by 
The Curious Bag
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An external hard drive is a storage device that operates separately from your computer. You can copy files located on your computer's hard drive to an external hard drive to back them up.
Connections
An external hard drive receives power from a cord that connects to an electrical outlet. A USB cable connects from the port on the back of the unit to a port on a laptop or desktop computer.
Storage
Typically, an external hard drive contains many times more file storage space than what a personal computer offers. For example, if your computer has a 10 GB hard drive, the external drive may be 160, 320 or 500 GB or more.
Quick Connect
Once connected, most external hard drives allow you to drag and drop files using the same methods you would employ to copy files to a CD or DVD.
Low Cost
Prices for an external hard drive range from $75 to $500 (as of October 2009), depending on storage space and other features.
Tips
Seagate, LaCie, Iomega, Verbatim and Apricorn are among the companies producing external hard drives.
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