adding external hard drive to laptop.

[allgram]

Hi, I now use my laptop as a desktop but the hard drives are filling up 250Gb total, can I buy a 2Tb external and connect it via usb,if so what can I transfer across and will things automatically go there when necessary,or can I move the whole of one of the discs across (copy and paste).
I am sorry if the ? is not computer speak but I do need an extra hard drive, ( where I live in Spain getting to a computer shop is not easy so I thought buy external hard drive on line and plug it in)
Thank you for your patience.
allgram.

[VHG]

You can plug an external hard drive into your laptop but nothing will go across automatically (unless you set up some sort of backup program).

The things that are best to move from your laptop to the external hard drive are personal files like office files, digital photographs, music, films etc.

Dont move any "system" files (Windows files etc) and dont move any programs, only personal files.

You say you have a 250Gb drive on your laptop and it is nearly full so that is a lot of data so there must be plenty of personal files you could move from the laptop to the external drive.

Also try to do a "clean up" of the laptop drive - delete any personal files you dont want, run "disk clean up" (provided with Windows) and empty your recycle bin.

[allgram]

Thank you VHG for an answer that I understand,I am really grateful.
allgram.

[beso]

Also be aware that the access speed to the external drive is painfully slow compared to the internal drive unless it is the latest USB spec.

Check to see if the laptop has USB3 and if so buy an external drive with this spec. They do cost more but USB3 is ten times the speed of USB2.

[allgram]

Thank you beso, I had no idea about that USB2/3, I have all weekend to have a look and price some stuff.
very grateful to you.
allgram.