blackmail when some girl comes sniffing around...

 

[Kletoss]

Yes yes, losing my data, of course, would be catastrophic. It simply must not happen, not to think up! Yes, priceless.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures that I could use for a blackmail (to get the money for the back up devices...and a new house...and....).

But, yes, of course I make back ups.

 

[Lafong]

Yes yes, losing my data, of course, would be catastrophic. It simply must not happen, not to think up! Yes, priceless.

Yet, .............."I do not have any idea how to assess that."

Hmmmm.............................

 

[USAFRet]

Yes yes, losing my data, of course, would be catastrophic. It simply must not happen, not to think up! Yes, priceless.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures that I could use for a blackmail (to get the money for the back up devices...and a new house...and....).

But, yes, of course I make back ups.

$50-100-150 for an external drive.
Free software.

Backups of your data is like car insurance.
Simply one of those things you must do.

 

[Kletoss]

Yet, .............."I do not have any idea how to assess that."

Hmmmm.............................

Well, yes, because the data is so precious / important that actually it cannot be assessed.

$50-100-150 for an external drive.

A bit more, I think, from may be 220 $ for 10 TB. I would need some of them.

Backups of your data is like car insurance.
Simply one of those things you must do.

Yes, that is true.

 

[USAFRet]

A bit more, I think, from may be 220 $ for 10 TB. I would need some of them.

Don't know where you're buying, but AmazonUS...
8TB for $158
https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Expansion-Desktop-External-Drive/dp/B093BWLBYY

If you're at the point of "I would need some of them"...
This needs to be the very next thing you do.