Need more hard drive capacity for your notebook computer? One option is a small USB-attached portable hard drive. Because they’re external, you can use them to shuttle files back and forth between your notebook and desktop computers. Capacities run as high as 160GB, which could hold plenty of whatever you want to have with you when you travel.

There’s some confusion about which of the small drives can be powered exclusively by a notebook’s USB port. Some notebooks can’t provide enough power to run some drives, and some drives require more power than other drives. As a general rule of thumb, the 1.8-inch drives draw less power than the 2.5-inch drives. And if your notebook doesn’t provide enough power to its USB ports, look for a portable drive that supplies a second cable that lets you tap two USB ports simultaneously.