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From: rsholmes@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Rich Holmes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Hard Drives -- external vs. internal
Message-ID: <1990Dec4.024709.21238@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
Date: 4 Dec 90 02:47:09 GMT
References: <CMM.0.88.660248565.francis@wolfman.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Lines: 24

In article <CMM.0.88.660248565.francis@wolfman.cis.ohio-state.edu> francis@CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU (RD Francis) writes:
>dies.  Aside form cost, why should people use internal hard drives
>instead of externals?

I prefer externals too.  Your "if the Mac dies..." argument is one reason;
the inverse is too: if the HD dies, you don't have to crack the Mac's case
and mess around internally; just ship off the drive to be repaired (or shot)
and plug a new one into the SCSI port.  For a IIsi removing the internal HD
may be no big deal... for an SE it's more painful.

Also, you can easily disconnect an external HD and boot off a floppy if you're
in a situation where you have reasons to worry about a virus infecting the 
disk.

The size of most drives is such that they can sit under a compact Mac without
taking up any real estate (and getting the screen closer to eye level too).
With modular Macs, the real estate issue can be more of a problem.


-- 
 - Rich Holmes                                  rich@suhep.bitnet
   Syracuse U. Physics Dept.                    rich@suhep.phy.syr.edu
                                or if you must: rsholmes@rodan.acs.syr.edu
   "The United States -- Making the World Safe For Monarchy!"