Mp3 Storage Issues

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Sorry if this has been done before - too many possible search terms to check them all.

Ok, so I have a laptop with only a 12 gig hard drive (given to me by work.) I don't want to get another computer, but obviously I can't fit much music on this one. I have an iPod, but as we know these things only work one way, and if it craps out on me I'm screwed.

I know I could get an external hard drive, but I was told they fail often. Is the only answer to have an external and just back everything up?

Cause if there's no solution, I'm considering swearing off getting anything mp3 only.

― Hurting (Hurting), Sunday, 23 October 2005 00:42 (twenty years ago)

My 250 gig and 80 gig external seem fine, but yeah, the real answer is backing everything up on a DVD.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 23 October 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

Use ephpod to transer files from the ipod to the computer.

― feminazi (feminazi), Sunday, 23 October 2005 01:03 (twenty years ago)

I might have misunderstood the question, I'm too tired.

― feminazi (feminazi), Sunday, 23 October 2005 01:06 (twenty years ago)

hard drives are pretty cheap these days, and if you're starting with 12GB you don't even have to get a huge one. therefore, get two external drives. the odds are pretty good that they won't both fail at the same time.

http://www.fatwallet.com/c/18/

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Sunday, 23 October 2005 02:57 (twenty years ago)

Delete your shitty mp3s.

― Gavin, Sunday, 23 October 2005 03:09 (twenty years ago)

I've got two external drives. One of them sits on a bookshelf as a backup.

― Super Cub (Debito), Sunday, 23 October 2005 03:10 (twenty years ago)

Does the laptop have a USB 2.0 port?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 23 October 2005 03:47 (twenty years ago)

Even with Macs? I don't think that I've ever owned a computer with an external hard drive.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Sunday, 23 October 2005 05:15 (twenty years ago)

Burn CDs of your MP3s (use Toast or iTunes set to burn an mp3 disc). 700 Megs apiece adds up fast, and you can group them thematically. I probably have 50 gigs stored that way.

― sleeve (sleeve), Sunday, 23 October 2005 05:50 (twenty years ago)

buy an external hard drive base (a standard USB 2, 3.5inch powered one will suffice) - should set you back no more than US$50 / 30 pounds or whatever, and stick a big ass (recommended price break at the moment is 200-250gb) 3.5inch IDE hard drive, and stick it in.

stick with the larger powered options as they're reliable, and they provide enough juice for the USB connection. Also - buying the case and the drive seperate is usually a LOT cheaper than buying a pre-made unit - and all you have to do is literally connect a single cable (oh and maybe format the drive).

― chris andrews (fraew), Sunday, 23 October 2005 06:50 (twenty years ago)

INVADE POLAND for ze living space

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!, Sunday, 23 October 2005 07:28 (twenty years ago)

a (probably) stupid question in the same general area. i am about to switch from a windows to a mac. how can i get all my mp3s moved? are external USB drives cross-platform, ie, if i have everything backed up from the windows machine on an external drive, can i then just turn around and plug it into the mac?

yes, i know it can't be that easy. i just want to have someone say it.

― mitya can't remember his frigging password, Sunday, 23 October 2005 10:15 (twenty years ago)

it IS that easy with new macs!!!

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Sunday, 23 October 2005 10:20 (twenty years ago)

I got a very nice MP3 storage shelf from Ikea, so you could try there. It was a bit of a faff to put together but after that - magic.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Sunday, 23 October 2005 11:33 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

So I suppose my question would be what external hard drives have folks had the best/worst luck with. I keep reading positive magazine reviews of the Maxtor One Touch models (think it was an editors choice for both PC Magazine and PC World), but the actual consumer reviews just tear it to pieces. In fact most models seem to have a fair amount of negative consumer reviews (lots of crashing early in the life of drives, it seems), but them maybe folks are only leaving reviews when they are really pissed at poor performance. I really just want a fairly big space (300 to 400 gigs) to plunk all my mp3s and baby pictures as a backup, nothing fancy, just simple and fast. Any recommendations?

― matt2 (matt2), Thursday, 26 January 2006 16:36 (twenty years ago)

I have an iPod, but as we know these things only work one way

This is entirely false. I have no problem getting the MP3s back off mine.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:05 (twenty years ago)

i have two 250gig drives -- a mercury pro and a lacie porsche drive. the mercury has failed multiple times (despite being very well reviewed) while i have yet to have a problem in 2+ years with the lacie.

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:10 (twenty years ago)

Anyone ever used this one?

http://tinyurl.com/acbpy

I'm considering it.

― ewmy (ewmy), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:21 (twenty years ago)

http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/cooldrives_1883_8614882

booooooyaaaaaaaaa!

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:23 (twenty years ago)

had no problems at all with my Maxtor 160gb One Touch using Firewire. would recommend it if the price is right.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Thursday, 26 January 2006 17:33 (twenty years ago)

Sorry I never came back to this. Thanks for the recommendations. I still haven't decided. Tell me more about the icebox jhoshea. And what is Firewire stevem?

― matt2 (matt2), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 04:45 (twenty years ago)

How about just buying a DVD-R spindle (~$15 or so) and putting the mp3 files on DVDs? Each DVD holds 4.7gb, which is a ton of music.

― musically (musically), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 04:51 (twenty years ago)

That's what I do, it's the cheap solution. I assign each DVD a number and have an alphabetized Excel file that tells me what's where.

― Jena (JenaP), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 13:11 (twenty years ago)

What Jena said

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 13:16 (twenty years ago)

And what is Firewire stevem?

it's a transfer format like USB but faster (or is USB2 faster? can't remember). if both your PC and the external HD you buy have Firewire ports you can connect them that way.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 13:18 (twenty years ago)

USB2 is a bit faster, I think. maybe 480 Vs. 400?

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 13:56 (twenty years ago)

my maxtor one touch failed once on me (corrupted file indexes), my lacie didn't, but it never mounted correctly (it was firewire, I have a windows machine, windows gets confused with multiple firewire devices)

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 14:08 (twenty years ago)

i have a lacie external CD-burner which is ancient now and has NEVER let me down.

but, as i said on another thread somewhere, i need to be getting myself some kind of backup device. burning to CD is too much of a pain in the arse, and i don't have a DVD-writer, so i think an external HD is the best bet.

so, likewise, any recommendations (cheap, reliable) welcomed.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 14:11 (twenty years ago)

The Ice box is an inclosure for 4 hard drives. I've got 3 320s in there with room for one more. But, I'm guessing you're not retardedly compulsive like me.

So, what computer do you have? What ports does it sport? How much storage do you need now? How much will you need in the future?

The way I back up my mp3s is by sharing them with my friends. If my drives ever fail, I can just get a duplicate collection from them. All drives fail eventually and having redudant drives or backing up using tape/dvd just for your mp3s doesn't seem worth it.

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 15:45 (twenty years ago)

I have an ancient PC (from 99) running Windows 98 (yowza!). It has a 26 gig hard drive that is very nearly full. I really want a 200-300 gig external hard drive to back everything up, as that is much more economically feasible at this time than a new computer. I only have USB ports and only two of them (what a piece).

― matt2 (matt2), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 18:47 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and naturally I don't have a DVD writer.

― matt2 (matt2), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 18:48 (twenty years ago)

So I'm still trying to work this one out (I know you all just can't wait until I buy one), and I have a real un-informed question. So USB 2.0 connections "fit" into the same old USB ports that I've been using? But I bet my old 1999 software won't recognize a USB 2.0 connector will it? Do I need some sort of USB recognition update thing?

― matt2 (matt2), Monday, 6 February 2006 17:13 (twenty years ago)

uh, I'm not sure if a USB 2.0 drive will work in a USB 1.0 slot. check the drive's system requirements to make sure it supports USB 1.0. and even if it does ... it will be sloooooooow.

― Lukas (lukas), Monday, 6 February 2006 17:33 (twenty years ago)

I was afraid of that, but like I said, I'm trying to get and external hard drive to backup everything on my horrible old machine since I don't quite have the funds for a new one yet.

― matt2 (matt2), Monday, 6 February 2006 17:43 (twenty years ago)

have you considered adding a bigger *internal* hard drive?

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 6 February 2006 18:01 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I guess I've been a bit intimidated by that, but I suppose I'd be able. How difficult is such a task? And then when I could afford a new machine, I suppose I could then transfer that harddrive (in tact) to the new machine?

― matt2 (matt2), Monday, 6 February 2006 18:04 (twenty years ago)

not difficult! you'll scrape your knuckles a little, but it'll be fine. and yeah, harddrives are easily transferrable between machines. you should be able to just pop a new drive in to your current machine without removing the old one. plus, it will be cheaper than an external drive.

― Lukas (lukas), Monday, 6 February 2006 18:09 (twenty years ago)

no, not difficult. you may need a cradle for it though (to attach the 3.5" drive into the 5" drive bay) and maybe another ribbon cable if the current one doesn't have a spare socket.

http://www.helpwithpcs.com/upgrading/install-hard-drive.htm

only now you'll have 10 times the mp3s to lose 8)

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 6 February 2006 18:37 (twenty years ago)

Thanks folks. I think I might give this a shot.

― matt2 (matt2), Monday, 6 February 2006 18:51 (twenty years ago)

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