External Hard Drives are usually plugged into the computer through the USB power port. The computer uses this port to power the external drive and transfer data.
External Hard Drives can range from a small flash drive to a portable Solid State Drive (SSD) or Hard Disc Drive (HDD).
There are couple of reasons why we do not recommend keeping your external Hard Drive plugged in to your computer.
- Power Consumption – The USB port provides power to your external drive to keep it operating. Some USB ports continue to supply power even when the computer is turned off. This feature is enabled by manufacturers to allow users to charge their phones while their PC is off. Save money and unplug your external drive when you are not using it.
- Backup – External drives are meant to be used as backup drives or to physically move files between two places. An external drive isn’t meant to stay connected all the time. If you are looking for that option then we recommend looking into internal SSDs and HDDs.
- Viruses – An external drive can be corrupted or accessed by a third party if your computer gets a virus. We recommend keeping sensitive files in a storage device that is not connected to the network. Plugging in your external drive to your computer while it is compromised can put you at risk.
External drives have become very popular in recent times. There are big companies giving away free flashdrive with their company branding. However, it is important to use these drives correctly and efficiently in order to get the most out of them.
If you need a flash drive or an external media device then we recommend you check our articles: Discounted Hard Drive sales for October 2020 and Cheap Flash drives for different purposes.