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    #1

    External hard drive slowing things up!

    I got a Seagate backup plus Slim 2TB external hardrive and after installation I find that everything had slowed down. I even found it took a long time to even down loan the EOS forum file as well as my e-mails,face book etc. On the box it said it was compatible with windows 8, windows 7 but no mention of windows Vista which is my operating system.
    I then decided to uninstall the external HD and everything came back to square one and all my files were quick and easy to download/open as before.

    I don't know whether I got the wrong HD .I bought it from Amazon. I am therefore wondering whether I should return it and get another brand. This particular HD was reduced from £149 to £58 odd.

    I will be grateful if any of our experienced members would advice me as to what I am doing incorrectly.

    Many thanks

    Nathaniel
    Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

    www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

    North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

    an external drive Nat will not slow down your internet.. You say its slowed everything down but it seems the main thing you have mentioned is to do with online use so I would check your internet speed

    also what software did you install? I'm guessing some type of backup program? thats possibly the issue and I would look for one thats vista friendly. Although TBH Vista never was a good operating system and I would upgrade
    Last edited by Tigger; 13-12-2015, 09:28.
    :- Ian

    5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

    :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

    Comment

      #3
      Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

      Nat, were you using the drive at the time? Doing a full system backup for example?
      Russell
      Canon 7D MkII, 550D EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro, 300mm f/4L IS USM, Extender EF 1.4x III, Speedlite 600 EX-RT Speedlite 320EX
      http://www.flickr.com/photos/photorussell

      Comment

        #4
        Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

        Originally posted by Columbarius View Post
        Nat, were you using the drive at the time? Doing a full system backup for example?
        good point
        :- Ian

        5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

        :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

        Comment

          #5
          Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

          Thanks folks for your comments. I was using the HD to back up only my photos and documents- although I can always ignore the documents as these are just letters and correspondence received & sent via e-mail and Microsoft word.

          Also do you advice me to set the HD to backup(a) continuously or (b)as and when I want to. The most important for me are the photographs I have downloaded to my computer.
          Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

          www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

          North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

          Comment

            #6
            Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

            Russell made a good point about your system slowing down when backing up and this could well have been the issue especially if you were backing up 1000's of photos - I would install the software again and let it back up fully, once finished see how your system works then, but like I said before Vista is not a good operating system

            Its pointless letting the HD back up continuously as the idea behind an external HD is to back up then store that HD somewhere else just in case something happens like fire / theft, then decide how often you'll plug it in and back up, whether once a week, month or maybe after doing an important photo shoot
            :- Ian

            5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

            :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

            Comment

              #7
              Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

              Nat,

              One thing I didn't ask. How is the external drive attached? USB? Network?

              Ideally you should have a fixed backup routine - daily, weekly or even less frequently and set yourself a reminder so that it doesn't get overlooked. The key factor in deciding the routine is the frequency with which you add new images. If you're adding dozens every day you probably need daily backup. If it's 20-30 a week weekly will do.

              Also do you retain your images on the card in the camera or delete them immediately after uploading? There is another potential source from which you can recover files in the short term depending on your deletion policy.
              Russell
              Canon 7D MkII, 550D EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro, 300mm f/4L IS USM, Extender EF 1.4x III, Speedlite 600 EX-RT Speedlite 320EX
              http://www.flickr.com/photos/photorussell

              Comment

                #8
                Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

                Thanks Ian & Russell for your advice. The external drive is attached via a USB cable, which I prefer anyway. I certainly don't want my files to be backed up daily. I think once a month would be ample for me and my most important files are my photos, which I now back up on a CD as well.
                I don't delete my pics immediately from the memory card in my camera. I ensure that I have a back up (to date on a CD) before I re-format my memory card and erase all the old images. I don't keep my images on the memory card for too long.

                I think my photos will run into more than 1000, which are on my computer now, even though I have backed them up on to CD's. I have not deleted them and I would now like to back all them on to my Ext.HD. The photos are all in a folder marked "pictures". Do I have to back up these photos file by file or can I back them up in one "go" by entering "pictures" as it says on the file?

                Once again, thanks for your advice which is much appreciated.

                Nat
                Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

                www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

                North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

                Comment

                  #9
                  Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

                  USB is the way I connect my ext hard drive - plus it means its on your desk and it reminds you afterwards to remove it and store it somewhere - using a hard drive will save you using CDs and I wouldn't bother with that as CDs often fail - The size of the HD you have will last you a long time before you have to think about another so will take all your images.

                  Once the HD is plugged in you can just go to your pictures folder, right click and copy, then access the HD and paste, that will copy all your images - the only problem in doing this does mean when you come to back up again it will copy the full folder so every image again, by installing back up software this will compare between the two folders and only back up changed images or new photos, so the back up will be much faster.
                  :- Ian

                  5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

                  :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

                    Another thing to remember is that your external hard drive will be constantly spinning when its connected to you pc via USB so therefore it is advisable to disconnect it when not in use
                    Alex

                    EOS R5 EOS 7D Mk ii Lenses EFS 18-55mm EFS 55-250mm EF 50mm 24-105mm Sigma EX 70-200 Sigma 150-600c

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

                      Thats a good point Alex. Just one more point. How do I know that the HD has finished copying a file?
                      Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

                      www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

                      North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

                        it will stop uploading to the HD
                        :- Ian

                        5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

                        :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Re: External hard drive slowing things up!

                          This is to thank you all for your excellent advice. I have now successfully backed up my "pictures" folder and everything operates as they should.
                          Many thanks once again.

                          Nat
                          Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

                          www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

                          North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

                          Comment

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