
Best file allocation size for usb backup drive install#
Usually there's no need to install special software or drivers, though you may want to install utility software that came with the drive (or use your own) and partition the drive into smaller segments. Setting up an external hard drive is a plug-and-play process and most models come pre-formatted, so they're ready to use straight out of the box. What else you should know Set-up and formatting Fortunately, big storage is getting cheaper all the time. In fact, every drive you use should be backed up to another drive for safekeeping. Of course, both drives need to be backed up regularly, as well as the main drive in your PC. This reduces the risk of data loss, as your files are spread across two drives, meaning you'll only lose half if a drive were to fail. If you're looking at a large drive (such as 8TB) for extra storage, consider whether you could make do with two smaller units instead. These temporary, or cached, files need to be stored somewhere, even if only for a little while. It is common for the operating system and programs (particularly graphics programs) to write temporary invisible files to your main hard drive as you work. Try to leave at least 20% of drive space unfilled to give the system room to 'move'. This is is the most common form of backup.Īlso, don't fill up your drive completely or it won't work efficiently. This allows room for your backup to grow, as incremental backup adds versions of every new and altered file to the main backup set. Choose a drive with at least twice the space required to back up your system software and all your files.


Read portable storage review How much space do you need?Ĭapacity is often the first consideration, and usually the larger the better, especially if the drive is to be used as a backup drive.
