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Anyone who uses a PC should have an external drive. It’s both a useful means of data backup and storage, and a way to transport files from your desktop or laptop to another device.
Plus, the drive includes 3GB of online backup storage for free. Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-portable: This drive's included Memeo backup software, though not as user-friendly as that of the.
Keep important files close by with this 2TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim portable drive. The Seagate Toolkit software makes scheduling backups easy, while the USB 3.0 interface maximizes data transfer rates for rapid backups. A sleek, compact design lets this Seagate Backup Plus Slim portable drive.
Note that portable, wireless hard drives are not just for backup. Yes, they let you back up precious content from devices that don't typically take a direct data-cable connection, but they can also.
What is Network Drive?
A network drive is a storage device often used for business or home. There are many types of shared network resources located on servers, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, networked external hard drives or networked computers.
To access the shared data over network more conveniently, you can create a shortcut of the shared folder by mapping it as a local drive. The drive you mapped is called a network drive, which also needs to be assigned a drive letter. Users can use a network drive to share and store files without consuming local disk space on themselves computer. Therefore, to backup Windows 10 to a network drive could be an ideal choice.
Solutions to Windows 10 Backup to Network Drive
Three ways on how to backup Windows 10 to network drive will be illustrated below. You can choose one of them according to your situation.
There are two built-in tools can help you backup to network drive in Windows 10: Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and File History. The Backup and Restore utility can help backup your system including systems files, applications, files, etc. File History focuses on backing up your personal files. Both support Windows 10 automatic backup to network drive.
Choose Backup and Restore if you want to create system image backup and select File History if you want to backup files/folders. However, it’s possible to meet Windows 10 backup not working problem now and then. In that case, one free third-party backup tool - AOMEI Backupper Standard can help you make it. It supports both system backup and files/folders backup. Please refer to Part 3 to learn more
Method 1: Windows 10 Backup to Network Drive via Backup and Restore
Windows 10 follows Backup and Restore in Windows 7. It can help you create a system image as well as backup your files. When your computer goes wrong, you can perform a system restore to restore your computer to a previous status that works normally.
Step 1. Go to Control Panel >System and Security >Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
Step 2. Click Set up backup on the right side.
Step 3. Choose Save on network...
Step 4. Click the Browse and select the backup drive on the network. Then enter your username and password. Click OK.
Step 5. Click Next to continue.
Step 6. Choose whether or not you want Windows to handle everything. If you choose Let me choose, please remember to check Include a system image of drives option.
Step 7. At Review backup settings window, you can click Change schedule to let Windows 10 automatic backup to network drive. Then click Save settings and run the backup.
Note: When the process completes, you will be asked if you want to create a system repair disc which can help to boot your computer. If your computer has an optical drive, you can click Yes to make it. If not, you can also create a system repair disk with your USB flash drive.
How to restore a system image using Backup and Restore?
1. To restore certain files or folders, go to the Control Panel >System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7) > click the Restore my files button.
2. To restore the system, go to Settings >Update & security >Recovery >Advanced startup >Restart now. And go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options when your computer restarts, and then click System image recovery.
Method 2: Windows 10 Backup to Network Drive via File History
File History is the primary built-in backup solution in Windows 10 that can help you backup all folders in the user account folder. You can also add other folders according to your needs.
Step 2. Click the “+” next to Add a drive and choose network location to store the backup files.
Step 3. Click More options to access Backup options screen where you can set how often File History backs up your files, how long versions are saved and add other folders that need to be backed up.
How to restore the backup files using File History?
If you accidentally delete a file/folder, you can perform Windows 10 File History restore to recover the file/folder. Two methods are available.
1. Go to Control Panel >System and Security >File History >Restore personal files. Browse and find the files you want to restore.
2. To restore a previous version of a file: right-click the file and select Properties and go to the Previous Versions tab > choose a restore point and restore it.
Method 3: Windows 10 Backup to Network Drive via AOMEI Backupper
AOMEI Backupper Standard is one comprehensive and free PC backup tool that can help you backup Windows 10 to network drive.
It provides system backup, disk backup, partition backup, file/folder backup.
It lets you set Windows 10 automatic backup to network drive. Perform the backup daily/weekly/monthly.
It allows you to do Windows 10 incremental backup to network drive as well.
It allows you to set internal/external hard dive, USB flash drive, cloud drive, network drive/NAS, etc. as source or target directory. Therefore, you can easily backup Windows 10 to network drive, or vice versa, backup network drive to windows 10.
The restore feature of AOMEI Backupper is also amazing. In Professional or higher editions, you can restore system image to different disk type (GPT and MBR) or even another computer with dissimilar hardware. You can a use bootable rescue media or AOMEI PXE Boot tool to perform offline restore.
Before you backup Windows 10 to network drive, make sure you have create a bootable media in order to restore when your system is not working, and you have a network drive shows in File Explorer. As the network drive also has a drive letter, to backup to network drive with AOMEI Backupper is the same as to local partition.
To backup Windows 10 to network drive:
Wifi Backup Hard Drive
Step 1. Download, install and launch this free network backup software.
Step 2. Click System Backup under Backup tab. The software will automatically choose the partitions to be backed up.
Step 3. Click the inverted triangle to select the network drive as destination location. You need to click Add Share or NAS Devices in the popping out window and enter the required information.
Step 4. Then, the program will backup your Windows 10 to specified network drive after clicking Start Backup.
Notes: 1. Click Options to write a comment, set the compression level or enable email notification. 2. Click Schedule to let the backup perform everyday/weekly/monthly. 3. To better manage the backup files, AOMEI Backupper Professional offers Scheme option which can help remove old backup images automatically to free up the storage space. If you are interested in, you can get the free trial version to explore it by yourself.
Besides, AOMEI Backupper allows you to perform windows 10 backup to network shared folder on NAS by enter the Share or NAS path. To backup to NAS, you may also need to enter username and password.
If you want to do it the other way around - backup network drive to Windows 10, just select the source and target directory accordingly.
Conclusion
Now you know how to let Windows 10 backup to network drive. The Backup and Restore utility helps you create a system image as well as make a backup for your files. The File History lets you backup personal files. Or if you choose AOMEI Backupper, it can help you backup system as well as disk, partition or selected files to network drive or NAS.
Besides backup computer to network, there's AOMEI Centralized Backupper allowing you to backup network computers using its centralized management function.
Summary :
What is a wireless hard drive? How does a wireless external hard drive work? Why do you use the wireless disk? What should you pay attention to when buying such a disk? Which is the best wireless hard drive? After reading this post offered by MiniTool, you know answers to these questions.
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You may have heard these two terms – internal hard drive and external hard drive. For your computer, an internal hard drive is essential since your operating system and other data are saved to that disk. Besides, you can plug an external hard drive via a USB cable to your computer to save files or back up data.
Besides, today we will mention another term – wireless external hard drive. With it, you can store your crucial files to it without plugging it to your laptop or desktop. In the following parts, we will introduce it in many aspects.
What Is Wireless Hard Drive?
A wireless external hard drive looks like a regular external hard drive. And it is a standard disk placed inside its case, thus, it is safe to put outside of your computer. The difference here is how it is connected to your PC.
For a traditional external hard disk, you need to use a USB cable to connect it to your machine. Wireless hard drives, as the name implies, require Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect to your mobile device or computer to access files stored inside.
Wireless hard drives are mainly designed for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs. When connecting it to such a device, you can browse all of the movies, photos, music, and other files stored in it.
Besides, the wireless disk can also be connected to Linux, Mac, and Windows PCs where you can work with the drive just like with any portable storage.
How Does a Wireless Hard Drive Work?
A part of a wireless external hard drive works exactly the same as inside your PC and the change is how it connects to your system.
It has an integrated battery and wireless module. So as long as your wireless terminal device is connected to it through Wi-Fi with a password, you can access the data in it, which is completely free from the data cable.
If you connect to a wireless hard drive from your computer, it shows up a separate hard drive in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac), just like it was connected via a physical cable and you can easily browse files. If you connect to it from a tablet or smartphone, a window appears to show you through all the steps that you need to start transferring files to or from the disk.
Wireless disks are battery-powered, so you may be interested in the battery life. It depends on what you are doing. It is about 5 hours when consistently steaming media and 20 hours when keeping on idle standby.
This article tells you how to make laptop battery last longer in different ways. You can use one or more of these methods to extend laptop battery life.
What Are the Benefits of Having a Wireless Hard Drive?
Why do you use a wireless external hard drive? This is because it has many advantages and now let’s go to see them. Then, you know clearly why it can be a good option.
Portability and Flexibility
One of the main key points is the name wireless that can be directly related to portability. When carrying a wireless hard drive, portability is a merit. As mentioned above, you can access your disk data anywhere and anytime.
Besides, the flexibility is also an advantage. For example, when moving your laptop around the home often, you won’t take the wireless external hard drive around with you since it stays connected at all times without plugging and unplugging it.
Easy-to-Connect
A wireless hard drive can connect to any Wi-Fi compatible device like a tablet, phone, or PC. Besides, it is accessible from any Wi-Fi network, which means you can be located anywhere in the world. As long as you connect to the disk, you can access files, just like a personal cloud service.
List of 2019 best 10 free cloud storage services to back up your photos, videos, music, files. Select the preferred free cloud storage to upload files, photos.
Streaming Capabilities
Most wireless external hard drives not only offer the capability of the network but also offer ways to stream your media files across devices. For example, depending on the home setup, you can use the drive to stream your iTunes library, store all the home movies to the disk, or stream all the family pictures to a smart photo frame.
Multiple PCs Can Use It
Multiple persons can use the wireless hard drive at the same time. When your partner is streaming a film, you can back up files to it. And multiple computers can connect to the disk, which is not like with a regular external hard drive on only one PC.
Battery
A wireless hard drive is battery-powered, which can give you the assistance of using it at times that are not possible in other cases. Most of the disks can be fit in the pocket or draw out the power from a USB port.
What to Notice When Buying a Wireless Hard Drive
When connecting to a wireless external hard drive from a tablet or smartphone, your purpose is to expand the storage device of that device. If you use the disk via a computer, perhaps you want to back up files to that drive.
No matter which needs you have, before you purchase a wireless hard drive, there are some things you should pay attention to.
SD or No SD
Some wireless hard drives come with an SD card slot that is built into the drive body. With the slot, you can easily access or back up the contents of your camera card. If you have a need, consider this point.
Capacity
It is better to buy a wireless external hard drive with a larger capacity than you need. Just make a plan to know how much space you need in the future.
Needs
When buying a wireless hard drive, you should also consider your needs. Using the disk for music files or backups of your important documents impacts the capacity of the drive that you may need and the wireless speeds while researching the item.
Features
It is better to not purchase a wireless hard drive with more features than you need. If you decide to only back up your data, you don’t consider streaming capabilities and apps.
Battery Life
The battery life of the wireless external hard drive is a point that you cannot overlook. You need to pay attention to this when you buy your wireless disk.
Particularly, you should ensure to look at how many continuous minutes each wireless hard drive claims it can stream videos. Typically, it is between four and five hours.
Also, choose a drive that can charge via a USB cable. When connecting the disk to your computer via USB, it can be used as an external storage device while charging its battery at the same time. This is a small feature but it is quite useful in daily life.
Software Interface
Depending on different platforms like iOS and Android, the app aspect of the wireless external hard drive is different. So, you should check the particulars. This is mainly a problem for how the wireless disk connects with tablets and phones.
Also, we hope you can use the wired connection and use Windows Explorer or Finder to manage your disk data when connecting it to a desktop or laptop.
Wifi External Drive
Know the Maximum Connectable Devices
You should also consider how many devices the wireless hard drive can connect to at a time and how many of these connections can be used for streaming. The kind of content you are streaming can influence the smoothness of playback.
Check the Streaming-File Support Information
If you want to purchase a wireless external hard drive to act as a streaming source for movies or music, it is necessary to check which file types you can play through the offered app. If the type includes FLAC, think twice.
Security
When you firstly get a wireless external hard drive, remember to set up the security features properly. The main defect of this disk is the risk of other persons accessing it. So, you should use a strong password to avoid this case.
Top 3 Wireless Hard Drives
Seagate Wireless Plus 2TB
Seagate Wireless Plus can create its own Wi-Fi network, letting you wirelessly stream your files and media to your devices including tablets, phones, computers, etc. It can sync with Google Drive and Dropbox to bring the cloud with you even when you are not connected to the Internet.
This drive can stream up to 3 different HD movies to 3 devices simultaneously. With the free Seagate Media app, you can easily access your media library. Besides, it can connect to DLNA devices, Smart TVs, and AirPlay. And it offers three capacities, including 500GB, 1TB, 2TB.
WD My Passport Wireless External Hard Drive
Western Digital My Passport has a built-in battery to charge your action camera, phone, and more. This drive integrates an SD 3.0 card reader for fast media offloads from a camera without a computer. Besides, you can edit and stream RAW photos and 4K drone videos without a PC.
There are lots of capacity options for this wireless hard drive, including 1, 2, 3, or 4 TB. And it supports RAW image preview and USB 3.0 connection to PC and Mac computers.
Toshiba Canvio AeroCast 1TB Wireless Hard Drive
Toshiba Canvio AeroCast is a powerful device that comes with 1TB capacity. It integrated wireless access point for accessing your data on the go. Also, it has a built-in rechargeable battery and the battery life can reach up to five hours.
It also has an SD memory card slot so you can back up images from a camera quickly. With the Cast Ready app from Google, you can wirelessly cast pictures and movies to an HDTV. Besides, the Toshiba Wireless HDD mobile app allows you to easily upload and back up content from your smartphones, tablets, and PCs.
In addition to these three wireless hard drives, there are many other drives for you to choose, for example, SSK Portable NAS Wireless Hard Drive, Western Digital My Cloud NAS Wireless Hard Drive, RAVPower FileHub Plus Wireless Travel SD Card Reader Hard Drive, etc. To get more information on them, you can search the Internet and then decide whether to choose one.
Tip: In our previous post, we introduced a wireless USB flash drive and if you are interested in it, refer to this post - SanDisk Has Introduced a New Generation Wireless USB Drive.
Back up Files to Your Wireless Backup Drive
Now, you should have chosen one Wi-Fi hard drive. If you mainly want to create a backup for your computer’s files, this part is helpful for you. After getting the wireless backup drive, connect it to your computer and then use a professional file backup software – MiniTool ShadowMaker to start file backup.
This backup program allows you to create a backup for the Windows operating system, disks, partitions, files, and folders. Just download its Trial Edition to have a try (30-day free).
Step 1: Run MiniTool ShadowMaker.
Backup Hard Drive Wifi
Step 2: Go to the Backup window, click Source > Folders and Files to choose files that you want to back up.
Step 3: Click Destination to choose your wireless hard drive as the backup drive.
Step 4: Finally, click Back up Now to execute the file backup task.
Bottom Line
Wireless Backup Drive For Mac
After reading this post, you know what a wireless hard drive is, how the Wi-Fi hard drive works, what to notice when purchasing it and some recommended wireless external hard drives, as well as a suggestion.
Wireless Hard Drive Storage
If you have any idea, you can also tell us by leaving a comment below or contacting [email protected].
Wireless Hard Drive FAQ
Wireless hard drives use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to allow your mobile devices or computers to access the files inside them.
Seagate Wireless Plus 2TB
WD My Passport Wireless External Hard Drive
Toshiba Canvio AeroCast 1TB Wireless Hard Drive
You can use a wireless router that includes a USB port. This forum shows you much information - How do I make an external HDD wireless.
Wifi Backup Drive
Of course, you can use a wireless hard drive with iPad. You can use the drive with any Wi-Fi enabled device. This drive will work as long as your iPad has iOS 4.3 or higher.