Owners of an external hard drive can place the device in an enclosure. This doesn’t limit the functionality of the device but provides protection to it.
Enclosures are the devices which are used to house a portable hard drive and can be plugged into a notebook and can also be accessed any time. The mode of connection of these enclosures to the notebook will be through a standard USB (Universal Serial Bus) port which is nowadays available on every machine. It also gives the user an ability to connect the hard drive to another machine with portability and handiness.
Hard drive enclosure has gained immense popularity over the years, as it can be used as a backup option for important data. It provides users with more storage space, especially if they are using tablets and notebooks which generally come with low internal memory as compared to PCs. Today you can buy this device which comes with the capacity to store data in terabytes (TB). 1 TB = 1024 GB. The enclosure is merely a box like structure that contains the hard drive, and thus protects it from getting damaged and gathering dust. With the wide use of external hard drives, it has become necessary to develop a suitable container for them.
Advantages of a Hard Drive Enclosure
- It is extremely easy to use as you just have to plug it in your machine’s USB port to access it. No software installation is required and this makes it very easy to operate on various systems.
- It can also be attached to any other notebook, laptop, or a PC, thus giving you the ability to transfer and store heavy data rapidly.
- The portability of this drive is a major advantage as it can be carried around and used any time.
- Security threats are much lesser, as the drive can be disconnected when there is a potentially risky application running on the same computer where the drive has been plugged in. In spite of this, it is advisable to carry out a security scan before accessing it.
- It also serves as a backup option for important and confidential data. The enclosure will come in handy if a certain machine is being used by multiple users.
- One can also install a different computer operating system on it. This will give the user an option of using this operating system when the device is plugged into a machine.
- They are lightweight and can protect the important components from external factors and harsh weather conditions.
You can purchase it from a computer store or over the Internet. You can also choose between different surfaces like rubber, plastic, or metal. On an average, this device will cost anything between $25-$50. The cost of the hard drive that is enclosed in the casing will depend upon the type and size of the hard drive.