Got a Tech Question

[moltenflower]

I have a question on a technical level and need advice.

I have a Dell Inspiron 1100 that is only an 18GB. I just purchased a Seagate 500GB external that plugs in through the USB port.

What I'm wanting to do is install all of my applications (Macromedia Studio, Quickbooks, etc.) and files associated with them on to my external drive and run them from that drive instead of my C:. Is this possible?

If it is possible, after installing the applications to the external drive, I want to delete them from my C: in order to clear up space. So, in theory, I want to only run my OS and internet security software from my C: and nothing else. What do you think?

Thanks for your help, Y'all! I've been having major computer issues for the last three weeks and most of them have been because my drive is just too full (not to mention, my wireless card took a dive and our network's router took a dirt nap).

Happy New Year by the way and thank you, in advance, for your help!!

[Romber]

As far as I understand what you have prescribed will work.

The only problem I can see is the usb slipping out and corrupting your data, not saving it in time etc.

[moltenflower]

Corrupting the data on the C: or the external drive? Everything I do, I automatically save the file before I leave. So, if the USB port dies off, the information on the external drive should remain intact. Am I correct?

This idea is just a band-aid for now. My hope is to save up enough money in order to purchase a new laptop :)

[thepenitent]

This should work. BUT, you would not be able to take the portable drive and plug it into another computer and still run the applications on that computer.

[moltenflower]

That's okay. The moment I get the new laptop, I'll have to figure out at that point how to sync it with the external drive which will contain all of the data.

As long as the external drive will contain all of my data, that is most important. If I can alleviate the burden of the applications being on the C: and move them to be ran from my external drive, that is my second highest priority.

Thank you both!!

[Paul_born_again]

Read this article (http://ask-leo.com/can_i_install_programs_on_an_external_drive.html) for some quick points. In essence, the biggest concern is that you do not turn off/unplug the external drive while programs from it are running (even running in the background). Turning off/unplugging an external drive while it is reading/writing data can potentially corrupt the drive.

[Jerome1]

moltenflower this site http://www.whatthetech.com/ offers hardware and software advice if you want to become a member. They are very helpful, but you might wait a while for a response, check it out before you decide/don't decide to become a member.

[tango]

Depending on how comfortable you are with taking things to pieces you might find it easier to put a bigger hard drive in your laptop. I use an external drive for backups of data but wouldn't want my applications stored on it, because doing things that way means my laptop becomes a paperweight unless I've got the external drive attached.

There are places that will upgrade your laptop for you (for a fee, naturally), but if you've got another PC and a little bit of knowhow you can do it yourself easily enough.

[moltenflower]

moltenflower this site http://www.whatthetech.com/ offers hardware and software advice if you want to become a member. They are very helpful, but you might wait a while for a response, check it out before you decide/don't decide to become a member.

Thanks, Jerome! I'll check it out.

[moltenflower]

Depending on how comfortable you are with taking things to pieces you might find it easier to put a bigger hard drive in your laptop. I use an external drive for backups of data but wouldn't want my applications stored on it, because doing things that way means my laptop becomes a paperweight unless I've got the external drive attached.

There are places that will upgrade your laptop for you (for a fee, naturally), but if you've got another PC and a little bit of knowhow you can do it yourself easily enough.

Hey Tango! Good to hear from you again :) It's been a while since we've exchanged dialogue :D

Me, myself, I'm not comfortable with replacing the hard drive but my husband is good with that stuff. I've just heard through reading online that you have to replace a Dell hard drive with another Dell hard drive. This might be inaccurate information but it doesn't matter anyway. The laptop can only handle I think up to 20 GB tops.

I've also decided to not run applications off of the external. I don't want to take a chance and corrupt it because it has all of my data on it. I do run one off it, however. I just make sure that that application is completely shut down upon turning off my external drive so as not to corrupt it.

So far, things are going pretty good with the way it's set-up. I've got the data on the external and the programs are running off of the primary drive. So far, so good. Everyone's input has been absolutely priceless!!

[tango]

Hey Tango! Good to hear from you again :) It's been a while since we've exchanged dialogue :D

Me, myself, I'm not comfortable with replacing the hard drive but my husband is good with that stuff. I've just heard through reading online that you have to replace a Dell hard drive with another Dell hard drive. This might be inaccurate information but it doesn't matter anyway. The laptop can only handle I think up to 20 GB tops.

I've also decided to not run applications off of the external. I don't want to take a chance and corrupt it because it has all of my data on it. I do run one off it, however. I just make sure that that application is completely shut down upon turning off my external drive so as not to corrupt it.

So far, things are going pretty good with the way it's set-up. I've got the data on the external and the programs are running off of the primary drive. So far, so good. Everyone's input has been absolutely priceless!!

Dell machines always used to be known for requiring Dell components but the hard disk should be fairly standard. I'd be surprised if the laptop can really only handle a 20GB drive unless it's positively ancient.

Sounds like you've got yourself a working solution though!

[moltenflower]

It's getting me through by God's grace and favor!! Whew!