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external harddrive mtw2 05-07-2008
Posted by Mike S. on May 13, 2008, 11:36 am
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>On Wed, 7 May 2008 09:06:06 -0700 (PDT), mtw2@hw.ac.uk wrote:
>
>>Ive got a toshiba laptop and I would like to get an external harddrive
>>for it. i dont know anything about computers. could somebody give me
>>some advice?
>
>First, check if your laptop supports USB 2.0.
>Then, check that your laptop is not running Windows 98 or Me.
>If both are clear, you can just about use any USB external.
>
>If you have USB 2.0 and Windows 98 or Me, make sure that the
>drive you buy supports Win 98/Me.
>
>And if your laptop doesn't support USB 2 (and in that case it
>will most probably also fail to support firewire and / or eSata),
>better think again. Then you will probably don't want an external
>drive at all (as things will get very, very slow.)

USB 2.0 support can be added to an older laptop with a PC Card.

I did exactly this on a Tecra 8200 using a Belkin USB host that I bought
on eBay for $20. Bandwidth is still limited to about 20 Mb/sec but it
works just fine, including video playback.





Posted by M.I.5¾ on May 14, 2008, 2:55 am
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>
>>On Wed, 7 May 2008 09:06:06 -0700 (PDT), mtw2@hw.ac.uk wrote:
>>
>>>Ive got a toshiba laptop and I would like to get an external harddrive
>>>for it. i dont know anything about computers. could somebody give me
>>>some advice?
>>
>>First, check if your laptop supports USB 2.0.
>>Then, check that your laptop is not running Windows 98 or Me.
>>If both are clear, you can just about use any USB external.
>>
>>If you have USB 2.0 and Windows 98 or Me, make sure that the
>>drive you buy supports Win 98/Me.
>>
>>And if your laptop doesn't support USB 2 (and in that case it
>>will most probably also fail to support firewire and / or eSata),
>>better think again. Then you will probably don't want an external
>>drive at all (as things will get very, very slow.)
>
> USB 2.0 support can be added to an older laptop with a PC Card.
>
> I did exactly this on a Tecra 8200 using a Belkin USB host that I bought
> on eBay for $20. Bandwidth is still limited to about 20 Mb/sec but it
> works just fine, including video playback.
>

AFAIA no USB2 card exists in PC Card format. They are only available in
cardbus which should work at near enough full speed.



Posted by Mike S. on May 14, 2008, 2:46 pm
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>
>>
>>>On Wed, 7 May 2008 09:06:06 -0700 (PDT), mtw2@hw.ac.uk wrote:
>>>
>>>>Ive got a toshiba laptop and I would like to get an external harddrive
>>>>for it. i dont know anything about computers. could somebody give me
>>>>some advice?
>>>
>>>First, check if your laptop supports USB 2.0.
>>>Then, check that your laptop is not running Windows 98 or Me.
>>>If both are clear, you can just about use any USB external.
>>>
>>>If you have USB 2.0 and Windows 98 or Me, make sure that the
>>>drive you buy supports Win 98/Me.
>>>
>>>And if your laptop doesn't support USB 2 (and in that case it
>>>will most probably also fail to support firewire and / or eSata),
>>>better think again. Then you will probably don't want an external
>>>drive at all (as things will get very, very slow.)
>>
>> USB 2.0 support can be added to an older laptop with a PC Card.
>>
>> I did exactly this on a Tecra 8200 using a Belkin USB host that I bought
>> on eBay for $20. Bandwidth is still limited to about 20 Mb/sec but it
>> works just fine, including video playback.
>>
>
>AFAIA no USB2 card exists in PC Card format. They are only available in
>cardbus which should work at near enough full speed.

Yes, I means cardbus.
If the OP's computer is old enough that it only has a PC Card slot then he
can't upgrade to USB 2.0. I don't remember him giving enough specifics to
make that distinction.





Posted by BillW50 on May 14, 2008, 4:15 pm
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Mike S. typed on Wed, 14 May 2008 18:46:10 +0000 (UTC):


>> AFAIA no USB2 card exists in PC Card format. They are only
>> available in cardbus which should work at near enough full speed.
>
> Yes, I means cardbus.
> If the OP's computer is old enough that it only has a PC Card slot
> then he can't upgrade to USB 2.0. I don't remember him giving enough
> specifics to make that distinction.

Oh M.I.5¾ is just real picky about this subject and he always has. I
OTOH could careless about the terminology used as long as it is
understood. That is important about language and being picky about it is
just futile anyway. M.I.5¾ just isn't smart enough to figure that one
out yet.

See oxymorons for starters. And you will soon realize that trying to
make sense out of the English language is just rubbish. It is just time
to accept the idea that it is just hopelessly lost to steer it towards
any logical sense whatsoever.

http://www.oxymoronlist.com/

What M.I.5¾ fails to realize is that a PC Card has made it to a
genericized trademark status. Heck the powers to be already screwed up
anyway (they are not very smart people to begin with). As a PC card
generically could mean any card that plugs into a personal computer
(even a laptop). So being picky about it only shows what kind of person
they are anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genericized_trademark

http://www.nowsell.com/marketing-guide/genericized-trademark.html

--
Bill


Posted by M.I.5¾ on May 19, 2008, 3:29 am
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> Mike S. typed on Wed, 14 May 2008 18:46:10 +0000 (UTC):
>
>
>>> AFAIA no USB2 card exists in PC Card format. They are only
>>> available in cardbus which should work at near enough full speed.
>>
>> Yes, I means cardbus.
>> If the OP's computer is old enough that it only has a PC Card slot
>> then he can't upgrade to USB 2.0. I don't remember him giving enough
>> specifics to make that distinction.
>
> Oh M.I.5¾ is just real picky about this subject and he always has. I
> OTOH could careless about the terminology used as long as it is
> understood. That is important about language and being picky about it is
> just futile anyway. M.I.5¾ just isn't smart enough to figure that one
> out yet.
>

You may regard it as picky, but the OP won't won't if he finds that his USB2
card won't physically go in the hole because the hole is a PC card hole
(which doesn't accept cardbus cards).



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