Hold Everything!

External storage may do the trick.

Michael Desmond

Thanks to fast ports like USB 2.0 and FireWire (IEEE 1394), users can choose from a host of storage options. External devices are a huge boon for notebook users and for anyone who wants to share storage across systems. Here are a few options:

Hard Drives: I recommend external drives like the Maxtor OneTouch line. About the size of a hardback novel, these drives (and others like them) plug into either a FireWire or USB 2.0 port and provide up to 300GB of storage. The drive appears like any other drive in Windows Explorer, and throughput is high enough to support playback of high-resolution video files. Expect to pay $300 to $350 for a 250GB external model.

DVD and CD Writers: You can buy virtually any CD- or DVD-rewritable drive in an external format. (For the best external and internal options, check out PC World's "Top 10 DVD Drives.") Unlike hard drives, CD and DVD drives demand lower peak throughput, so performance won't suffer over the USB 2.0 or FireWire connection. One of the most versatile optical writers out there--the Sony DRX510UL--lets you read and write every optical disc format this side of DVD-RAM. Expect to pay $240 to $300 for this do-it-all drive.

Conversion Kits: If you want to reuse an internal hard disk or optical drive, you can turn it into an external USB or FireWire device. Kits like the 3.5-inch enclosure from CoolMax cost less than $40 and are a snap to use. Simply insert the drive into the enclosure, seal it up, plug in the enclosure's data and power cables, and your internal drive is external.

Zip Drives: You'll find several so-called floppy replacement drives that run on USB 2.0 and older USB 1.1 ports. For example, the Iomega Zip Drive offers 100MB of storage on convenient floppy-sized removable media. Drives cost about $70. The 250MB Zip drive more than doubles per-disk storage for about $120. For information, check Iomega's Web site.

Flash Media: For unparalleled portability, look at USB-compatible devices that use solid-state storage such as Compact Flash memory. The 256MB Lexar Media JumpDrive Portable USB 2.0 Flash Drive is smaller than a mobile phone and costs about $60. SanDisk, Sony, and other manufacturers offer similar devices. For pricing on the Lexar drive and similar devices, check the Product Finder site.