External Hard Drive advice

[Bennyhana]

So, I'm trying to figure out how to deal with home data storage, as I've totally filled the 20 gig HD on my desktop.  We have a desktop running Windows 2000, a Laptop running XP Pro, and a Laptop running XP home.  We connect to the internet through the DSL modem/wireless router provided by our ISP.  I would like to have an external Hard drive that I could leave in one place and access from all three computers in the house, as well as take with me if I needed to.  I don't need terabytes of storage; anything over 100 gigs would do nicely.  Do I need a drive with built-in Ethernet, or can these three operating systems network well enough to do what I need?  Are there products anyone can recommend for me?  I'm also, of course, trying to get away with this as cheap as possible.  Suggestions?

[dazie]

I have no suggestions, but I thought your thread looked lonely.



Use the Force.

[dc]

So, I'm trying to figure out how to deal with home data storage, as I've totally filled the 20 gig HD on my desktop.  We have a desktop running Windows 2000, a Laptop running XP Pro, and a Laptop running XP home.  We connect to the internet through the DSL modem/wireless router provided by our ISP.  I would like to have an external Hard drive that I could leave in one place and access from all three computers in the house, as well as take with me if I needed to.  I don't need terabytes of storage; anything over 100 gigs would do nicely.  Do I need a drive with built-in Ethernet, or can these three operating systems network well enough to do what I need?  Are there products anyone can recommend for me?  I'm also, of course, trying to get away with this as cheap as possible.  Suggestions?

Take a look at iomega.com for examples of network storage drives.  They should work on the network.  It doesn't look like having ethernet built in will jack up the price too much.

I don't have much experience with them directly, though.  Hatt or swolt would be the ones to ask.

[ReBurn]

I would slap a second 120gb drive in the Windows 2000 machine and share it on the network. No sense in getting too crazy. At my house I have a Windows 2000 machine doing exactly that. Make sure that all of the machines are part of the same workgroup, create a share for the new drive and map to it from the laptops.

The one thing I can think of off the top of my head is that Windows 2000 uses "workgroup" as the default workgroup name and XP uses "mshome" as the default workgroup. So some configuration may be needed there.

[Bennyhana]

I would slap a second 120gb drive in the Windows 2000 machine and share it on the network. No sense in getting too crazy. At my house I have a Windows 2000 machine doing exactly that. Make sure that all of the machines are part of the same workgroup, create a share for the new drive and map to it from the laptops.

The one thing I can think of off the top of my head is that Windows 2000 uses "workgroup" as the default workgroup name and XP uses "mshome" as the default workgroup. So some configuration may be needed there.

Awesome, thanks.  I'd heard that XP home doesn't really like to network usefully with any other OSes.  I'll give it a shot when I get home and see what happens.

[meredith]

XP Home will act as a file sharing client to hit the W2k machine, but it won't offer to use a different user/password to connect, so you need to make your accounts match.

[Bennyhana]

XP Home will act as a file sharing client to hit the W2k machine, but it won't offer to use a different user/password to connect, so you need to make your accounts match.

Which accounts?  The user accounts of the computers?

[meredith]

yeah. same name and password

[Bennyhana]

yeah. same name and password

Good to know.  Will the XP Pro machine offer to use a different user/password?

[ReBurn]

yeah. same name and password

Good to know.  Will the XP Pro machine offer to use a different user/password?

XP Pro should prompt you for the user name and password of a valid user on the Win2K box.

[Bennyhana]

yeah. same name and password

Good to know.  Will the XP Pro machine offer to use a different user/password?

XP Pro should prompt you for the user name and password of a valid user on the Win2K box.

Excellent.  Then I don't have to change anything.  My wife's lappy is the XP Pro machine.  And I can finally leave work to go try this!

[Bennyhana]

Well, as usual, I tried to do something with windows and I failed.  I changed the login names/passwords of the two computers to match, I changed the workgroup to match, and I tried to see it in "My network places," but I got an error that the workgroup could not be shown, and I may not have permission to view it.  I tried to map network drive, and I got as far as a prompt for username and password (only when I entered the share name manually), but when I type my password it does nothing.  The login dialog box goes away and comes right back.  Is there anything that you guys can think of that I might have missed?

[BigDun]

Try putting in the username in the format-

workgroup\username

[VikingJuice]

I've had an external Iomega for a couple years now and love it.  I know nothing about network connectivity though.  I just wanted to brag that I had an external drive. 

Oh, and the prices have come down on those drives too.  My 250Gb is now about $80 at Fry's.

[grace]

i happened on a seagate free agent, 500 gb, for $99.
it's plug & play, and if another bad hurricane hits, at least i have my pics, music, and my state farm insurance poilcy in my backpack.