Who makes a reliable external hard drive?

[Mojo Rising]

I recently noticed that the 40 Gig hard drive on my PC is almost at capacity. It is mostly full of pics and videos. I usually back-up the files onto DVD every 3-4 months.

I am considering an external hard-drive. Either that, or a new internal. The challenge with that is getting the old files off and onto the new drive. I have also heard there are challenges with the system drives and OS.

If I get an external I need something reliable. I don't think I need anything biiger than 80 g. If I take everything off the old drive and port it to the external that frees up 30 gig on my internal that I can uses readiliy until it fills in 1-2 years. By then it is time for a new PC.

Any ideas?

[Miles]

Big externals are fairly cheap. You should be fine with any of the major brands like segate, maxtor, or western digital.

If you want something now check the weekly adds for a sale at a local store. Also check newegg.com.

Also if you want something more portable you can get a 2.5" drive that is more compact and will run off usb power. They are more expensive for the data size but you can get a 40 gig for around $80 vs. a 3.5" 100 gig for around the same price.

There is also the option of buying an internal HD and puting it in an external enclosure. The is pretty much the most cost effective way and you will get a decently larger drive for the same price one of the retail externals.

[Guru]

I have a WD 160Gb Schoolbook external. It has been great so far.

[DaFace]

Get a name brand, as Miles mentioned. Aside from that, I've never seen any solid argument that one is more reliable than any other.