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Disks and Mass Storage
Hard disks, floppy disks, usb disks, encrypted disks, solid state disks, flash drives and more.
A drive with all my data is showing as unformatted - what do I do?
Occasionally, when moving a drive to another machine, it'll show up as unformatted. I'll look at some possible causes and actions to take.
Can I just copy an install CD to a USB device and use it that way?
It's tempting to think that simply copying a bootable install CD to a USB device would work. Sadly, it's not that simple.
Can I just keep adding data to my external drive?
External hard drives are great ways to provide additional storage space. I'll review one approach as well as clarify why it still needs to be backed up.
Can I run two hard disks with different operating systems on one computer?
You certainly can run two hard disks with different operating systems on one computer, but I actually recommend setting up a virtual machine instead.
Can I safely remove update files and folders that are taking up disk space?
Updates are important for the security of your computer, but removing those files may open you up to malware.
Chkdsk runs on every boot, but fails, and my system is unstable. What can I do?
Chkdsk will run on boot if the system has detected problems with your hard disk. If it fails the problem may be serious and can result in instability.
Do I need a file shredder for my USB Flash Drive?
Shredders or Secure Delete tools actually address two distinct problems, only one of which applies to Flash. Addressing the other could be harmful.
Do external drives commonly fail?
Hard drives fail, and external drives are no different. I'll look at the implications of external hard drive failure, and what you should do.
Does archiving compressed files increase the chance of corruption?
Compressing files prior to archiving to CD or DVD doesn't increase the chance of corruption, but could dramatically increase the impact, if it happens.
Does repartitioning and reformatting a hard drive clean it?
Reformatting does not completely erase all traces of files from a hard drive but, so far, no viruses are known to be able to recover from a reformat. Repartitioning does something all together different.
How can I reuse or erase a "dead" hard drive?
Your options for what to do with a dead hard drive depend on the cause of death, and the possibility of resuscitation.
How do I backup to DVD? How can I copy video DVDs?
Backing up to DVD is easy with a backup program or a DVD burner. Copying a video DVD, however, requires a different tool, and may be illegal.
How do I burn something to CD?
Burning files to CD is a great way to back up or to easily transfer files elsewhere. There are several burning options including Windows itself.
Converting a disk drive or partition from FAT32 to NTFS is fairly easy. We'll look at when you might want to, and the few options for converting back.
How do I do a computer defrag if I have no "My Computer" icon?
A computer defrag is most often accessed by hard disk drive properties on My Computer. We can recover My Computer, and defrag without it too.
How do I fix a cyclic redundancy check error when I try to copy a file?
CRC errors happen when there's a bad spot on the media of your hard disk. Data recovery and disk repair are often possible with the right tools.
How do I fix bad sectors on a flash drive?
Once a flash drive starts to show wear by having errors, you shouldn't treat it like a hard disk. You'll be much safer replacing it.
How do I fix errors on my hard disk?
Hard disk errors come from several different sources, and as a result there are several different approaches to resolving them.
How do I get data off the hard drive in my dead computer?
Extracting data from a dead computer's hard drive isn't typically all that hard - unless it's the drive itself that caused the problem.
How do I recover my data after a computer crash?
The most painful part of a computer crash is often the loss of data. I'll look at what to do to minimize the loss and to try to recover.
Burning a CD or DVD is complicated by the fact that there are three distinct types of thing you might want to burn. I'll look at what that means.
How often should I defragment my hard disk?
Periodically defragmenting a hard drive can significantly improve its performance. I'll review how often makes sense and when you shouldn't.
How often should I wipe my disks free space?
Free space wiping removes the ability to undelete files. Whether or not you need it, or how often, depends on how interesting your data might be.
How should I erase my hard drive before I give it away?
Erasing your hard drive before you give it away is important. Exactly how thorough an erase you need depends on your data and level of paranoia.
How should I keep my hard drive clean and working at its best?
Hard drives can last a long time if properly cared for. More often than not issues result not from hardware, but from easily managed data and software.
If I empty the contents of a file and then save it, is the data really deleted?
What looks like overwriting a file's data often is not. I'll look at how files are updated and what that implies for their recoverability.
Is it faster to write to a drive that has lots of space than to one with less space?
Surprisingly, it just might be faster to copy to an empty disk. But the reason for this is a little more complex than simply the amount of data on a drive.
Is it safe to leave a flash drive plugged in all the time?
Leaving a flash drive or USB thumbdrive plugged in all the time can run a risk of prematurely wearing it out. We'll look at why, and what to do.
Is it safe to multitask while burning a CD?
Originally CD burners and PCs were slow, and it was a bad idea to try to do anything else while a CD was being burned. I'll look at the situation today.
Is it safe to perform maintenance on a recovery partition?
Many machines come with a portion of their hard disk set aside as a recovery partition. When visible as a drive, some maintenance operations are safe.
Is there a limit to what a single folder or directory can hold?
Hard disks continue to increase in size, as does what we're storing on them. There are limits, but not limits that most people need to worry about.
Is there a way to run a DVD disc off my hard drive?
There is a free recipe of programs available online, which can help you run a DVD directly from your computer's hard drive.
Is using RAID a good backup alternative, and if so, which RAID should I use?
RAID is a valuable technology for improving apparent disk speed and fault tolerance, but it is in no way a replacement for backing up.
My flash drive suddenly stopped working, how do I recover the data on it?
Flash drives are popular, convenient and extremely useful. But they can fail, and knowing that means you need to take preventative measures right away.
Should I convert my FAT32 drives to NTFS?
FAT32 and NTFS are two different file systems or ways of storing data on hard disks. Each have pros and cons. I tend to prefer NTFS, and explain why.
Should I defragment my USB Flash drive?
We've all been told that defragmenting a hard disk is a good thing for performance, but the same is most definitely not true for flash drives.
Should I maintain my external drive the same way I do my internal?
External hard drives are a great convenience, but they're often used in different ways. As a result, maintenance needs may also be different.
Should I turn off my external hard drive when not in use?
External hard drives are convenient for many reasons. But should they be left on all the time? The answer's never as simple as you think.
Should I use "quick" format, and what is quick format anyway?
When formatting a disk you have the option for a "quick" format. We'll look at what's quick about it, and when you should and should not choose it.
Speeding up my CD/DVD-ROM: what are PIO and DMA, and how do I change the setting?
CD/DVD drives and even hard disks can suddenly slow down if the system elects to change a setting from DMA to PIO. I'll look at why, and where.
What are these "no media", "removable" drives on my system?
Flash memory card readers connected to your computer often appear in disk management, taking up drive letters even though they're not currently in use.
What causes my computer to fail a Smart Short Self Test, and do I have to reformat?
SMART, or Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology, could be indicating a failing hard drive. You may have to take further steps.
I/O device errors indicate a problem with storage media you're attempting to read from or write to. I/O device errors should not be ignored.
What does "Pri Master HDD Error" mean on boot?
Your computer's BIOS is often the source of cryptic error messages on boot. "Pri Master HDD Error" is an example of an apparent hard disk failure.
What does it mean if you get a warning that your hard drive is about to fail?
Most hard drives include technology to self monitor and warn of potential problems. The warnings are worth paying attention to.
What does the 'X' in a 48X speed CD-ROM mean?
CD-ROMs and now DVDs have become common components in computer equipment. But what does it mean when someone says the speed is 48X? We'll explain.
What is "RAID" and why is "RAID 0" such a bad, bad idea?
RAID uses multiple hard drives to "look like" a single drive increasing either speed, reliability or both. RAID 0 is a configuration with serious risk.
What is disk slack space and how do I reduce it?
Slack space is unused, inaccessible space on a hard drive. I'll look at where it comes from, what you can do, and why it usually doesn't matter much.
What media should I use for long term archives?
Keeping digital data for a long time, say over 10 or 20 years, presents several unique problems that you'll want to plan on addressing.
What's NAS? How do I go about setting one up?
NAS, for Network Attached Storage, is a device that provides shared disk space on your network. You may already have one of a sort: your PC.
UDF format is simply just another way that CDs can be written.
What's the difference between SATA, PATA and IDE?
SATA and PATA are two different and incompatible disk drive interfaces. PATA's the old guard, but SATA's taking over. I'll look at the differences.
When I use DBan will it nuke USB drives and all my partitions?
DBan has a user interface that allows you to select drives to be nuked. Be sure to look at your options as you move through the process.
Why am I getting "Windows delayed write failed" error on my computer?
This is a typical error for a hard drive failure... and another example of just how critical it is to have a full backup of your system.
Why can't I open a certain file that's on a CD?
CD's are great for backup and storage. However CD-R's are not so good for files that you need to directly access from certain programs.
Why can't my DVD drive read a data CD?
Sometimes media on a disc is incompatible with a particular drive causing it to not work properly. Unfortunately, there are limited options for solving this.
Why do file timestamps compare differently every time change?
Twice a year when daylight saving time or summertime begins and ends, file time comparisons can be off if you're using differing file systems.
Why does copying a large file sometimes slow down or fail?
Issues copying files are most often traceable to hard disk issues, but there are many other potential causes as well.
Why does my hard drive just spin and then shut off?
Spinning and freezing is not a good sign for this hard drive. There is usually only one easy way to get on with your life in a case like this.
Why does my laptop hard drive keep failing?
Laptop hard drives are made to be fairly rugged but there are limits. Here are some things to help make your laptop hard disk last as long as possible.
Why is my "generic volume in use" when removing my external hard drive?
Before you can remove a removable device, Windows needs to make sure no programs are still accessing it. If one or more are, you can't "safely remove".
Why, or how, do files become corrupt?
File corruption happens most commonly when there's a hardware issue or bad sector on your hard drive. I'll look at implications and preventative steps.
Will deleting games free up more space on my hard drive?
Deleting games will definitely free up some disk space, but perhaps there is more you could do.
Will drilling my hard drive wipe it of all data so I can donate it?
Drilling a hard drive will certainly destroy it! Your data should be safe from most recovery efforts.
Will my system be faster if I make my C: drive a flash drive?
USB Flash drives are useful for many things, but not for running your system from them long term. We'll look at why, and a Windows Vista alternative.
Will putting a label on a CD hurt it?
Putting a label on a CD or DVD you've burned yourself seems like a good way to identify it later, but you do need to be careful in how you label it.