The family PC is running out of space.
There's a 40Gb HDD in 2 partitions, the C drive, where most things are stored, and the D drive, where photos, music etc are stored.
D: is only 3 Gb in size, and with the addition of a lot of music it is down to around 100Mb free space.
So that the photos etc are safe if the main HDD dies, as it is a few years old now, we'd prefer it if we had a separate HDD.
We don't need a lot of space, probably about 10-15Gb.
Anyone have any recommendations on a place for very cheap ATA hard drives?
Ebay any good?
Thanks in advance.
Is it fair to assume that you want to keep them on a hard drive just for convenience? and that you have already backed everything up to CD? perhaps even made two backup CD copies?
After that, it would be ok to use a "cheap" or used drive. When it dies - and it will - then it is just an aggravation. Nothing would be truly lost.
One idea: Is there a computer shop anywhere nearby? If possible, strike up a conversation with the people that actually do the fixing. Ask about used drives. "Pulls". Drives that they have pulled out of either dead computers, old computers, or from customers computers that upgraded.
I bet they have a few on hand.
For the size you want, one would be cheap. I wouldn't be surprised at $10 to $20 US. ( Recently I bought a 40G for less than $20 )
You won't get cables, screws, docs, - just the bare drive.
You won't get a warranty either.
With eBay, you must be as careful as you can. That means read all the fine print, and examine the feedback. This still doesn't assure you 100%. With something like electronic devices, you must be willing to take the risk. You might get a good deal, money wise, and receive something that is only good as a paperweight. Therefore, if it were me, I'd want a VERY good deal.
Don't forget to include the shipping cost if you are comparing eBay deals to walking into a local computer shop.
