Portable Drives

Melissa J. Perenson

Photograph by Rick Rizner

I need a backup drive for my desktop and portability for my laptop. The sea of external portable hard drives is making me crazy. What do you recommend?

Stella Rogers, Winnetka, California

Senior Associate Editor Melissa J. Perenson responds: If you plan to share the drive between your notebook and your desktop, I recommend buying a model whose capacity will give you enough room to back up the files you want from both systems, as well as give you extra room to grow. Rather than buying just the smallest, cheapest drive you can find, look for the models with something more. Some drives feature shock mounting, which protects the device while it bounces around in your bag; others can even sense if you drop the unit, and can lock the drive's heads midflight to minimize damage on impact.

Need information or advice about a buying decision? Drop us a line at askourexperts@pcworld.com.