Externals

[Cindy]

Brian, I know you love your Caviar drives but, I have a curious question. 
I use a lot of WD drives (on an average day between two systems I usually have 2 to 4 running most the day).   I store nothing on my internal drive so I am always referencing these drives (working, saving, backing up etc). 
This is my question:  I also have along with the WD notebooks the passports (2)  I also have a Toshiba in the mix also.   What is really the difference  between the "notebook" and the "passport" on a technical level.   I've (knock on wood) never had a problem with any of my externals (failing or otherwise).   I replace 2-3 of the each year and store them in a fireproof safe onsite and offsite.  I am a backup queen.   
Just wondering since I am going to be needing another passport or notebook.  

Please and Thank  you.  

[Brian]

Notebook? You mean My Book? I'm not understanding.

[Cindy]

Yes Sorry... MY Book's.  

[Cindy]

What I am asking is there an advantage of "MY book's" over the "Passports".     They both work as quickly as the other on my systems but wondering really what the difference of them is.  

[Cindy]

What I am asking is there an advantage of "MY book's" over the "Passports".     They both work as quickly as the other on my systems but wondering really what the difference of them is.  
I should add that I don't purchase anything over 3TB ...  I am a bit paranoid of keeping more than that on one drive.    I would rather have multiples in the event of failure.  

[Brian]

My Book drives are traditionally 3.5” hard drives and Passports are usually 2.5” hard drives. Both are usually 5400 RPM, though the My Book Drives that get power from a AC Adapter could be 7200 RPM drives. It’s hard to say unless it’s spelled out on the box  

Basically, it comes down to physical size, Passport drives are more portable and are meant to be shoved into a laptop bag. My Books are geared towards sitting on a Desk somewhere and not moved often. 

Sometimes the utility software that does some sort of auto backup can also be different. That said, those programs that come with HDs usually aren’t THAT good at all; I personally never install those programs. They never work right. 

As far as capacity, the old “better not have all your data on one drive, that’s like having all your eggs in one basket!” mentality isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. The most vulnerable time for a EHD is when you connect it and eject it. Power surges as well. It doesn’t mean a damn thing if you have a 12TB or 1TB, if the drive fails, it fails. If you keep all your externals in your house and there is a fire or a pipe bursts and it damages your drives, and if you don’t have a duplicate of that HD at another location then it doesn’t matter. You still are paying for data recovery. Same thing with CF/SD/XQD/CF Express cards. Better not get a large card! You could lose too many images!! 

Then why do we have such large cards these days? Why not everyone go back to 1GB cards that hold 36 images? Let’s go back to the film days of 12, 24 and 36 exposures!! ?  

Personnally, I have a 12TB EHD. It never gets moved and my data sits on it. My critical/important files are duplicated to another EHD and it’s kept at a 2nd location. Some are backed up to a Cloud Service. 

Now if you want to only purchase 3TB HDs, that’s fine. If you do go larger, the partitioning process has an extra step since there is a 3TB limit with a MBR (Master Boot Record) partition type. 

[Cindy]

You answered that with a lot more information than I expected and well done Sir.   Thank you.  

NO I do NOT install any of the software that is sent with the drives.   I do my own manual backups of things that I am working on.    And NO I do not keep them all on site.   There are many off site and two that I collect off site once a week and back up depending on my work load.   

I was always told if there is 3 copies of something you own/do/work then it doesn't exist I am a backup queen.    I also understand the partitioning process as you taught me that years ago with the G drives (thank you so much for that).  

I just wondered if the stability / mechanics between the two and if one was superior to the other.   

Sorry for talking in circles I truly didn't mean to.   I have  a hard time explaining my reasoning sometimes.    You have more than understood and answered that.   

THANK YOU!!!!!