My PC is a few years old. The C: drive is unfortunately pretty full. I've just acquired 12 Suite. In order to create space for all of the content, I need to off-load about 200Gb of non-current stuff from My Documents to an external USB drive. Actually, to a couple of them, as I like having physical backups.
The problem I'm hoping someone can help with is, I have no idea what kind of cable I need in order to plug a USB 3.0 hard drive into a USB-A jack that is almost certainly running USB 2. I'm pretty sure these are powered USB jacks, because my current hard drives use them without requiring external power. The Seagate drive I'm looking at comes with a USB 3.0 cable, but I kind of doubt that will plug into the USB-A connector. Or maybe it will. I don't even know for sure what kind of USB 3 cable the drive.
The websites I've looked at while trying to research this are full of generic explanations of USB, but they don't address my specific question. Can you help?
Storage Problem (Live 12 Suite)
Re: Storage Problem (Live 12 Suite)
USB can mostly be compatible with other usb if you have the correct adapters. The key word is mostly, but the chances of running into issues are pretty slim.
In some rare cases a cable will be designed for charging only, or other small issues like that.
For the most part, if you get an adapter you should be good. There are a few approaches for this. One is to just have a cable that goes from one type to the other. Another is to connect a hub which would have the various connectivity options on it. A hub can be helpful for power and additional devices but in some cases a hub can also add another layer of potential problems into the mix.
Just make sure the quality of the cable is good, not too long, and not too short that it affects your physical setup.
In some rare cases a cable will be designed for charging only, or other small issues like that.
For the most part, if you get an adapter you should be good. There are a few approaches for this. One is to just have a cable that goes from one type to the other. Another is to connect a hub which would have the various connectivity options on it. A hub can be helpful for power and additional devices but in some cases a hub can also add another layer of potential problems into the mix.
Just make sure the quality of the cable is good, not too long, and not too short that it affects your physical setup.