Why An External Hard Drive Should Be Considered A College Essential

One of the most stereotypical nightmares for a college student to encounter is the crash of their computer just before they need to hand something in. This cannot always be prevented. No matter how new your laptop is and no matter how many times you save your laptop could still crash seemingly of its own free will when you least expect it. Computer hard drives crash regularly for a myriad of reasons, and proper data recovery can take 1-5 business days to even start. During that time important due dates may glide by, and unsympathetic professors may fail you for being unable to turn the assignment in on time. Consider purchasing an external hard drive to prevent this rather than planning to do a hurried rewrite in this situation. An external hard drive and a regular schedule of backing up your data are all you need to prevent this catastrophe.

The External Hard Drive

There are a wide variety of external hard drives on the market, and it is important that you consider your personal needs before purchasing. A History or English major may only need one terabyte to hold everything they ever create in college, whereas a Graphic Design or Film major will need at least one terabyte to get through a single year. Many external hard drives come with a rubber bumper around the outside and have been tested to be relatively safe from drops, falls, moisture, and more. These can be thrown in your backpack before class to make sure that you always arrive with the right materials without necessarily having to lug around a large laptop. Obviously, your external hard drive should be compatible with your computer’s OS system, but you should also consider the types of OS systems popular in your school library, computer lab, or anywhere else you might spend time studying.

Back It Up

Throughout the semester get in the habit of backing up your data at least once a week. When finals week hits, you will want to back it up every night before you go to bed so that you never lose any of your progress overnight. You can delete everything, or at least everything menial once grades have been posted at the end of each semester. Throughout your years in college, this device will be able to save your best work, keep it from cluttering up your computer, and keep it organized for future reference. Overall, purchasing an external hard drive is the closest thing you can get to assurance that finals week will go smoothly.

For more college tips that could make your life easier as you go to class, check out this awesome website!