Added storage

[rliu]

What's the best way of adding more storage to a laptop computer? I want to get an external hard drive but was wondering can they be used like a built in hard drive, i.e store programmes on it to run on the laptop or are they just mainly for storing back ups of documents, mp3s and video files?

 

[Nodsu]

You can:
- replace the existing laptop hard drive with a bigger one
- add another hard drive in place of the optical drive (some models)
- use a hard drive in a docking station (some models)
- use an external hard drive

Yes, you can install programs on the external drives no problem. You have to make sure that the external drive gets the same drive letter each time you connect it and want to run one of the installed programs.

 

[Tmagic650]

I've used an external drive for backups or file transfers only. You could try running programs from the external and see if it works. I'd love to be able to boot an OS from an external drive, but I haven't been able to do this so far

 

[nickc]

I've used an external drive for backups or file transfers only. You could try running programs from the external and see if it works. I'd love to be able to boot an OS from an external drive, but I haven't been able to do this so far

and I do not believe you will be able to as a BIOS has not been made that will reconize an external hard drive as a master.

 

[Nodsu]

You can boot Linux or BSD from USB no problem. Not Windows though