Takes longer to copy files to external HD. Why, supposed to be that way?

A few days ago I bought a 400GB (USB 2.0) HD.
What I'm wondering over is that it seems to take much longer copying files to the external HD, compared to my other HDs - between C: to D:
Is it supposed to be that way, or can I do something about it?

At first I had the external HD connected to a USB hub, but I got some error message about the HD being full and then changed to connecting it to an USB port at the front of my computer.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

USB is not as speedy as the IDE ribbon cables inside your computer. It's an unfortunate fact. I wish there was something I could do about it, because mine is the same way.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

There IS something you can do. Buy external drives that use faster interfaces—Firewire 800 or eSATA are good places to start. :P

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Be sure the port is 2.0 and that it has a USB 2.0 connection otherwise you'll be looking at 1.1 speeds.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

USB just isn't as fast as a standard HD though - if your transfers move around at a steady 2-5 megabytes per second, you should be okay.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by killmoms

There IS something you can do. Buy external drives that use faster interfaces—Firewire 800 or eSATA are good places to start. :P

Even standard IEEE 1394a (FireWire 400) will still outperform USB 2.0 High-Speed.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Lukage

Be sure the port is 2.0 and that it has a USB 2.0 connection otherwise you'll be looking at 1.1 speeds.

Yes, I get some message about that the device can work faster. I guess your right about the 2.0 USB, I'm going to check it out and see if I can make it work.

Maybe off-topic, a little, but should I be more careful about leaving the external HD on for a long time (6+ hours, for example)

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by MoonChild

Maybe off-topic, a little, but should I be more careful about leaving the external HD on for a long time (6+ hours, for example)

At the moment I'm leaving mine on most of the time. I've not had any trouble with it so far. It's just a standard drive mechanism in an external enclosure after all.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Soluzar

At the moment I'm leaving mine on most of the time. I've not had any trouble with it so far. It's just a standard drive mechanism in an external enclosure after all.

Thank you for replying.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Depends on air flow though; I know my LaCie external gets bloody hot and has even auto-shut off a few times due to heat. Just the obvious, if your drive gets hot, turn it off, if not, it'll be okay.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Adamgian

Depends on air flow though; I know my LaCie external gets bloody hot and has even auto-shut off a few times due to heat. Just the obvious, if your drive gets hot, turn it off, if not, it'll be okay.

In what kind of place do you keep yours? Mine is on top of the case and it's not even hot enough to warm me fingers when I touch it.

How ya doing, buddy?

You will have to take weather conditions into account. If Adamgian's flag is right, he's right smack in the Middle East, while Grawl's chillin' it fine in Holland.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

You will have to take weather conditions into account. If Adamgian's flag is right, he's right smack in the Middle East, while Grawl's chillin' it fine in Holland.

I'm chillin' even more in northern Sweden.
(Just open the balcony door during the freezing winter and you got a cooler)

I was speaking idiomatically.

Heat is actually a pretty big factor when it comes to the life of hard drives. Some models of drives are furnaces by design, and some aren't. But also, the power up and power down of drives definitely will add some wear and tear. The happy medium is to cool the drive properly.

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Originally Posted by Render

Heat is actually a pretty big factor when it comes to the life of hard drives. Some models of drives are furnaces by design, and some aren't. But also, the power up and power down of drives definitely will add some wear and tear. The happy medium is to cool the drive properly.

You should read this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6376021.stm

FELIPE NO

Exactly what i was just about to post. It appears more heat doesn't always correlate to a faster failure.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Quote:

Be sure the port is 2.0 and that it has a USB 2.0 connection otherwise you'll be looking at 1.1 speeds.

If you're using a hub, check also that it is USB2-compliant. Even then, removing it can boost performance.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Um, technically, USB2 supports up to 480mbits aka 60 mbytes per second. That's about as fast as a standard 7200rpm drive can goes. So connection should not be an issue unless theres something preventing you from using USB2.0. The format is not as widespread as it should be, especially on the OS side - Microsoft sided with Firewire for some reason and proper usb2.0 support came late in Windows XP. There are also possible Motherboard issues as well.

Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by ElectricSheep

Even standard IEEE 1394a (FireWire 400) will still outperform USB 2.0 High-Speed.

No, usb2.0 high-speed is 480mbits while Firewire 400 is 400mbits "only". What you may be thinking of is IEEE 1394b, aka FireWire 800, which is 800mbits, but much less common.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by evilboris

Um, technically, USB2 supports up to 480mbits aka 60 mbytes per second. That's about as fast as a standard 7200rpm drive can goes. So connection should not be an issue unless theres something preventing you from using USB2.0. The format is not as widespread as it should be, especially on the OS side - Microsoft sided with Firewire for some reason and proper usb2.0 support came late in Windows XP. There are also possible Motherboard issues as well.

Additional Spam:


No, usb2.0 high-speed is 480mbits while Firewire 400 is 400mbits "only". What you may be thinking of is IEEE 1394b, aka FireWire 800, which is 800mbits, but much less common.

Those speeds are only in theory, and Firewire 400 pretty much consistently outperforms USB 2.0. I usually get around 20 Mbytes/sec, which is more than fine for me.

Originally Posted by Grawl

In what kind of place do you keep yours? Mine is on top of the case and it's not even hot enough to warm me fingers when I touch it.

Weird =o. We have the same model, and I keep mine in the same place like yours, though mine's always particularly hot.

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