External hard drive

[ZENARCHER]

Hello,

Can you hook an external hard drive to a usb hub, and then
run multiple computers to it, so all computers can see it and
use it?

Thanks,

Gary

[Capmaster]

Hello,

Can you hook an external hard drive to a usb hub, and then
run multiple computers to it, so all computers can see it and
use it?

Thanks,

Gary

You can if there is only one PC on at once. Otherwise you're trying to create NAS (Network Attached Storage) with a USB hub, and I don't think it'll share like that. Unless someone has invented an app that allows that with USB, with each PC having the app running and sharing.

You could attach the drive to one PC via the USB port, and attach the other PCs to it either using an ethernet crossover cable (if there's only one other PC) or via a hub and standard ethernet cables (if there's 2 or more other PCs). Then, using the non-drive PC, map the HD on the PC with the USB HD as a drive letter. You need to set up a mini-LAN, but that's extremely easy to do.

[bugster]

Hello,

Can you hook an external hard drive to a usb hub, and then
run multiple computers to it, so all computers can see it and
use it?

Thanks,

Gary

No. The USB spec allows for one Master (the PC) and multiple slave devices. What you are suggesting would require multiple masters and USB doesn't work like that. Using a LAN as Cap suggested is probably the easiest way to go.