According to UniRecovery RAID Data Recovery Labs, External Hard Disk Drives provide great flexible storage option and security by providing a mobile back up option, yet this advantage has dangerous twist to users.

With storage capacity running in hundreds of Gigabites, accompanied by high rates of data transfer, in addition to the flexibility to plug the external drive to a Laptop, Desktop, Server, Memory Cards, Camera or iPod and sold at reasonable prices have increased their popularity dramatically.

However, as the popularity of the external drives containing backups and valuable data are increasingly failing for no apparent reasons. Majority of these failing drives are often of well known commercial brands such as Lacie, Freecom and Omega and with the latest high capacity Maxtor, Seagate or Western Digital hard disk drives models with storage capacity exceeding 320Gb or even 400Gb on a single drive.

According to a study of 100,000 drives conducted by Carnegie Mellon University, it is widely believed Hard Disk Drive vendors manipulate the (MTTF) - mean time to failure. In fact The mean time to failure (MTTF) of drives, according to their manufacturers, vary from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 hours, suggesting a nominal annual failure rate of at most 0.88%. Whereas the study finds that “up to 13% observed on some systems.”. This suggests that field replacement is a fairly different process than one might predict based on datasheet MTTF.

It has also been established that failure rate is not constant with age, and that, rather than a significant infant mortality effect, evidently a significant early onset of wear-out degradation. That is, replacement rates in research data grew constantly with age, an effect often assumed not to set in until after a nominal lifetime of 5 years. The study, also carefully point out that the study didn’t necessarily track actual drive failures, but cases in which a customer decided a drive had failed and needed replacement. The study also explains that no vendor-specific failure information, and that his goal is not “choosing the best and the worst vendors” but to help them to improve drive design and testing. Also, little difference in replacement rates between SCSI, FC and SATA drives, potentially an indication that disk-independent factors, such as operating conditions, affect replacement rates more than component specific factors. On the other hand, we see only one instance of a customer rejecting an entire population of disks as a bad batch, in this case because of media error rates, and this instance involved SATA hard disks

Time between replacements, a proxy for time between failure, is not well modelled by an exponential distribution and exhibits significant levels of correlation, including autocorrelation and long-range dependence.

Generally, inside the slick casings, often are poorly ventilated or even not ventilated at all, external hard drives assemblers include the cheapest available drives such as Maxtor & Seagate, combined with badly ventilated enclosure casing, the combination is catastrophic for any given user, especially when the hard disk drive is of high capacity containing crucial back-up data For any given Lacie with multiple drives, this can be a terrible experience with RAID drives and data in excess of 1 terabite. Often with RAID array external drives, the drive failure are more frequent and the damage is more extensive than single drives. According to Haj Majed Aziz of UniRecovery ? RAID Data Recovery Labs ?many of the 1 terabyte LaCie external drives contain 250Gb Maxtor IDE in RAID array, inside badly ventilated enclosures, when used on regular basis, especially within office environment, they are utter disaster.?

Hitachi has unveiled a drive which has reached the new heights of one terabyte (TB). Its drive looks like any other, but uses perpendicular magnetic recording to make space for all that data. The current technology generation of LRT-Longitudinal Recording Technology, which records the bits laying horizontally, has been superseded by the recording of the bits standing vertically. However the cost is in the region of $18,000 !

Deciding on the appropriate hard drive is a personal decision made according to an individual?s computing needs. These days, 20 gigabyte, up to 40 gig, 80 gig, 100 gig and even larger are common. When pricing hard drives, it is common to see very little price differences between smaller size drives and larger. For instance, the price difference between a 20 gig and a 40 gig may be only twenty dollars. An old rule of thumb among the computing community has always been to buy the largest hard drive that you could possibly afford since everyone loads and uses more software than they initially imagine they will, and since that will put off the need to upgrade the computer the following year. However, if your budget is limited remember that a 20, 30 or 40 gig hard drive is plenty for the average user.

These hard drive sizes would astound a computer user from the 1980?s or early 1990?s. Back then hard drives were sized in megabytes, not gigabytes. The original IBM PC commonly had a ten Meg or twenty Meg drive, and when the thirty Meg drive came out it was considered absolutely gigantic. However, that was a time of smaller programs, less software and before Windows dominated the home computer world.

When choosing a hard drive you should always remember that the type we are most familiar with is called Parallel ATA type. A new type, serial ATA, is gaining popularity. This type is much faster ? as much as twenty percent ? and has other benefits including improved airflow. Your hard drive will need flowing air because it is constantly rotating at extremely high speeds and generates heat. The airflow helps the hard drive stay cool and run properly.

Most of the name brand hard drives are fine quality and it is hard to go wrong if they are purchased from an authorized reseller. If you buy your hard drive from an OEM ? original equipment manufacturer ? or from a discount store be sure to check out the warranty.

When choosing a new hard drive, keep several things in mind: size measured in gigabytes, size physically measured in inches, speed, and brand.

When looking at brands, there are many good choices. Choose a brand you?ve heard of and trust. Possibilities from good companies include Maxtor, Quantum, Western Digital, Fijutsu, Toshiba, and IBM among others.

When looking at price, remember the old adage ?you get what you pay for.? A wise shopper will look around for the best price, but price isn?t the only thing here. A low price without a warranty, or from a dealer you don?t trust, could just cost you more in the long run. Fortunately with hard drives the manufacturer provides warranties on new drives, but a company willing to back up their product and replace a defective drive out of inventory can save you lots of hassle and downtime.

Size of drive in gigs, as said before, will have little price difference in certain increments and are usually very small. Figure out what each gig is costing you on each drive. Take a calculator into the store and do the math, then make your choice. Size physically is important because you must have a hard drive that fits the slot in your particular computer. Hard drives come in two primary sizes. The smaller, standard size is the size of a 3.5 inch floppy disk drive. The larger type is the size of a CD ROM drive. Larger drives tend to cost less, but most computers have enough slots for smaller, standard drives and most computer users consider them a little more preferable.

Speed is used to describe the revolution speed of the spinning hard drive. The faster the better of course, but check out the price difference when going from a relatively slow hard drive to a faster drive and see if the price difference is really worth it. After all, the hard drive is really spending most of its time waiting for you to type in data. In summary, choosing a hard drive is as individual as choosing a car, but most people want as much size and speed as they can afford. Ask your friends, check online message boards, and perhaps members of a local computer users group to see what other people?s experiences have been, analyze all of your options and then make a wise decision.

Moving into the year 2007, many Americans soon realized the impact and new importance videos have become on the Internet. With the craze surrounding WebPages such as youtube, where new videos and ideas can be diffused throughout the Internet, it is apparent that video technology is going to become even more important in 2007. While such may be exemplified as a rudimentary analysis, because of such advancement in entertainment, there will be tremendous need for more storage for desktops, laptops, and even more mobile devices such as MP3 players who incorporate video technology. As a result, there will be remarkable opportunities for data storage devices such as produced by Western Digital Corporation (WDC) which will ultimately benefit its shareholders.

As stated by Yahoo! Finance, Western Digital Corporation is responsible for the ?development, manufacture, and sale of hard disk drives worldwide.? In addition, its hard disk drives extends not only to computers in the form of both desktops and laptops but to more unconventional devices such as MP3 players, servers, USB drives, gaming systems, and even karaoke systems. With such a wide selection of available markets, during such a time of prosperity and innovation relative to the video playing field, there is a tremendous opportunity for Western Digital to continue and expand upon production to supply the growing demand of moving film entertainment. What is also intriguing about Western Digital?s operating means is its global presence around the world. Because Western Digital is a worldwide corporation, with liquidity spreading throughout the world, there is tremendous opportunity, with growing markets in China and India and a strong economic presence in already developed nations such as found in Europe, for the continued expansion of internet capabilities throughout these markets. Consequently, there will be continued high demand, especially with such prosperity, for margins and profits to increase dramatically relative to Western Digital?s production means. Both the worldwide independent affluence and a depreciating dollar will have strong, but positive, consequences relative to Western Digital?s financial analysis, and regardless of where the American economy descends or ascends to, Western Digital, if more innovation and expansion is played into its operations, will be a successful company because of its fundamentals.

Nevertheless, as I mention the potential for strong fundamentals, it is already apparent that Western Digital, relative to its competitors, provides figures which are extraordinary without future implications. With a 19% revenue growth margin (and a 22 dollar revenue per share ratio) in both of the last two years coupled with a 90% margin growth relative to earnings (EBIT) in 2006 after an already strong 30% earnings growth from 2004 to 2005, it is evident that Western Digital is not only producing at strong numbers as indicated by sales but finding new sources of income at the same time with lower costs of revenue as income from continued operations as found in the income statement had increased nearly 350% in the last fiscal year. Continuing, the strong revenue which has grown at dramatic rates for Western Digital has continued to add a stronger case to label this company as a value stock as unfortunately its share price has not done as well as could have hoped. With an enterprise value to revenue level of 0.84 over the last twelve months and a price to sales ratio of 0.99 over the same period, compared to industry competitor?s EMC?s respective numbers of 2.75 and 2.80 or Network Appliance?s even worse 5.65 and 6.14, it is clear, at least relative to revenue numbers, that Western Digital is undervalued in its industry. While arguments may be made that earnings and income should play more of a significant factor, it is evident that by comparing Western Digital?s forward P/E ratio of 9.41 and its 5 year PEG ratio of 0.94 to EMC?s respective 21.96 and 1.69 or Network Appliance?s 28.16 and 1.23 numbers, Western Digital proves to contest any argument illustrating that this company is not undervalued. In addition, Western Digital has a strong asset to liability percentage as illustrated by the current ratio of 1.7 and an enterprise value lower than its market value.

While such may not look that appealing when utilizing the adjusted price value model when the DTS is added in for M&A deals, for the common shareholder, it is much better for a company to have the luxury of being able to cover its liabilities with its assets if liquidation was required which cannot be argued the same for its competitors. In addition, as stated with the growing demand of larger storage capacities to hold the new video requirements, it is clear after looking at Western Digital?s EBITDA, a proxy of cash flow, over the past year that it has the capabilities to fund new capital expenditures to accommodate the growing changes illustrated by the technology sector. Thus, after examining the fundamentals and growing numbers as illustrated by Western Digital, compared to its rivals, it is completely evident that Western Digital, for one reason or another, is undervalued making it an excellent choice of purchase.

After looking at the fundamentals, one may wonder why Western Digital, with a beta of about 3 has only grown about 5.5% over the past 52 weeks while the S&P has grown nearly 10% during the same time. Others may also wonder why Deutsche Bank recently downgraded the stock from a buy to a hold. Truth be told, with a slowing economy in the United States, many are wondering if the percentage of revenue and sales accrued from America will hamper corporate earnings in the next year. However, after stating how the video explosion will continue to grow on the Internet and how foreign markets are eager to purchase hard disk drives for the growing demand in their respective countries, coupled with the fact that Western Digital has phenomenal fundamentals relative to its peers and its share price, I cannot find a reason to solidify the purpose of not purchasing shares of this stock.

While technical analysis is not favored to many Wall Street analysts, the share price of Western Digital has grown over five percent over the past year, over 100% over the past two years, and nearly 300% over the past five years. It?s true that 2006 has not been favorable to Western Digital as it has to other industry leaders and companies, but such should only solidify the argument that Western Digital is cheap compared to all other corporations. With most other industries peaking at their 52 week highs, ready for a negative correction if the economy falters, Western Digital, relative to its earnings, still has not met such status, but has the required fundamentals to due so. Looking more closely at the simple moving average (SMA) of 100 days of a one year chart, it seems that over the past few months, Western Digital has hit a support level of about 17 and is on a small upward climb on relatively high volume. Such should be a good indicator of how this company will perform, with all the other positive factors associated, in 2007.

Thus, after examining what this company does and its global presence, its fundamentals, and its technical upside, all the factors lead me to believe that this company is incredibly undervalued to both its industry and the rest of the market. It?s true that 2006 was not the greatest year for this company, despite having positive returns of equity over 52 weeks, but 2007, with the continued growing demand of its products around the world, will lead the argument of having Western Digital, because of its cheap price, producing numbers that will not only amaze its shareholders but bump this company to possible historical highs.

So you’ve finally decided to buy an external hard drive as a backup option for your computer. This is a great choice for you because you’re making backing up your data faster and easier than you could ever have imagined. You’re also making your data far more portable in larger quantities than before.

You’ll no longer be limited to storing a few hundred megabytes or even several gigabytes. Nope. Now you can look forward to portable and reliable storage capacities ranging into terabytes. That frustrating desktop computer or network file server backup job just got a whole lot easier.

If you’ve never bought an external hard disk before then there’s a few pointers here that may help to have on your shopping list before you go and make that final purchase.

1. Buy A Brand Do yourself a huge favor and buy a brand name that you easily recognize. Sure these may cost a little more than brand x but with computer accessories like this you really do get what you pay for. If a Maxtor 100GB external drive costs $200 and another brand x 100GB drive costs $80 why do you think that is? Because the company likes you? Because they like making smaller profits? No it’s because it’s a cheaper drive made with inferior parts that’s going to break a lot sooner than you might expect.

The other aspect of sticking with a brand is your warranty. For example Maxtor, Western Digital and Iomega are all reliable companies and well known for their external hard disks. If something goes wrong with your drive you can have it fixed. With brand x you’ll probably not even be able to find an email address that you can contact the parent company on. Is saving a few dollars worth that risk?

2. Google It Whatever brand or model you decide on make sure you do some research before purchasing. Always, always Google the exact brand and model of the drive you’re considering buying. Look for reviews and especially any feedback on how reliable a drive is. You’ll be very surprised to find that some companies have particularly bad reputations in terms of equipment reliability and what’s known as the “click of death” in the external hard drive industry.

Spend time in Google checking out your prospective purchase. You’ll be glad that you did.

3. Connectivity When it comes to external hard drives you’ll need to choose carefully when selecting your connection types. Your external hard drive will support either USB or Firewire. Firewire is the fastest option available at the moment but your computer may not support this. The vast majority of modern computers will, however, feature a USB port.

The next question now is what type of USB port do you have - USB 1.0 or 2.0? If your computer only has a USB 1.0 port then your external hard drive is going to transfer data VERY slowly. USB 2.0 is the minimum you should consider as connection options for both your computer and your external hard drive. If you don’t have a USB 2.0 port (also called HiSpeed USB) on your computer you may need to get a USB 2.0 card fitted.

4. Speed Now of course we need to talk about speed. The faster your hard drive operates the faster data will get transferred to your computer and vice versa. Without boggling you with comptuer jargon there’s a couple of technical things you need to include on your shopping list.

Seek time - this needs to be 10ms (milliseconds) or less

Buffer size - more is better. Get a drive with at least a 4MB buffer.

RPM - higher is better. 5400rpm as a minimum. 7200rpm being preferred.

Stick to the above basic pointers and you’ll do just fine.

5. Size This is the simple part of the whole “buying an external hard drive” equation. Buy as much as you can afford. If you can afford 100GB then get it. However if you can afford 200GB then get it. Then again if you scraped together a few dollars more you could afford 300GB then do it.

This isn’t a sales pitch. Far from it. There is simply no such thing as having too much data storage space. The 160GB drive that I have here was filled up in a little under a month. Currently a terabye option sounds good for my future needs.

Always add 50% to your data storage requirements. Honestly. You’ll thanks yourself within the first 90 days of buying your external drive.

Hopefully now you’ll be better prepared for purchasing your new external hard drive. It’s one of the best purchases you’ll ever make.

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