How much success is anyone having using a portable hard drive?
id like to be able to move from work station to work station and keep my files portable so I don’t need to transfer them to a new work station when I’m moved. ( twice already this year)
any advice? Suggestions?
truly a newbie at tech.
iPad, iPadOS 16
just about any manufacturer's external drives would work for that. but please do not use any bundled software, or install such software yourself that supposedly makes the drive "Mac ready". when you use software from just about any manufacturer for their storage device you run the risk of that same software not being compatible with macOS updates / upgrades. it can cause the software to stop working. at best this will cause you a headache. at worst it can render your data inaccessible. it is always best to use disk utility to erase and format a drive before use to remove any preloaded software.
please see Erase and reformat a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
just about any manufacturer's external drives would work for that. but please do not use any bundled software, or install such software yourself that supposedly makes the drive "Mac ready". when you use software from just about any manufacturer for their storage device you run the risk of that same software not being compatible with macOS updates / upgrades. it can cause the software to stop working. at best this will cause you a headache. at worst it can render your data inaccessible. it is always best to use disk utility to erase and format a drive before use to remove any preloaded software.
please see Erase and reformat a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
The default solution that school kids use is a USB thumb drive. This is NOT recommended for extensive use, because it does not have the required longevity to maintain your files over the long run. Don't use that!
the next most likely choice is a USB BUS-powered external drive, something like this:
About actual size, about 1/4-in thick.
Many Bus-powered drives have the problem that when the computer sleeps, they generally do not transition gracefully to standby power and behave rationally. Instead, you get "Disk Not ejected properly" messages when the computer wakes, and may have to repair the disk OFTEN.
A slightly larger and more robust SSD drive with its own power supply is the most trouble-free solution.
But remember: with this solution, no one may be making backups of your files. One drive hiccup and it's all GONE.
"You don't need to make a second copy of ALL your files -- only the ones you EVER want to see again". :)
Portable hard drive
