This is perhaps a basic question, but what are the best options for an external drive for my macbook (4 years old)? I have light computer knowledge and really just need a place to back up my media (photos, dvd files, music, etc.). Costco has great deals, but I believe I would have to reformat those drives. That's more work than I'm prepared to do... Ideas?

Many thanks, Ben

The Western Digital "book-style" 3.5" drives sold by costco drives will work fine. To be sure, there is a reason why they are so low-cost. I would not advise you to have your sole copy of anything on them. So buy two, and keep copies of each file on both.  The two drives are unlikely to both fail at the same time. This isn't intended as a slight against Western Digital or Costco. It's just that the drives in their low-cost consumer line are not designed for the same MTBF as their higher-end drives.

Yeah, you will have to Mac-format the Costco drives, but that's easily done: either your Mac will prompt you when they are first connected, or you can do it using /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility. They're generally USB only, but if you shop carefully you may be able to find models that have both USB and firewire interfaces.

And do not bother messing up your mac with any so-called mac software that the Costco drives may come with. Use Disk Utility. If you want to back up files to them, use SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner.

...ben

PS. Now my personal preference for external drives for use with laptops, is the 2.5" pocket drive. It's super-convenient with a laptop to be able to plug-in an external drive without having to worry about supplying AC power for it. And I only like 2.5" pocket drives with firewire interfaces -- i.e. not the USB-only 2.5" drives that Costco carries.  The reasons for my preference are:
  (a) firewire is the fastest interface type for a mac laptop;
  (b) 2.5" drives can be self-powered over firewire; and
  (c) firewire drives can boot Macbooks.
Now at some point, Macs became bootable off of USB drives as well, but I'm not sure when that happened for each mac model. e.g. Your 4-yr old Macbook will boot off a firewire drive fine. It may or may not boot off a USB drive.  And also, to be sure, some USB 2.5" drives can be self-powered over USB, but it's more hit or miss, then with firewire 2.5" drives.

You can buy 2.5" drives in a enclosure with both USB and firewire interfaces from Mugoo's tech advisor and Apple VAR, LeRoy Lees. Or from most mac dealers in Ottawa. Or from mail-order. One thing to consider, if your internal macbook drive is getting full, is for you or a mac VAR to install a larger internal drive into your macbook, and then place your original mabook internal drive into a 2.5" case with both usb and firewire interfaces. 

In this manner, over the years, I now have 3 or 4 external 2.5" drives of varying capacities -- all, of course, in cases with both USB and firewire interfaces.