For some people backing up files is not enough because they need the data to be portable, so large back up hard drive solutions from companies like Maxtor, Lacie and Freecom that require a mains power unit are not really suitable. These products are excellent if they can positioned next to the PC you are backing the data up from but they’re really designed to stay in one place. Their size, weight and need for external power makes them unsuitable as a portable backup solution.

A more affordable and truly portable solution that does not compromise on quality or storage capacity is to use a 2.5” hard drive enclosure and a 2.5” (laptop sized) Hard Disk.

2.5" hard drive enclosure

A new 320GB 2.5” hard disk won’t costs a fortune and when combined with a laptop hard drive enclosure will give you a high capacity portable storage solution. But, the real cost saving opportunity is using an enclosure with a hard disk recovered from an old, discarded laptop – even if the hard disk you recover is only 80GB you’ll still end up with a back-up solution for the cost of an 8GB Memory stick!

Taking the hard drive out of the laptop is relatively easy providing you’re handy with a screwdriver and inserting it into a hard drive enclosure is equally easy – the connectors on the end of the hard drive just push into the interface inside the enclosure and typically a couple of screws hold it all in place.

If you’re using a new hard disk drive then it will need formatting before it can be used to store data on. Recovered hard disks typically just plug and play but make sure if the drive has jumper settings that its set to “master”.

hard drive enclosure

There are branded bundles available to buy off the shelf but building your own is easy, it’s not intimidating, it’ll save you money and you have the chance to recycle an old hard disk

Of course for many the aesthetics of the Hard Drive Enclosure (also often referred to as a HDD caddy or HDD case) are important because you’ll often want the enclosure to match with the other bits of kit you’ve got on your desk or in your home office. For some features likes fans or flashing lights are also key.

One further consideration you might give is ease of use and ease of making back-ups to the Hard Drive in the Hard Drive Enclosure. The later point is particularly pertinent because for many the primary reason to buy an enclosure and build an external storage solution is data back up. Given how much information we now store on our PC’s including family photos, movies, music collections and of course work files, backing up our cherished data (and our work) is critical.

Ease of data backup is helped if you buy a hard drive enclosure with a built in “One-touch” back up button built into it. These enclosures are supplied with software that is easy to load and simple to use. The software allows you to define which directories, sub-directories, folders, files and even specific files that you want to back up. When you then press the backup button on the enclosure the files you have elected to back up with automatically be copied from your PC to the Hard Drive in the enclosure.

This feature, whilst not something everyone will need, is an excellent option. It takes the guesswork out of what you need to back up and because it’s so easy to do its far more likely you will actually back up your important data. A good routine to get into is to press the back-up button before you power off the PC for the day.

The fact an enclosure has a back-up button built in does not impair its use in any other way. You can still copy, save, retrieve data from the hard drive just as you would using any hard drive enclosure. There’s no compromise on the types of Hard Disk Drives that can be used, the connection options or the styling. What you will have do however is pay a small premium for a case with this feature but given the costs of not backing up your data it’s a small price to pay.

Find the correct HDD Enclosure for you. Take a look at some of the following:
External Drive Enclosures, 1.8″ Hard Drive Cases, 2.5″ Hard Drive Cases, 3.5″ Hard Drive Cases, 5.25″ Hard Drive & Optical Drive, IDE & SATA Cable Kits, Freecom Hard Drives, Fujitsu Hard Drives