External Hard Drives and Power Cuts

Hello, I have a Formac Firewire 500 GB external hard drive connected to my iBook at the moment that needs its own power supply to operate. My concern is what kind of damage can be done if there was a power cut.

Would it be the same as pulling the cord without ejecting the volume first and thereby running the risk that I could damage to data contained within it? I keep some quite important files on it and it is also my backup volume. Especially when I'm at university, I don't want to run the risk of losing an important essay or the like.

I'm considering getting a drive that runs off the iBook itself, so that in the event of a power cut it will continue to operate on the iBook's battery supply. Am I worrying needlessly?

Am I worrying needlessly?

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Yeah, probably.

I'm not sure how common power cuts are in North Somerset, but unless you happen to be actively writing data to the drive the exact moment the power cuts out, the chances of your drive conking out altogether because of a power cut are pretty slim.

If you're really worried, you could get a UPS, but that seems like overkill.

I keep some quite important files on it and it is also my backup volume.

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Are these quite important files also backed up somewhere? (Internally on your iBook for instance?). If not you need another drive. Remember: The question is not IF the drive will fail, it's WHEN.

Sorry, I didn't word that very well. My "important files" are kept on both the iBook and the external drive.

If the data is important, or otherwise irreplaceable, it's never overkill to set up a UPS unit. They aren't that expensive, compared to the peace of mind that you'll get in return.

Thanks for the advice guys.