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Second to my three-part post regarding the importance of hard disks since I know you can’t get enough (wink-wink).
Have you ever experience your hard disk suddenly conking out on you? I know there are signs but I’ll reserve those for later posts. Anyway, if you haven’t I’ll tell you. I’d rather have my monitor burst into flames since it doesn’t necessarily affect the work I’m doing on my PC. But data (goodness, if data is lost) which happens with an unreliable hard disk can really send me to the hospital. Am I exaggerating? No, I don’t think so.
All your digital photographs, software programs, home videos, music, hardware drivers, documents, etc are copied to another safe location. So even if your main hard-disk runs out of service, you don’t loose any of those irreplaceable treasures.
When you are upgrading the hard-disk of your computer, you can just create a disk image of the original hard-disk and then migrate that disk image onto the new drive. You don’t have to undergo the painful process of reinstalling the OS, all the software or migrating the documents from one hard-disk to another. It’s all done by the disk imaging software.
You have a nice, decent sized 20GB hard drive in your new iMac… but you notice that only 10GB is left! Yes, you did install a number of programs- but not 10GB worth. Or you may have an old Performa with a 1GB hard drive and find you only have 50MB left.
What happened to all that space? Well, the truth is that you probably have many duplicate files on your hard drive. How many? It’s hard to say, but there are a few common things to look for.
Almost every application installs a copy to make sure that you can read the included “ReadMe” file. You probably don’t even use the one copy of SimpleText that came installed on your computer! Use Find File or Sherlock to search for “SimpleText” and delete all but one copy.
Hard drives can get quite cluttered and can easily get crammed with unwanted files and others and as any techie knows, a deleted file here rarely gets deleted in the real sense. A deleted file normally has the header information deleted with the space it occupies made available for storage. The file fragments are still on the hard drive till they are over-written by new data that is stored over it. Time will come when a computer system may become sluggish and the only way to return it to it’s full glory would be to do a full format and re-install of all the necessary drivers and software. Read more…
HD technology has revolutionized the way we use, save and share media in it’s many forms and shapes. Hard drives that used to live within the hot CPU’s of our desktops can now be directly connected to smart-technology TV’s and other devices allowing information such as online purchased movies to be played directly on-screen without a need for a PC. The realm of the external SATA-hard drive and the advent of the mobile mini-laptops changed the way we browse the net. Read more…
Any techie would know the term, and it’s not a game or video card, it’s the ability of a hard drive to survive drops or fall shock which is the main cause of drive failure of hard drives the world over. Accounting for more than 60% of all reasons of hard drive failure, the other 40% divided between hardware/manufacturing defects and others it is one problem that is so hard to address due to the very nature of the people who uses these ultra-high precision pieces of machines that allows us to use computers day after day after day. Some would swear by brand loyalty and some swear with the latest technological innovations like the release of the first terabyte drives and more. Read more…
First, the SATA standard has reduced the wires needed for connection from the IDE’s thick cables down to an 8-pin connector. This eliminates the need for the bulky cable and also improves overall PC cooling efficiency allowing better air circulation inside the casing. The other and most enticing difference is the ability to hot-swap meaning hard drives can be replaced without having to turn off the power of the computer system as long as there is no read/write operation in progress.
Read more…
Image Source: techfresh.net
A new USB cradle that supports 2.5″ and 3.5″ SATA hard drives have been released recently. It sports a new style and designed innovatively to make it really easy and simple to The stylish and innovative design make it really easy to replace between two SATA hard disks. The cradle is very easy to use. You dont even have to read the manual to be able to operate it. what you do is simply connect the cradle to the USB port of your personal computer. Place the SATA hard drive in the cradle. Thats just about it. You can access and write the data available inside your hard drive. Users will definitely see the difference of ease of use. Because they can access multiple hard drives without installing it internally. It is a very practical tool and is very convenient. the USB cradle works on both Windows and Mac operating systems. Plus, there is limit in the storage capacity of the ahrd drives. Just plug it in, and the cradle will detect and open it up.
Image source: www.hardwarezone.com
Fujitsu Asia introduced the MHW2BK series of Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives (HDDs).
Made mainly for blade server, industrial, robotic, surveillance and telecommunications operations, the MHW2BK series of HDDs has been considered with a spindle speed of 7,200 revolutions per minute (rpm) and a maximum data rate of 3 gigabits per second (Gb/s).
The product line also incorporates features to decrease the adverse effects of rotational vibration (such as read or write failures) which may arise when multiple drives are mounted on a single chassis and rotated at high speeds, for increased operational stability.
Specifications of the MHW2BK Series
Form factor 2.5”
Capacity * 60 GB, 80 GB, 120 GB
Interface Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s
Rotational speed 7,200 rpm
Avg seek time (typ) 10.5ms (read); 12.5 ms (write)
Data transfer rate Max 300 MB/s
Buffer size 8 MB
Shock tolerance
- Operating 300 G (2 ms)
- Non-operating 900 G (1 ms)
Power Supply + 5 V ± 5%
Power consumption R/W (typ) 2.1 W (1.5 Gb/s) / 2.3 W (3.0 Gb/s)
Idle (typ) 0.80 W (in slumber mode
Standby (typ) 0.13 W (in slumber mode)
Acoustics Idle (typ) 2.5 bels or less
Dimensions (H x W x L) 9.5 x 70 x 100 mm
Weight 116 g or less
Nonetheless, not all disappointment are expected. Normal use ultimately can lead to an interruption in the inherently frail apparatus, which makes it indispensable for the user to from time to time back up the data onto a discrete storage space. Failure to do thus will lead to the damage of data. Even as it may every now and then be possible to retrieve lost information, it is generally an awfully expensive procedure, and it is not probable to warranty accomplishment. An analysis was published by Google recommended very little relationship among failure rates and moreover high temperature or motion level; still, the association between manufacturer/model and malfunction rate was comparatively strong.
