I was wondering, is it possible to connect a external hard drive via usb to a FEZ raptor? Like a western digital passport or something like that?
I think any USB mass storage device should work.
So give it a try, what could go wrong (except loosing all data on the hard drive :whistle:
I am kinda new to this stuff so I don’t know where to really start. Once I connect, how do I see any files or directories. How do I delete files and directories. Stuff like that I suppose.
Any help would be awesome. 
Check out this code share entry:
https://www.ghielectronics.com/community/codeshare/entry/630
It looks on SD card and all connected USB drives for a specific file.
It contains all code you need for this.
As soon as your drive is mounted and you have the root directory, the API for accessing it is very similar to normal .net on Windows.
I have used SSD and hard disk drives with MF devices. You do have to watch the power requirements if get power from the MF device. With a n external power supply for the drive there should be no problems.
@ Mike - Were those drives connected via USB?
Yes. USBHost module. I have also used a USB hub to attach multiple devices.
That sounds awesome. I will have to try it out. As for powering the drive with seperate power, how would I go about doing that? Is there a breakout module for that or would I have to make my own?
The hard drive must be powered separately:
You can use an extra power supply for HDD (if available) or a USB hub with extra power in between. The USB Host module can not supply as much power via USB than a hib can do.
That sounds good. Any good recommendations for a USB externally powered hub?
Thanks for the help btw. Very greatful.
I usually take what’s on stock at work.
I never had any real problems with USB hubs.
But I think: the less fancy it looks, the better it is.
Another alternative, if you have the choice or happen to have one, is to use an HDD enclosure that has 2 USB connectors, one for data & power, one for power only. Attach the data/power to your device, the other to a charger/ps such as this:
or whatever suits your locale and situation.
I’ve used this strategy to add 60GB SSD’s to my RPi and BBB. I used this enclosure:
@ Mike - I forgot to ask… what sort of performance have you gotten from the HDD?
I have not measured performance. it is fast enough.