External HD

[LeonJackson]

I'm shopping around for a new 1-2TB external HD. I have an 800G WD Passport that I like, but I found removing its built-in backup software to be a huge pain in the ass. Can someone recommend a good brand or confirm how to remove the WD copying software. Thanks so much!

[Homebrew101]

I built one out of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

and one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817173043

was a piece of cake, just slide the HDD into the enclosure, screw it together and done

[zeptrade]

Seagate

[Drgiggles1]

If you are using for backup I like Seagate or Hitachi. For adding an internal I like Hitachi only. Can't go wrong with this setup for backup w/ backup/restore software included.
Hitachi internal 1 TB hdd used as an external with a docking station.
$85 drive - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5589521&Sku=TSD-1000H5
$45 docking station - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4143852&Sku=ULT40326

Best investment for a PC imo next to an APC battery backup with 7-8 outlets.

[mrpete]

Homebrew seems to me to have a very good idea. I have an external enclosure like that with a fan, but not that exact enclosure. I've used Rosewill disk adapters in the past with good results.

Seagate, Hitachi and Western Digital are all good quality bare drives.

The docking station that drgiggles suggests seems to leave the guts of the disk controller board exposed. That's great for quickly changing the disk, but might not be such a hot idea for someone who is not a PC technician or has little kids around. You want to avoid touching the controller board.

If you go with Seagate and further go with a 7200.11 series drive or an enterprise drive (ES.2) make sure that the firmware revision has been done for that drive. They had severe but widely scattered problems a year or two ago. The firmware update totally fixes the problem. Some unsold/older/unpatched drives could still be in the supply chain. All of that said ... Seagate is my favorite drive.