How long does an external hard drive last for?

Computer tech here...This all depends on the quality of the external hard drive and usage. And yes, I would definitely scan all of your photos for any viruses before transferring to the external hard drive. The external hard drive is actually all you need as long as it is big enough to store all your files and photos. You may want to consider on installing the AVG Anti-virus Free Edition on your computer to better protect it. The AVG is free to use. The link is here: <a href="http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download?prd=afe" rel="nofollow">http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download?prd=...</a> (When you get there, click on this part of the link that says: Download AVG Free 8.0 (AVG server) and the download will begin.) Good luck and hope this helps.  more