Dear theproudlunatic

I am a user of external hard disks and based on my own experience I guess I can answer a part of your question.

I use an external Lacie (160GB) HD to keep my shared files, I have had it running 24/7 for nearly 18 months with no problems. When my PC is on and accessing the drive it speeds up and when my PC is off the drive goes into "idle" mode.

I have another external that gets quite hot when in use so I have to switch that one off when I am not not using it.

Now the problem with buying externals is that reviews of them are few and far between and there is no way of knowing how reliable they will be until you start using them. However, I would say look for one made by a good manufacturer that specialises in peripherals (like Lacie) and you really can't go wrong from there.




UK Bob

PS. If you follow Ursula's advice about installation and usage then no will ever ask you, "Where is the Love?" .