Tag Archives: Hard Drive

Q. I’m selling a Windows 7 machine – how do I get my data off?

Posted on July 5, 2011 by quill

First back up ALL of your personal data. Don’t forget your email data files and your browser bookmarks If the machine has the option to make System restore CDs do it now. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Create-a-system-repair-disc Also go to the manufacturer’s website, download … Continue reading →

Posted in How-To, Security, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q.Why am I missing 7% of my hard drive space?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by quill

You format your new 500 GB hard drive and it comes up 465 GB – 7% less – where did the extra space go?  Strange as it seems, you’re not missing any bytes on your drive, it’s a difference of … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, General Computer, Hard Drives and SSD | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. What is Thunderbolt?

Posted on June 25, 2011 by quill

Thunderbolt is a new computer data interface format that combines high speed data transfer plus digital video into one cable. The release of the Apple Mac Book Pro in February 2011 introduced Thunderbolt to the market, followed by the iMac … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Hard Drive News, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. Where do downloads get saved?

Posted on May 28, 2011 by quill

When you download a file in a web browser, and it doesn’t ask you to specify a location for it, where does it go? The answer is, either to the location on your hard drive that you have specified for … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Internet and Networking, Mac questions, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. How can I make my machine run faster?

Posted on May 27, 2011 by quill

Actually, this isn’t about making a machine faster, but about removing the things that are slowing the machine down. Before we get started, make sure you have a current backup of all of your data files. First step is to … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Performance, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. My Mac just has a question mark on the screen

Posted on May 22, 2011 by quill

The ? means that the machine cannot find a drive with a valid operating system. This means either that your hard drive has failed, or the operating system on it is damaged. What to do: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1411?viewlocale=en_US Safe Mode: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564 (Starting … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Mac questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Add a SSD to a 2012 or older MacBook Pro or Unibody MacBook

Posted on May 18, 2011 by quill

One way to increase the performance of a MacBook Pro is to change the hard drive out for a fast Solid State Drive (SSD).  The problem is that large SSDs are still more expensive than hard drives, so getting faster … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Hard Drives and SSD, How-To, Mac questions, Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. My computer is broken and I need the data

Posted on May 14, 2011 by quill

If your computer has a broken screen, failed motherboard or bad power supply, the data on the hard drive is probably still OK – so you want to be able to get it copied to a new machine or another … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, General Computer, Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

iMac 2011 models, the end of upgrading?

Posted on May 13, 2011 by quill

Apple has thrown a curve ball at iMac owners with the latest 2011 “Thunderbolt” models.  The 2011 models use pins on the SATA power connector to transmit SMART temperature information from the drive to the iMac motherboard (previously, the temperature … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, News | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hybrid SSD/hard drive setups

Posted on May 13, 2011 by quill

Lately there has been a choice to make between conventional hard drives and flash based Solid State Drives (SSD).  The decision boiled down to speed vs. cost vs. capacity.  SSDs can be blazingly fast, but they are expensive, and limited … Continue reading →

Posted in Hard Drive News, News, Performance, Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. My external hard drive won’t mount

Posted on May 12, 2011 by quill

Try replugging the cables and connections first before concluding that it has failed – half of all ‘failures’ are problems with connections.  Or shut down the machine, turn off the hard drive. Now turn on the hard drive first, let … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. How do I format an external hard drive on a Mac?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by quill

Before you can use a hard drive, it needs to be formatted, which organizes the data structure on the drive ready to accept data. In addition, a drive can be partitioned into two or more logical volumes, or it can … Continue reading →

Posted in General Computer, Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. What is the fastest disk setup for Photoshop

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Photoshop (as well as other high-end graphic and video production software) is a heavy user of hard drive access.  The speed of the hard drive in a machine and the way that hard drive use is organized can have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Memory, Performance, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. How can I tell if my hard drive is failing?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

If you suspect that your disk is having trouble, make sure you back up your data files to another drive or to DVD-R as soon as possible. One symptom of a failing drive is long pauses to do anything. Another … Continue reading →

Posted in General Computer, Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. Will my Intel d945gcl motherboard work with a Seagate 1 TB SATA hard drive?

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Trevor

Yes, as long as a motherboard has a SATA connector it will support any SATA drive up to 2 TB. Here are the support documents on this motherboard www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/highlights/dsktpboards/d945gcl Your board has ” Four SerialATA (SATA) channels (3.0Gb/s),via the ICH7, … Continue reading →

Posted in Hard Drives and SSD, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment