The best external hard drives for Windows Vista

jjones | Guides | 27/02/2007 00:00am
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It’s finally time to admit something; hard drives are awful things. They sit inside your computer, firmly rooted in one place, masquerading as the ultimate protectors of your precious data, then crash and burn one day for no good reason. It happens to everyone at least once, but never again, as losing everything on your computer is enough of a trauma to make you invest in the best backup solution possible. External hard drives are handy for carrying files where ever you go, great for transporting music and movies to friends houses, but essential if you fear losing even one file on your home computer. Here’s our favourites.

At 5… HP Media Vault mv2020

Price £349 | www.hp.co.uk

Access data anywhere from your network with this 500GB storage device, expandable up to 1,200GB with a second drive.

At 4… Freecom USB2.0 250GB

Price £80 | www.freecom.com

Big storage at a budget price. The Freecom drives has excellent USB 2.0 performance and good looks without the expenditure.

At 3… Seagate USB2 Portable 160GB

Price £135 | www.seagate.com

If you’re after the ultimate capacity in the smallest space, this model offers a whopping 160GB of space from a 2.5-inch drive.

At 2… Western Digital MyBook 400GB

Price £130 | www.westerndigital.com

It’s big and boxed shaped. A fast, spacious external USB 2.0 drive that offers everything you need – as long as you like it in black.

And at 1… LaCie P3 USB2 Hard Drive 500GB

Price £140 | www.lacie.com/uk/

For capacity and style, you can’t beat this LaCie drive in this price range. The 500GB drive gives you acres of space – and if you don’t need quite that much capacity, it’s also available in 160GB, 250GB and 320GB options. Immaculate looks are courtesy of the FA Porsche design house, and the brushed alloy finish is attractive, sturdy and functional. Just plug it in, power it up and you’re away.

The bottom line: With high speed transfers, the LaCie is lightweight, durable and even stackable.

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