EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE NEEDED INFORMTION

[George Sharwell]

I bought a WD external hard drive a week ago.  It seems to work fine.  I use it to store photos and lengthy documents and archives work product files that date back to the 1970s.  Query:  The product gives me geek talk about how to charge the EHD. I don't speak geek.  I use juice from house current.  Why charge the EHD? Merely to transport it and have it charged on planes and such?  If so, I don't need it.  But I want to know for certain.

Also, there is talk of setting up a partition.  Is this needed?

Any help will be appreciated.

   George Sharwell

[WNCCadministrator]

I understand the "partition" question.  The simple answer is "Don't partition your drive". If you want to stop there, fine.

If you want the long answer, here it is.  You can "divide" the hard drive into what looks like two hard drives to your operating system.  Logically (geek talk) this is equivalent to having two physically separate hard drives.  The two partitions would show up as D: drive and E: drive when you clicked on "My Computer".  In fact, several computer manufacturers such as HP and Compaq (now HP) often partition their original single drive into two partitions C: and D: so that the user files go on C: and the backup Operating System files go on D:

Anyone else reading this reply; Please do not take this the wrong way.  If you don't know what a partition is, you don't want it.

I can not find anyone who understands the "Charge the EHD" question.  Call me if you want to pursue this.  I need more information.

When I type that into Google (which is always a good idea if you have a question) I get a lot of responses that say EHD is External Hard Drive.  I can not make any sense out of Charge an external hard drive.  That sounds more like a laptop with a battery.

[George Sharwell]

Thank you for your help.  No partition, then, for me. 

As for the charging business, maybe no one knows.  I too have Googled and asked two people who are reasonably savvy about computers.  No help. 

As for Google, I start with Google, with any lack of knowledge situation.  Even spelling.  If I can't spell Carolina, I type in my best guess, say, "Keroliner" and I get the familiar message "Did you mean..."

Thanks again.

    George

[Angela O'Sullivan]

I also have a WD external drive - product of Thailand!   
Perhaps the instructions were written by someone whose native tongue was other than English and who confused 'charge' with 'activate' the WD by inserting the connection into the usb port, whereupon mine shows a small blue light indicating it is 'active'!

[WNCCadministrator]

Charge for Activate.  Sounds like a good guess to me.  I, of course, have no idea what a person in Thailand would think but it is nice to at least have something that could explain the strange wording.

Thanks