How to download a file into hard drive

Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Determine the connection type for the hard drive and your computer. Virtually all external hard drives use a USB cable to connect to your computer, but you may find that your computer doesn't have a traditional rectangular USB port.

Buy an adapter if necessary. You can find these online or in some tech stores e. Plug one end of the external hard drive's cable into your computer. This will usually be the USB end of the cable. The USB connector should only fit one way, so don't force it if it doesn't fit; instead, rotate it degrees and try connecting it again. If you're using an adapter, first connect the end of the adapter that fits in your computer to your computer, then plug the end of the external hard drive's cable into the free end of the adapter.

Attach the other end of the cable to the external hard drive. Depending on the external hard drive, the cable may already be attached; if not, attach the free end of the cable to the port into which it fits on the external hard drive. Format your hard drive if necessary. Depending on both the external hard drive and your computer's operating system, you may not be able to use your drive until you change its format to work with your computer.

This is ideal if you want to use your hard drive with both Windows and Mac computers. Formatting an external hard drive will erase everything on it.

Part 2. This icon is used on wikiHow as fair use because it is being used to provide how-to instructions. Go to the folder where your files are. Using the left-hand panel of options, go to the folder where you have the files you want to copy to the external hard drive.

For example, if your files are in the Documents folder, you would click Documents on the left to open the Documents folder. Highlight the files you want to copy. To do so, click and drag your mouse cursor across the contents of the folder. You can also hold down Ctrl and click each file you want to copy to select them individually. Copy the files. It's on the left side of the File Explorer window. Double-click your external hard drive's name. You'll see it below the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the page.

If you don't see anything below the "Devices and drives" heading, click once the heading to expand it. If you can't find your external hard drive here, try using a different USB slot for your hard drive.

Paste in your files. Wait for your files to finish copying onto the drive. Depending on your files' sizes, this process time will vary. Remove your hard drive.

Part 3. Open a folder when you keep your files, then click and drag your mouse cursor across the contents of the folder. If you can't find your files, click All My Files on the left side of the Finder window to browse all of your Mac's folders.

Click the Edit menu item. It's in the upper-left corner of your Mac's screen. Click Copy. This option is in the Edit drop-down menu. Click your external hard drive's name. You'll find it below the "Devices" heading on the left side of the Finder window. Doing so opens your hard drive's window in the Finder. Click the Edit menu item again. The drop-down menu will reappear. Click Paste Items. This will begin copying your selected files onto your external drive.

Wait for your files to finish copying. A simple program for this is CCleaner, which will remove unnecessary files for you quickly and efficiently. Not Helpful 4 Helpful Whatever files or data you moved to your hard drive just stays there after unplugging. The point of an external hard drive is to keep your files somewhere safe outside of your PC.

As soon as you plug the drive back in, you can access those files again. Not Helpful 2 Helpful In short, yes. Viruses are programs, and if you backup a program, then you will backup any associated viruses. If you copy an infected file of your own, such as a family picture, the same thing will happen.

However, your picture alone cannot give you that virus on your new OS. It requires the virus program to run in the background to send data to the attacker. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 5.

Will programs added to an external hard drive work again if sent to another PC? Usually not, because when you install a program it also installs needed files on the C: drive. Downloading and saving information onto a portable hard drive usually only takes a few minutes. Connect your portable hard drive to your computer using the USB or Firewire cable, and then wait a few seconds for the device to install automatically.

Once installed, a message pops up on the computer screen informing you that the drive is ready to use. Click the "Start" button and click "Computer. Drag files and folders from your computer to your portable drive's disk window.

Alternatively, right-click the file or folder you want to transfer to your portable drive and click "Copy. Click the "Back" button to return to the Computer screen. Right-click your portable drive's icon and click "Eject" to disconnect the device safely.