Question about using an external HDD

Regardless of whether the destination drive is internal or external, "safe" depends on if it works properly. Do a backup and then boot to the TI CD and validate it. Doing a test restore is even better, if you can.

When using a USB drive, it's best to connect it directly to the computer (use a port in the back, if possible). Avoid connecting the drive to a hub.

If you want to use an external drive and want SATA II speeds, eSATA is a good choice (assuming TI includes the drivers to properly support it).

I generally consider external drives to be safer than internal drives because I keep them disconnected when not in use and they can be stored off-site.

Thanks.
I'm running a bit low on room on my internal.

Can I ask why I need to (better to) validate it via the CD, rather than through the install program?

If the backups are drive/partition images and you ever need to do a restore, it's good to make sure that the TI CD works properly and can see all the drives correctly.

If you start a restore in Windows and it needs to reboot, it will boot into the same version of TI that's on the CD. If the CD version doesn't work, the reboot version won't either. It's just best to check it.

Once you know it works properly, it's not necessary to continue checking the images using the CD (though it's a good idea to check again if you update the TI CD).

jnibori wrote:

..., but is it just as safe?

Definitely NOT. Using external HDs is NOT safe, even if you can successfully verify your TIB-file. I had this problem twice already, that a TIB file was inaccessible altough it was verified. Still today I cannot figure out, what went wrong.