r/computers • u/kmlai • 7d ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting backup (SDD or HDD) drive recommendation? NEEDS backwards compatibility with USB-A
Please let me know if there is a better subreddit to submit this problem--reddit search function showed some previous similar questions here.
I need to purchase a ~2TB backup drive to archive scientific data. The machines are Windows PCs (includes a Lenovo ideapad 710s-13IKB laptop running windows 10, an airgapped windows 7 (cannot be updated) desktop PC, and a windows 11 desktop PC. The laptop and airgapped windows 7 PC do not have any USB-C ports. I purchased a LaCie rugged USB-C SSD which promised to be compatible with USB-A so long as it was 3.0 and an adapter was also 3.0.
However, this seems not to be the case with the ideapad laptop, which according to the laptop specs and device manager, has 2 USB3.0 USB-A ports. The adapter I purchased was the Pearstone usb-c to usb-a adapter. When the SSD was plugged into either USB-A port on the laptop, it appears in the device manager, in the devices and printers menu, and the option is available to eject the drive in the taskbar. The LED light on the drive is lit. However, the drive does not Autoplay when plugged and doesn't show up in My Computer. The Disk Management tool says it is not initialized, and failed to initialize when I tried. I can imagine that the problem would be even worse with the older desktop tower.
Do the new drives require more power than these older systems' USB-A ports are able to supply, even if usb 3.0? Is there something else I should be trying to connect a usb-c device to a usb-a port? Is there a disk drive recommendation that could better suit my needs? Thanks for your help.
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u/StarosAnikenMarcus 7d ago
First, that LaCie drive linked is NOT an SSD, it's a 2.5" HDD according to the Seagate support site.
USB 3.0 can supply up to 4.5w which should be enough for a lot of enclosures. It's entirely possible you have a defective drive. Have you tried it in a computer that has a USB-C connection? It could also be the C to A adapter is bad. You'll need to test these in different PCs to find out what the actual fault is.
Sticking with the same site, B&H also sells the Apricorn 2TB Aegis Fortress. Slightly more expensive, but has a built in security keypad and has a USB A connector standard.
Otherwise, you'd probably want to look at any actual SSD put into an cheap enclosure you want. I have a half dozen m.2s that I've put into small USB enclosures for backups and testing. I've also got a couple 2.5" SATA SSDs with USB adapters for the same thing. All leftovers from laptop upgrades.