Last weekend, I had some major computer issues, that were partly my fault, and I lost all the documents and programs I created/downloaded since December. Fortunately I had purchased a Western Digital Portable Hard Drive about six months ago and have been backing up my system every couple weeks (or whenever I remembered), so was able to save all the information, and I didn’t lose anything important.

If I didn’t have the backup of my files I would have lost quite a few documents and over 500 pictures that I had taken, including this priceless picture of my cat Beany wearing a santa hat. You can tell by the picture that he really didn’t enjoy wearing the hat, and it was very difficult to have him sit still long enough to take it. I would have been upset if I had lost the picture and am glad that I had a copy of it on my backup.

If you haven’t backed up your computer, you might want to look into it. Here are a few things to consider when purchasing a portable drive:

• How many files/pictures do you need to back up: this will help you determine what size drive you need. I opted for a 320 gb drive, just to make sure I didn’t run out of room.
• Ease of Use: if you aren’t ‘technically savvy’ you will want to make sure the portable drive does not require formatting. I purchased the Western Digital My Passport Essential 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive WDME3200TN – it is very easy to use. I just plug it in my computer’s USB port, type in my password, select ’syncronize’ and that’s it – it does all the work. There are over 650 user reviews for this drive at Amazon.com – I suggest reading what other people have to say before purchasing.
• Security: one of the things I like about the Western Digital Portable Hard Drive
  is that it has a security feature where you have to type in a password to access the backup and information on the drive. Also, this drive allows you to back up more than one computer and set a different password for each.

Although I like the Western Digital Drive I mentioned above, you may think that it is more complicated than you would like. If you want a portable hard drive that is very easy to use, I would suggesting looking into the ClickFree Automatic Backup – all you do is plug it and and it does everything for you. I don’t believe it has the security features that the Western Digital drive offers, but if ease of use is the most important thing to you, that is a good drive to look into.

Before buying a portable drive, I would suggest doing some research and reading product reviews. If you aren’t sure where to start, here is a link for the Best-Selling Portable Hard Drives at Amazon (they ship for Free with Amazon’s Super Saver Shipping)