Many people have turned to external hard drives for storing backups, or just to clear files from their PC to open up more room on that hard drive. External drives are handy, and have become very common for the average computer user – but I have been seeing misconceptions in action, when people buy the drives thinking that it is an extension of the PC itself.
The external hard drive is a great place to store things, but it is not a place to install all your bulky games or programs. Programs require an operating system (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7….or a Mac system) to interact with them. External drives do not have operating systems installed on them, so they will not be able to work with the program.
If you think of the external drive as an attachment to your PC – like a camper on a pickup truck, it is easier to understand why this cannot work. You can drive your truck on a holiday, and put on a camper to store your tired bodies overnight – but you cannot drive your camper to your destination as it does not have an engine.
Still, they are incredibly handy for those who like plenty of photos, music or videos and find the PC hard drive filling up to the point that it slows the computer down. If you are considering the purchase of an external drive, it is good to verify that you can use it for the purpose you planned. Hope this helps!