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Can I convert an external USB hard drive into an internal one?
External hard drives are handy and portable, but occasionally it might be nice to move all that storage into your PC. You probably can. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

Can I repartition my hard disk to remove CRC errors?
Repartitioning is not an effective way to deal with CRC errors or bad sectors. At best repartitioning will only hide or delay the error. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

How do I convert to NTFS?
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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

How do I format and partition my new external hard disk?
Partitioning and formatting a new disk, internal or external, is often not needed but it's easy to do using Windows built-in disk manager. (Continue reading...)

How do I keep CHKDSK from running on every start up?
There are times when the disk checking utility needs to run before you boot into Windows. Sometimes it seems to get stuck and does so every time. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

Should I get an additional internal or external hard drive?
Additional internal drives have a role, but with external hard drives being cheap and common, adding storage to your system can be very quick and easy. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

What does "Cannot copy - the request could not be performed because of an I/O device error" mean, and what do I do?
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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

What is disk partitioning?
Partitions are ways of treating a single hard disk as if it were many. We'll look at why, how and when you might want to partition your hard drive. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

What's a 'UDF' formatted CD?
UDF format is simply just another way that CDs can be written. (Continue reading...)

While 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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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". (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)

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. (Continue reading...)