Hard Drive Space

I know this isn't related to train anything, but I do need some help. My hard drive is not very far from filling up. I have 2 currently unused USB ports. I am not very confident opening up my computer, but know people who will. Should I get an internal or external hard drive? Cost is only a minor concern. Any and all help welcome. I know someone will flame me for this, but oh well. Thank you.

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Hard Drive Space [View All], doom262003, 02:02 PM, Aug-13-02, (0) RE: Hard Drive Space, calr, Aug-13-02, 02:08 PM, (1) RE: Hard Drive Space, LawrenceKellie, Aug-13-02, 02:09 PM, (2) RE: Hard Drive Space, doom262003, Aug-13-02, 02:11 PM, (3) RE: Hard Drive Space, georgi55, Aug-13-02, 02:26 PM, (4) RE: Hard Drive Space, sixman, Aug-13-02, 02:54 PM, (5) RE: Hard Drive Space, doom262003, Aug-13-02, 02:57 PM, (6) RE: Hard Drive Space, IcyFire, Aug-13-02, 03:05 PM, (7) RE: Hard Drive Space, carlylet, Aug-13-02, 03:49 PM, (8) RE: Hard Drive Space, dgauci, Aug-13-02, 11:08 PM, (13) RE: Hard Drive Space, sixman, Aug-13-02, 05:07 PM, (9) RE: Hard Drive Space, derekmorton, Aug-13-02, 06:52 PM, (10) RE: Hard Drive Space, rpicardi1, Aug-13-02, 07:43 PM, (11) RE: Hard Drive Space, NoMoreTrains, Aug-13-02, 08:17 PM, (12) RE: Hard Drive Space, enocell, Aug-14-02, 02:29 AM, (14) RE: Hard Drive Space, jtr1962, Aug-14-02, 04:48 PM, (15)

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An external USB drive is OK for applications with little use such as backup files/images and low use programs where performance is not a factor. For applications with a lot of heavy disk usage, an internal drive is almost mandatory! A USB drive would be too slow.
Cal Rasmussen
Beaverton, ORColumbia Gorge Route (The Dalles Dam 90% done)

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If (a) cost is only a minor concern, (b) you can get a USB harddrive, and (c) you have room for the external harddrive, I would get the fastest, largest external harddrive I could find.(And there is no reason that I can see why someone would/should flame you.)Lawrence

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I've heard horror stories about posting non-rail related topics in the forum, so that is why.

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IF price is not concern, you might wanna consider SCSI harddisk. It's fast and will be perfect for MSTS.GEorgi

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If your computer supports USB 2.0, by all means get the external hard drive. Simple to install (plug in the USB cable). Believe I read taht USB 2.0 transfer speeds are in the neighborhood of 44MBps.

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Isn't USB 2.0 backward-compatible with USB 1.0?

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go for a internal drive, there not very hard to install, and depending where you buy it, some places will even put it in for you, I know bestbuy willShawn "Icy-Fire" Kenselaar

Long live the ATSF and Burlinton Northern! break free from the company that bonds you!

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I second Shawn's comment. Internal drives are more secure from damage that may occur when external drives are knocked around on a computer desk and an internal drive can transmit data at up to 100 mgbt per minute. Simlple to install. Comes with directions. Stick with Western Digital or Maxtor. 40 gig 7200 rpm drives are around $70.00. If you have a CompUSA near you, the store brand hard drives are manufactured for Comp by Maxtor.Carlyle Thompson
ACL Purple and Silver

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I third that idea, an internal EIDE drive is by far the most economical solution in terms of mass storage space, price and access speeds. Having a store like BestBuy or CompUSA install a purchased drive would be a no-brainer if you don't want to have to do it yourself.

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Yes, USB 2.0 devices are backwards compatible, but you will get the USB 1.0 speeds.

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Hey Doom,May not be train related but something that all simmers have to face up to some time. I suggest you take your system to a shop and get them to put the new drive in as part of the price.Derek

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If you have only one hard drive, Installing a second hard drive is very easy. There should be a free bay to put it in and the cable and power plug should be already there. Just follow the instructions on setting the jumper and format the drive as instructed.I would then transfer the data to the second drive thus freeing up the c drive for programs.I have the USB drives and use them for backup purposes. The USB2 is a far faster drive then the USB1. If you are using a newer system and don't have it, install a USB2.0 card. But, neither one is suitable for running applications from due to the transfer rate. For that, you need a firewire drive or second internal drive.While today's hard drives come with a 3 year warranty, I would consider replacing them before the end of three years due to the wear and tear that they get with everyday use and espically, if one starts making strange noises, a sign of impending failure. Once they fail, data recovery can be very expensive.SRV Ron

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> Once they fail, data recovery can be very expensive.
Which makes backups to CD's look very attractive. Anything you want to be sure to keep should always be backed up to CD. Heck, for the cost of a CD you can even backup the things you MIGHT want to keep.This also helps from clogging up a hard disk so quickly.I think I've got close to a gazillion CD's with MSTS file backups now.Ray

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I have two 40Gig HD's, and the other is only for backups. It's in a mobile rack which is in safe from thunderstorms and threats from the net(except during the backup). It's also easy to take with you if the house catches on fire(and that's sure I don't want to lose all my work to a fire!). I have also several external SCSI HD's for testing and smaller backups(they are quite small, 1-4 gigs).Have you considered firewire instead of USB? It's a lot faster than the USB.

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LAST EDITED ON Aug-14-02 AT 04:52 PM (EDT)

I wouldn't recommend external hard drives. They are more subject to accidental damage, cost a lot more per GB, and transfer data much slower. Even USB2.0 is limited to 44Mbps. This is 44 million bits per second, not bytes, so in real world terms you're looking at a transfer rate of about 4 Mbyte/sec with overhead. Current hard drives, even the slowest 5400 RPM ones, transfer data from the platters at more than 20 Mbyte/sec on the inner part of the platter, and 40 Mbyte/sec or more on the outer edge, so even USB2.0 will give a fraction of the drive's potential, although Firewire(400 Mbps) will let the drive ran at maximum speed. Instead, get a large internal hard drive. You'll get more bang for your buck, and if you need it to be removable, get a removable drive bay for around $25. Installation is easy, and all drives include instructions to guide you through it. Last month, I purchased a 100 GB, 5400 RPM drive from CompUSA for $100 after rebate to supplement my 40 GB, 7200 RPM drive, which is half full mostly with MSTS. I currently use the 100 GB to backup the smaller drive(in between CD backups), and eventually will use it for overflow. Just one caveat, though. Unless you have a very recently purchased computer, your machine is likely only capable of 28-bit LBA addressing instead of the new 48-bit scheme. This means you cannot use all of a drive larger than 2^28 sectors, or about 137.4 GB, unless you use an interface card such as the Promise Ultra133, so limit yourself to drives of 120 GB or smaller. This shouldn't prevent that much of a problem. Maxtor is the only drive maker selling anything larger anyhow(their 160 GB model), although Western Digital is slated to release it's new line with capacities up to 200 GB. If you have a new board with 48-bit LBA, then you're good for 144 petabytes(144 million GB). I don't think we'll ever see drives that huge!P.S. Why on earth should you get flamed for asking a question like this? It is MSTS related, and even if it weren't, this is a general forum.

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