Home network users are making the same storage mistakes business network users did in the mid-1980s. The IBM XT, with its whopping 10M-byte hard disk, let users keep their own files, defusing the push to use file servers to centralize storage. Decisions about storage locations, file organization and back-up tools - critical for the office 20 years ago - now must be made in every home with two or more PCs.

Most homes have a junk drawer (or closet) used to hide items. If your friends and family use their PCs as a junk drawer, you will get called for help far more often than you want. A messy home data storage system will cause endless frustration and money.

When the question, "How do I add more storage?" comes your way, remember (but don't admit) your early mistakes and push them toward centralized storage.

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Granted, your next-door neighbor won't come and say "please help me back up more often" even though he should. But if you recommend the right storage plan, backups should be easier and performed more often.

Storage upgrade options

Replacing a hard disk with a larger one (or adding a second drive) was once the only affordable choice for home users. External hard drives connected via USB now are becoming more popular, as the USB 2.0 standard has increased throughput considerably.

External USB hard drives automatically appear as usable storage in Windows 2000 and XP systems. The drives can be moved between computers, which gives a 21st century twist on the sneakernet of old, where people carried floppies from computer to computer (and overwrote files hither and yon).

The drives can provide back-up services, and many units come with fairly sophisticated back-up software. The Iomega REV drive , an update of its old Zip drives, hold 35G bytes rather than 100M bytes and comes with real-time back-up software keyed to file changes. While counting on users to reliably use these back-up options for one PC might turn out well, normal users won't move the devices between systems enough to get good backups. Pricing for external USB hard drives has dropped to less than a $1 per gigabyte, and they are best used as a way to expand current systems.