didn't take long...need more memory

[Babywearing Mama]

any advice? I need an external hard drive. I don't want to spend a lot. I read reviews, and don't know which one to get. I have a dell laptop. I'd like at least 40GB, but really 80 to 100GB.

[jodee]

A 40 to 80 GB external isn’t going to last long either. I have one 160, and a 500 GB external hard drive, the small one I use for all my scrapping kits, and the big one for all my photos and the layouts that I have done in PSE4 and 5/PSCS2. Unbelievable, but they are filling up fast. I’m trying to scan all the old photos in, and also burn them to DVD. I bought the large 500GB external at Costco, and it was just a little over $200 (it’s a My Book) haven’t had any problem with either of them.

[NMarti]

Ditto what JoDee said. You won't get much on a small drive. With Christmas coming you will be able to find a really good deal too on a 500. I have a 160 gb Seagate I got for $79 at Office Max. I would go for a bigger one. As far as brand goes you will hear pros and cons of every one but bottom line is they are almost all made by the same place and trade names attached so don't get too caught up in names.

[troush]

A lot of people recommend Lacie. There are Maxtor (we have 2 of those for backups, work just fine), Western Digital, and a couple of others. Most likely, whatever you get, will be fine.

However, external drives can die just like internal drives, so make sure you have a backup of your photos and projects.

-Trish

[Babywearing Mama]

I guess I am thinking of having a small and portable one to keep my scrapbooking supplies on, because they make my computer run slow.

As for storing things for a backup, my husband has one that we use. (not sure what size it is though)

Hmmm, I can see how they do fill up fast. Thanks ladies!