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A hard disk drive (HDD) is a storage device that stores computer data and software applications including the operating system. In the early days, when computers were larger in size, hard drives were very large and cumbersome and were housed outside the computer. With rapid developments in computer technology, it was possible to manufacture smaller and more compact hard drives that could be housed inside the computer. Today, hard disk drives are available in many varieties with different storage capacities and speeds. Broadly, they are classified into two types: internal hard drives and external hard drives. An internal hard drive is housed inside the computer chassis and is therefore non-portable. An external hard drives is practically the same, but with a special disk enclosure. These drives are usually placed outside of a computer chassis and hence are portable. Owing to the ease of connection and easy portability, external hard disk drives are increasingly more popular. They are typically connected to the computer through a high-speed cable like a USB or FireWire cable.

Owing to their insufficient shock protection, the data on external hard drives is comparatively less secure than other portable storage devices such as flash memories and memory cards. External HDDs with huge storage capacities are also heavier compared to flash memories and memory cards. However, they are cheaper than other storage devices of the same capacity.

Before buying an external hard drive, you must ensure that your computer is compatible with its interface. The next thing to consider is the hard drive speed, which influences the data transfer rates and the overall performance of your computer. The latest 2.0 USB interface for HDDs provides fairly good data transfer rates. Although USB ports are more common on desktop computers these days, FireWire ports provide faster data access from your external hard disk drive.

There are several varieties of affordable and compact external hard drives on the market. Recently, external drives with storage capacities of up to 1000GB are being produced. Some of the most popular external hard drives available with different storage capacities include the Western Digital Passport 160GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive, the Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750GB USB Hard Drive, the Seagate Maxtor One Touch 4 500GB USB Hard Drive, the SimpleTech 500GB IDE Hard Drive, and LaCie 500GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive. These external hard drives provide a good alternative for backing up your data safely and securely. They can also be used to keep your confidential financial data separate and secure from online and offline threats.