Good Backup Hard Drive

Use two formats to back up your hard drive (such as a local drive backup and a cloud or external media backup). Store one copy of the backup off-site to protect against physical disasters such as fires, floods, theft, etc. When planning a personal backup strategy, you should assume that a data loss event will occur eventually. The most convenient backup drive The Seagate Backup Plus Slim is reliable, thin, and light, and it offers fast speeds at a reasonable cost. $70. from Best Buy.At the time of publishing, the price.

To learn how to back up and restore individual files on a Windows-based computer:

To learn how to back up and restore in Windows 10:

Back up

There are several ways to back up your PC.

  1. Select the Start button, then select Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Backup and Restore.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • If you've never used Windows Backup before, or recently upgraded your version of Windows, select Set up backup, and then follow the steps in the wizard.

    • If you've created a backup before, you can wait for your regularly scheduled backup to occur, or you can manually create a new backup by selecting Back up now.

    • If you’ve created a backup before, but want to make a new, full backup rather than updating the old one, select Create new, full backup, and then follow the steps in the wizard.

Note: Do not back up files to the same hard disk that Windows is installed on. For example, do not back up files to a recovery partition. Always store media used for backups (external hard disks, DVDs, or CDs) in a secure place to prevent unauthorized people from having access to your files; a fireproof location separate from your computer is recommended. You might also consider encrypting the data on your backup.

Create a system image

System images contain all of the info on your PC at a particular state.

  1. Right-click the Start button, then select Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Backup and Restore.

  2. In the left pane, choose Create a system image, and then follow the steps in the wizard. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Note: To create a system image of a drive, it must be formatted to use the NTFS file system. If you save the system image on a hard drive or USB flash drive, it must be formatted to use the NTFS file system.

Keeping different versions of system images

You can keep several versions of system images. On internal and external hard drives, older system images will be deleted when the drive runs out of space. To help conserve disk space, delete older system images.

If you're saving your system images in a network location, you can only keep the most current system image for each computer. System images are saved in the format of driveWindowsImageBackupcomputer name. If you already have a system image for a computer and are creating a new one for the same computer, the new system image will overwrite the old one.
If you want to keep the old system image, you can copy it to a different location before creating the new system image by following these steps.

  1. Navigate to the location of the system image.

  2. Copy the WindowsImageBackup folder to a new location.

Create a restore point

You can use a restore point to restore your computer's system files to an earlier point in time. Restore points are automatically created each week by System Restore and when your PC detects change, like when you install an app or driver.
Here's how to create a restore point.

  1. Right-click the Start button, then select Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System.

  2. In the left pane, select System protection.

  3. Select the System Protection tab, and then select Create.

  4. In the System Protection dialog box, type a description, and then select Create.

Restore

  1. Right-click the Start button, then select Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Backup and Restore.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To restore your files, choose Restore my files.

    • To restore the files of all users, choose Restore all users' files.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To look through the contents of the backup, select Browse for files or Browse for folders. When you're browsing for folders, you won't be able to see the individual files in a folder. To view individual files, use the Browse for files option.

    • To search the contents of the backup, select Search, type all or part of a file name, and then select Search.

Tip: If you're searching for files or folders associated with a specific user account, you can improve search results by typing the location of the file or folder in the Search for box. For example, to search for all JPG files that were backed up, type JPG in the Search for box. To only search for JPG files associated with the user Bill, type C:UsersBillJPG in the Search for box. Use wildcard characters such as *.jpg to search for all JPG files that were backed up.

Restore a backup made on another computer

You can restore files from a backup that was created on another computer running Windows Vista or Windows 7.

  1. Select the Start button, then select Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Backup and Restore.

  2. Choose Select another backup to restore files from, and then follow the steps in the wizard. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Find files that were restored from a backup made on another computer

If you're restoring files from a backup that was made on another computer, the files will be restored in a folder under the user name that was used to create the backup. If the user names are different, you'll need to navigate to the folder where the files are restored. For example, if your user name was Molly on the computer that the backup was made on but your user name is MollyC on the computer that the backup is being restored on, the restored files will be saved in a folder labelled Molly.

To find restored files:

  1. Select the Start button, then select Computer.

  2. Double-click the icon of the drive that the files are saved on, for example C:.

  3. Double-click the Users folder. You will see a folder for each user account.

  4. Double-click the folder for the user name that was used to create the backup. The restored files will be in the various folders based on where they were located originally.

Restore files from a file backup after restoring your computer from a system image backup

After you restore your computer from a system image backup, there may be newer versions of some of your files in a file backup that you want to restore.
To restore files from a file backup that was created after the system image backup was created, follow these steps.

  1. Select the Start button, then select Control Panel > System and Maintenance >Backup and Restore.

  2. Choose Select another backup to restore files from. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

  3. In Backup Period, select the date range of the backup that contains the files that you want to restore, and then follow the steps in the wizard.

Dec 03, 2020 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

External Hard drives are a convenient and easy way to store large data such as .jpg files and important official documents. These also help to organize and share digital information like media files and other important files. Hard disk drives were introduced in the year 1956, for data storage and real-time transaction processing computers. Using hard drive devices, one can easily store official and personal data for future use. Various performance characteristics are there that you must know before making a final purchase like storage capacity, seek time, data transfer rate, latency, power consumption, shock resistance, audible noise, and price. The top 10 cheap external hard drives that offer great utility, excellent design, and additional storage for your personal and official data are:

Part 1. Picking from the Best and Cheap External Hard Drives

1. Seagate Expansion

Company: Seagate

External Hard drives are a convenient and easy way to store large data such as .jpg files and important official documents. These also help to organize and share digital information like media files and other important files. Hard disk drives were introduced in the year 1956, for data storage and real-time transaction processing computers. Using hard drive devices, one can easily store official and personal data for future use. Various performance characteristics are there that you must know before making a final purchase like storage capacity, seek time, data transfer rate, latency, power consumption, shock resistance, audible noise, and price. The top 10 cheap external hard drives that offer great utility, excellent design, and additional storage for your personal and official data are:

Part 1. Picking from the Best and Cheap External Hard Drives

1. Seagate Expansion

Company: Seagate

Specs: Seagate Expansion hard drive is one of the best-suited data storage programs. The portable device comes with a wide range of data storage capacity that varies from 1 TB to 4 TB. The staid designed portable hard drive has sheer space to store data and it is highly compatible with USB 2.0. Seagate Expansion devices come with 3 years of guarantee and easily compatible with the Windows Operating system and are a favorite for the ones looking for a large hard drive.

Reviews: Fast and Easy Access, portable device, additional data storage, and quickly copies files from the internal drive.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $54.98 for 1 TB and $83.33 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

2. Samsung M3

Company: Samsung

Specs: Samsung M3 comes with advanced intuitive software that offers easy plug and plays operation with Windows. It is one of the best USB powered drives in the portable segment. Opting this device, one can easily manage the drive security as it features secured password protection. Generally, 1 TB and 2 TB Samsung M3 are available that deliver handy portable storage for important files and documents. It is compatible with USB 3.0 and can be easily connected to a laptop or tablet, making it a useful large external hard drive.

Good Backup Hard Drive

Reviews: Fast data transfer, excellent performance, additional data storage, personal backup solution, and safety key protection.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $62.99 for 1 TB as listed on Amazon.

3. Toshiba Canvio Basics

Company: Toshiba

Specs: Toshiba Canvio Basics drive features an internal shock sensor and 5400 RPM speed. The portable device is highly compatible with Windows, DOS, and Linux. The device has 5 gigabits/second data transfer rate and a 12ms average seek time.

Reviews: Cheap and best external hard drive, additional data storage capacity, USB 3.0 interface, complete data protection, lightweight and small in size.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $49.99 for 1 TB and $77.99 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

4. WD My Passport Ultra

Company: Western Digital Company

Specs: WD My Passport Ultra features an auto backup software and hardware encryption for the best storage value. The device is durable, reliable, shock tolerant and comes with high capacity compact data storage capacity. WD My passport ultra device is compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 port and it secures your files from unauthorized access with password protection.

Reviews: Ultra-fast backup storage, Password Protection, double safe drive, and additional storage capacity.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $59 for 1 TB and $87.60 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

5. WD My Passport for Mac

Company: Western Digital Company

Specs: WD My Passport for Mac offers up to 2 TB data storage and a USB 3.0 interface for the ultra-fast data transfer. For the MacBook users, the drive is an ideal companion as it offers fast and easy access to the users and saves files in blazing speed.

Reviews: Sleek and compact design, additional storage for videos, images and files, WD security, and massive data storage capacity.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $59.99 for 1 TB and $97.99 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

6. Transcend 1TB Military-Grade Shock Resistance

Company: Transcend

Specs: Transcend 1 TB Military-Grade Shock Resistance drive has additional features like Shock resistance and one-touch backup feature. It is specifically designed with a Silicon shell on the outer surface, standard casing, and damper tech to meet drop test standards.

Reviews: Easy plug and play operation, anti-shock rubber case, and maximum data transfer speed.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $54 for 1 TB as listed on Amazon.

7. Seagate Expansion Portable

Company: Seagate

Specs: Seagate Expansion Portable hard drive offers maximum data storage capacity for digital data like photos, videos, DVD films, and music. The drive features 5000mbps data transfer speed, which is pretty fast when compared to other cheap external hard drives.

Reviews: Sleek Design, Excellent performance, no need for external supply, durable, competitive price, and easy to access.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $67 for 1 TB and $83.33 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

8. Seagate Wireless Plus

Company: Seagate

Specs: Seagate Wireless Plus is one of the best hard drive programs as it offers fast access to Windows and Mac users. It provides a start guide to first-time users. Opting the advanced storage program, you can easily transfer the files without wires or the internet. It adds 1 TB storage space to multiple devices.

Reviews: Portable hard drive, wireless network, impressive performance, compatible with multiple devices like Android, iOS, and Windows.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $139.99 for 1 TB and $199.99 for 2TB as listed on Amazon.

9. Samsung D3 Station External Desktop Hard Drive

Company: Samsung

Specs: For those who want to expand data storage space, Samsung D3 Station External Desktop hard drive is one of the brilliant options as it comes with a wide range of storage capacity that varies from 2 TB to 6 TB, thus making it a favorite among those seeking cheap external hard drives.

Reviews: Streamline shape, massive data storage capacity, USB 3.0 Interface, and portable version.

Media Site which recommends it: GeekDaily

Price: $65.98 for 2 TB, $118.88 for 4 BT and $136 for 5 TB as listed on Amazon.

10. Western Digital My Passport Wireless

Company: Western Digital Company

Specs: Western Digital My Passport Wireless is an excellent data storage solution for laptops and desktop computers. The drive is equipped with a rechargeable battery that can last up to six hours and comes in handy while choosing from many cheap external hard drives.

Reviews: Wireless connection with mobile devices and USB 3.0 port for fast data transfer.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $ 153.90 for WD 1 TB and $195.81 for WD 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

Part 2. What is an External Hard Drive?

External Hard Drive is a device that allows easy and fast access to store important data like documents, media files, photos, and other files for future use. External hard drives are the best alternatives for data backup and come in a wide range of data storage capacities and sizes. Certain facts that you must know external USB devices are performance, design, and storage capacity. Performance determines the overall operations of the hard drives including data transfer speed and storage capacity. When the files are transferred from a computer internal drive to an external drive, then the data transfer rate is measured in terms of megabits per second or gigabits per second. Look for the devices that quickly transfer data without any loss, additional storage capacity, and provide easy access.

With numerous options to choose from in the market, the technology that drives cheap external hard drives is consistently progressing, thus leaving the user happy. For the ones looking to expand their digital library, this list offers more than just a few names, as it complies with the cheap external hard drives that are ruling the world market currently.

Part 3. External Hard Drive Data Recovery

If you lost data on your external hard drive, unfortunately, don't worry! You still have the chance to get lost data back. To recover files from external hard drives, you can have try the following tool.

Your Safe & Reliable Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

  • Recover lost or deleted files, photos, audio, music, emails from any storage device effectively, safely and completely.
  • Supports data recovery from recycle bin, hard drive, memory card, flash drive, digital camera, and camcorders.
  • Supports to recover data for sudden deletion, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attack, system crash under different situations.

Top 5 Best Free Hard Drive Data Recovery Software in 2020

Specs: Seagate Expansion hard drive is one of the best-suited data storage programs. The portable device comes with a wide range of data storage capacity that varies from 1 TB to 4 TB. The staid designed portable hard drive has sheer space to store data and it is highly compatible with USB 2.0. Seagate Expansion devices come with 3 years of guarantee and easily compatible with the Windows Operating system and are a favorite for the ones looking for a large hard drive.

Reviews: Fast and Easy Access, portable device, additional data storage, and quickly copies files from the internal drive.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $54.98 for 1 TB and $83.33 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

2. Samsung M3

Company: Samsung

Specs: Samsung M3 comes with advanced intuitive software that offers easy plug and plays operation with Windows. It is one of the best USB powered drives in the portable segment. Opting this device, one can easily manage the drive security as it features secured password protection. Generally, 1 TB and 2 TB Samsung M3 are available that deliver handy portable storage for important files and documents. It is compatible with USB 3.0 and can be easily connected to a laptop or tablet, making it a useful large external hard drive.

Reviews: Fast data transfer, excellent performance, additional data storage, personal backup solution, and safety key protection.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $62.99 for 1 TB as listed on Amazon.

3. Toshiba Canvio Basics

Company: Toshiba

Specs: Toshiba Canvio Basics drive features an internal shock sensor and 5400 RPM speed. The portable device is highly compatible with Windows, DOS, and Linux. The device has 5 gigabits/second data transfer rate and a 12ms average seek time.

Reviews: Cheap and best external hard drive, additional data storage capacity, USB 3.0 interface, complete data protection, lightweight and small in size.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $49.99 for 1 TB and $77.99 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

4. WD My Passport Ultra

Company: Western Digital Company

Good backup hard drive to external hard drive

Specs: WD My Passport Ultra features an auto backup software and hardware encryption for the best storage value. The device is durable, reliable, shock tolerant and comes with high capacity compact data storage capacity. WD My passport ultra device is compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 port and it secures your files from unauthorized access with password protection.

Reviews: Ultra-fast backup storage, Password Protection, double safe drive, and additional storage capacity.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $59 for 1 TB and $87.60 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

5. WD My Passport for Mac

Company: Western Digital Company

Specs: WD My Passport for Mac offers up to 2 TB data storage and a USB 3.0 interface for the ultra-fast data transfer. For the MacBook users, the drive is an ideal companion as it offers fast and easy access to the users and saves files in blazing speed.

Reviews: Sleek and compact design, additional storage for videos, images and files, WD security, and massive data storage capacity.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $59.99 for 1 TB and $97.99 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

6. Transcend 1TB Military-Grade Shock Resistance

Company: Transcend

Specs: Transcend 1 TB Military-Grade Shock Resistance drive has additional features like Shock resistance and one-touch backup feature. It is specifically designed with a Silicon shell on the outer surface, standard casing, and damper tech to meet drop test standards.

Reviews: Easy plug and play operation, anti-shock rubber case, and maximum data transfer speed.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $54 for 1 TB as listed on Amazon.

7. Seagate Expansion Portable

Company: Seagate

Specs: Seagate Expansion Portable hard drive offers maximum data storage capacity for digital data like photos, videos, DVD films, and music. The drive features 5000mbps data transfer speed, which is pretty fast when compared to other cheap external hard drives.

Reviews: Sleek Design, Excellent performance, no need for external supply, durable, competitive price, and easy to access.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $67 for 1 TB and $83.33 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

8. Seagate Wireless Plus

Company: Seagate

Specs: Seagate Wireless Plus is one of the best hard drive programs as it offers fast access to Windows and Mac users. It provides a start guide to first-time users. Opting the advanced storage program, you can easily transfer the files without wires or the internet. It adds 1 TB storage space to multiple devices.

Reviews: Portable hard drive, wireless network, impressive performance, compatible with multiple devices like Android, iOS, and Windows.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $139.99 for 1 TB and $199.99 for 2TB as listed on Amazon.

9. Samsung D3 Station External Desktop Hard Drive

Best Hard Drive Backup Software

Company: Samsung

Specs: For those who want to expand data storage space, Samsung D3 Station External Desktop hard drive is one of the brilliant options as it comes with a wide range of storage capacity that varies from 2 TB to 6 TB, thus making it a favorite among those seeking cheap external hard drives.

Reviews: Streamline shape, massive data storage capacity, USB 3.0 Interface, and portable version.

Media Site which recommends it: GeekDaily

Price: $65.98 for 2 TB, $118.88 for 4 BT and $136 for 5 TB as listed on Amazon.

Hard Drive Backup Storage

10. Western Digital My Passport Wireless

Company: Western Digital Company

Specs: Western Digital My Passport Wireless is an excellent data storage solution for laptops and desktop computers. The drive is equipped with a rechargeable battery that can last up to six hours and comes in handy while choosing from many cheap external hard drives.

Reviews: Wireless connection with mobile devices and USB 3.0 port for fast data transfer.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $ 153.90 for WD 1 TB and $195.81 for WD 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

Part 2. What is an External Hard Drive?

External Hard Drive is a device that allows easy and fast access to store important data like documents, media files, photos, and other files for future use. External hard drives are the best alternatives for data backup and come in a wide range of data storage capacities and sizes. Certain facts that you must know external USB devices are performance, design, and storage capacity. Performance determines the overall operations of the hard drives including data transfer speed and storage capacity. When the files are transferred from a computer internal drive to an external drive, then the data transfer rate is measured in terms of megabits per second or gigabits per second. Look for the devices that quickly transfer data without any loss, additional storage capacity, and provide easy access.

With numerous options to choose from in the market, the technology that drives cheap external hard drives is consistently progressing, thus leaving the user happy. For the ones looking to expand their digital library, this list offers more than just a few names, as it complies with the cheap external hard drives that are ruling the world market currently.

Good Backup Hard Drive To External Hard Drive

Part 3. External Hard Drive Data Recovery

If you lost data on your external hard drive, unfortunately, don't worry! You still have the chance to get lost data back. To recover files from external hard drives, you can have try the following tool.

Good Backup Hard Drives For Windows 10

Your Safe & Reliable Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

  • Recover lost or deleted files, photos, audio, music, emails from any storage device effectively, safely and completely.
  • Supports data recovery from recycle bin, hard drive, memory card, flash drive, digital camera, and camcorders.
  • Supports to recover data for sudden deletion, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attack, system crash under different situations.

Top 5 Best Free Hard Drive Data Recovery Software in 2020

What's Wrong with Drive

Backup Hard Drive Best Buy

Recover Your Drive
Fix Your Drive
Format/Wipe Drive
Know Your Drive