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Drive storage is a device or method of saving data onto a drive. A drive is anything that can read or write data. Every computer or laptop comes with a hard drive: a high-capacity, self-contained storage device that is sealed inside of the unit. However, despite this imbedded storage, computers and laptops can fill up on data pretty fast, that is why data centers exist. If you are running out of room on your computer and want to increase your drive storage consider the 4 options below.
External Hard Drive
The first way that you can increase drive storage on your computer is by investing in an external hard drive. External hard drives are just that: a device that you can plug into your computer that has the ability to store large amounts of data. You may even want to use an external hard drive to back up the files currently on your computer. This way, everything you want will be easily accessible but separate so that you can enjoy extra space on your computer. If you need to free up a serious amount of space and increase your drive storage, consider purchasing an external hard drive from Huawei or elsewhere.
Flash Drives
Flash drives can help free up drive storage on your PC or laptop. Old USB drives did not have nearly as much storage space as before. Now however, you can get USB flash drives with up to 1TB of storage. This makes it a great alternative for storing extraneous files you do not need to access all that often, like those old Microsoft Office online documents from your school days. Consider buying some 1TB thumb drives if you need to increase drive storage on your home computer.
Cloud Storage
If you want to go digital, consider cloud storage as a way to save your excess files and photos. Cloud storage spans over a series of server networks which you access via the internet. Cloud storage by HP enterprise or similar is an excellent option if you want to have access to your data from any device. Better yet, most cloud storage is free up to a certain amount. You can typically save up to 100GB of information at no cost. There are plenty of options to choose from. Google Drive comes as a free drive storage device for all Gmail users. Dropbox is another wildly popular cloud drive storage provider that offers new users free space. If you want a free and accessible method of storing your data, turn to cloud storage.
Google Drive
Google Drive is an excellent cloud storage provider for both business and personal use. With 15GB of free storage to use across Google Drive, Gmail and Photos, you can try out the service before determining whether it is the right cloud storage solution for your needs. Once you decide, you can upgrade to one of their storage plans for a low monthly rate. If you need a lot of storage, purchase the 1TB Google Drive storage plan for just ten dollars a month. Google offers one of the best cloud services, and most user-friendly, available today, so you should definitely give it a shot.
Amazon Drive
Amazon Drive is another cloud storage solution for you to consider, especially if you are the farthest thing from an IT expert. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you automatically get access to 5 gb of cloud storage. If not, you can create an account with Amazon Drive to gain access to the service and beginning backing up files, saving photos and more. Prime members also receive unlimited photo storage with Prime Photos. This is a great free cloud storage alternative to consider if your main concern is keeping your photos secure.
Reduce Clutter
Another, more difficult, way to increase the drive storage on your computer is to reduce clutter. It may take hours, especially if your hard drive is nearly full. However, it will be well worth it. To increase your drive storage, simply go through your data files and remove duplicates. You would be surprised at how many different ways you may have saved the same Word document in the past. You may have multiple pictures or too many selfies taken with the same face. Delete these and your drive storage may double. If you are looking to solve the root problem, going through you files. Getting rid of the clutter in your computer is the best way to ensure that you are not wasting precious drive storage space. Then be sure to keep up to date on your media monitoring to prevent yourself from cluttering things up again.
Run Disk Cleanup
If you want an easier way of reducing the clutter on your drive storage, try using disk cleanup. If you have a Windows computer, this will be especially easy for you. Windows computers come with a disk cleanup maintenance utility feature. Once you run the disk cleanup program of choice it will scan your computer drives for items you can delete. It may take a while to run on your computer, depending upon how much data there is to sort through. Then, once you see the list, you can personally choose what files to keep and which ones to trash, like that Office update Mac version from 2006. When you want to increase your drive storage, this is an important option to keep in mind. Even if you do not have Windows there are plenty of disk cleanup services available to help.
Just like teraflop matters for gaming performance, memory matters for computer performance. If you want to increase drive storage the two most important things you can do are de-clutter and find new drive options. Clearing your hard drive of excess programs and duplicate files can be an excellent way to start the process. Once you know that you want to keep everything on your computer, you can clear out your drive storage even more by saving data on separate devices. The next time you get a “low memory” message, consider these tips to help increase your drive storage.
Photo from http://lifehacker.com/5624331/top-10-external-hard-drive-tricks
