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All about external hard drives

April 16th, 2010, 3:01 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I’d like to purchase an external hard drive. There are so many choices what should I look for and do they come with backup software?

PC CLUB:  Not all external hard drives are created equal. For example, the HP Simple Save does not behave like a traditional drive. HP states the following about its drive:  “What automatically starts backing up your PC the minute you plug it into your USB port? It’s our SimpleSave 1TB Portable Hard Drive. This practically hands free device comes with software that runs directly from the drive (no need to install anything”. The term 1TB means one terabyte which is equivalent to 1,024 gigabytes.

During my initial encounter with this drive I attempted to simply back up a client’s Internet Favorites and could not. This is because the drive only runs in a fully automatic mode. This mode allows you to configure which file types to back up but it does not allow you to choose a specific folder. The drive is not meant to be used as a traditional external hard drive.

However, this may be just the ticket for novice users who want to leave total control up to the drive. It will back up hundreds of file types, which should cover most users. Just don’t ask it back up a folder of your choice.

Conventional drives on the other hand can be used as follows:

  • In the manual mode where the user copies files and folders of their choice to the drive.
  • In conjunction with the software bundled with the drive, which varies with the manufacturer.
  • In conjunction with any third-party backup software of your choice.

External hard drives also come in a variety of capacities and 1 terabyte drives are becoming more prevalent. This could be overkill unless you want to back up many, many videos, pictures and lots of music. The average user can get by with 300 to 500 gigabytes.  It also may be safer to not put all your eggs in one basket and invest in several smaller drives.

When you purchase one of these drives, free backup software is usually included. A CD is normally not included since the software is pre-loaded on the drive. When the drive is first plugged in, a wizard will open with step-by-step instructions.  This software may be easier to use than other third-party software but may lack the custom features that you need. I recommend using the bundled software initially so you can learn more about the process before spending more money.

External hard drives are available in several configurations including a small portable size that requires no external power and a book-like size that does utilize AC power. I have found that the smaller ones are slightly less compatible with all PCs and that the larger ones are compatible 99% of the time. Regarding the software that comes bundled with these drives, some programs are better than others. The program is usually easy to set up and can be scheduled to backup your data daily if you wish. When you’re ready to move up to more advanced third-party software, Genie Backup, available at http://www.genie-soft.com/ for $49, is one of the best programs. It is compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The product is called Genie Backup Manager Home 8.0.

Some drives are password-protected and this feature can be annoying. The drives also come with a variety of interfaces or connections including USB, Firewire and eSata. I don’t recommend paying any more for anything other than a USB connection since it is quite fast. Both Firewire and eSata will be phasing out in the near future, especially with the new USB 3.0 starting to show up on newer hardware.

One of the best features of these external drives are that they are plug-and-play, which means that they can be connected or disconnected without turning off your PC’s power. You should use the “Safely Remove Hardware” feature to safely disconnect the drive since if you unplug it while data is being backed up, some of the data is likely to be corrupted. Many new drives have no power switch but they do go into a sleep mode after a period on being idle to save power.

~Ed Schwartz, NOCCC member. View his Web site at www.edwardns.com.

Posted in: Stump the PC Club • • • | 6 Comments »

Transferring files with USB cables

April 5th, 2010, 7:09 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I have an IBM ThinkPad T41p (aka – Type 2373, Model 315) and will hopefully soon be getting a T60 as a replacement. The question is this – how can I move files (and if possible, installed applications) from the T41p to the T60? I have had it suggested to me that ‘just’ connecting a USB cable between the two machine as a kind of hardwired 2-node network would allow me to see the hard drive on the T41p from the T60 and then move or copy files, etc. It sounds too good to be that simple. Please help me understand what I actually need to do.

PC CLUB: You’re correct, it is too good to be true that simply connecting an “ordinary” USB cable can’t be used to transfer files from one PC to another. However, there are other types or “special” USB cables that will do the job quite well. Unfortunately, installed applications cannot be copied from one PC to another. You will have to reinstall these applications using the original CDs, DVDs or by downloading the software from the Internet.

As far as cables go, there are several different types of USB-USB cables on the market. The one used to connect two PCs is called a “bridged” “USB networking” cable, because it has a small electronic circuit in the middle allowing the two PCs to talk to each other. Read the rest of this entry »

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Your next computer: Laptop, desktop, netbook or tablet?

April 4th, 2010, 8:52 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I’m thinking of making my next PC a Notebook PC instead of a Desktop. What features should I consider and what are the pros and cons?

PC CLUB: Let’s start with some definitions:

Desktop PC –This is actually a misnomer since these types of PCs usually sit on the floor and the case is often referred to as a tower.

Notebook PC – These are often referred to as Laptops since that was their name when portables first arrived on the scene. They were too heavy to be totally portable and sat on your lap – hence the name Laptop.

Netbook PC – These recent arrivals are intended for the “Internet, Email and Word Processing” user. They are extremely portable due to their sub 3-pound weight. They have a relatively slow processor and lack a built-in CD/DVD drive.

Tablet PC –These are characterized by a touch screen and are available as Notebooks and Desktops. They allow you to draw directly on the screen using a stylus or your finger depending on the technology. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • Stump the PC Club • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

How to access your files from anywhere

March 13th, 2010, 8:34 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Occasionally when I’m traveling I’d like to have access to a file on my home PC. The file could be a picture, a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation. What do you suggest?

PC CLUB: Fortunately, there are several options for making files on your PC available to you when you’re away from your desktop provided that you have Internet access. Also, some of the solutions require special hardware including a router.

Here are several options: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Stump the PC Club • Wi-Fi & networking • • • • • • • • • • • • • | 6 Comments »

What’s the real capacity of your hard drive?

January 19th, 2010, 3:15 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I have a PC running Vista Home Premium.  I have a 500 gigabyte hard drive with an actual capacity of 455 gigabytes. When I look at “Properties” for the C drive, it shows that I have used 444 gigabytes with 11 gigabytes remaining. However, when I use Windows Explorer and add up the sizes of each directory (e.g. Documents, Windows, Program Files, etc), I end up with 400 gigabytes used.  I have a gap of 44 gigabytes between what Properties says and what I added up.  What is in the hidden 44 gigabytes and how can I see what it is?

PC CLUB:  This is a common question since there’s a lot of confusion regarding advertised disk capacity versus the capacity reported by Windows. This confusion stems from the fact that 1 gigabyte is actually 1,073,741,824 bytes, or 230.  Therefore, if you open My Computer (or Computer in Vista or Windows 7) and examine the properties of a hard drive by right‑clicking it, you will see 2 numbers. Assuming the disk is advertised as a 500 gigabyte disk, the numbers will be listed as follows:

Capacity: 500,096,658,212            465 GB

This confusion led to a lawsuit several years ago resulting in disk drive manufactures having to place the following or similar statement on their packaging:

One megabyte (MB) = one million bytes, one gigabyte (GB) = one billion bytes. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • Stump the PC Club • • • • • • • • • | 6 Comments »

How to fix a computer that has lost its sound

January 13th, 2010, 3:02 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: The speakers that I have connected to my computer system stopped working a couple of weeks ago. Other than taking my system to a computer repair shop I don’t know what to do. For example, I can watch a PowerPoint presentation, but don’t get any sound, i.e., music. Any suggestions?

PC CLUB: There are several explanations for losing your sound from the very simple to an actual hardware failure. Here are some possible problems.

Connection Problem: Although it may sound obvious, the first thing I usually do in is check all of the connections to the computer. Most speakers use an AC adaptor that plugs into an outlet and have a cable that plugs into the green jack on the rear of the PC. After checking the connections, the next thing I do is try another set of speakers or even a headset if possible.

Hardware Problem: To see if you have a hardware problem you can open your Device Manager and check the sound hardware. Follow these steps:  Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • Stump the PC Club • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

All about iPods and organizing music, Part 2

January 11th, 2010, 2:34 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

This is Part 2 of a 2-part article on iPods and managing your music, pictures and videos. This covers copying of music, pictures and videos to and from your iPod. Read part one: “All about iPods and organizing your music library, Part 1.”

How to copy music to your iPod

There are a few ways to get music on an iPod. Here are two methods:

Use the iTunes library

  1.  
    1. Open iTunes and click File, Add Folder or Add File to Library
    2. Browse to any location on your hard drive or external hard drive and click Add Folder (or select files)
    3. Plug in your iPod now or prior to step 1, it doesn’t matter
    4. Select the Music link under your Library
    5. Create a new Playlist if desired and drag the newly entered songs to the new or existing Playlist.
    6. You can now drag songs from the Library onto your iPod. You may want to create a new Playlist first. Just right-click you iPod icon and select New Playlist.

The above method assumes that you are managing your iPod manually.

Skip the iTunes library Read the rest of this entry »

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All about iPods and organizing your music library, Part 1

January 5th, 2010, 5:10 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

This is Part 1 of a 2-part article on iPods and managing your music, pictures and videos. Here is Part 2: “All about iPods and organizing music, Part 2.”

QUESTION: My question is a little complicated but here goes. I want to store all my music on my new external hard drive.  It can hold up to 250,000 songs. It has a FAT32 file system. I also want to be able to pull music out of it and put it onto my iPod. My computer is running Windows XP.

My friend has a MAC and has put onto my new external drive 13,000 songs. I have 20 songs on iTunes, 20 songs on My Music and I have 500 songs on my iPod another friend gave me. I want to put all of the songs on the new external drive. iTunes shows that it will erase all the songs that I did not buy.  Also, I have downloaded a program called Media Widget.  What do you suggest?

The new skinnier iPod nano. Image from ApplePC CLUB: Let’s review some of the tasks that you can perform with your music collection:

1. You can back up all of your songs to an external hard drive or to any hard drive
2. You can place any songs from you external hard drive, or from any folder on your PC for that matter, onto your iPod
3. You can copy songs from your iPod to your PC. This does, however, require third-party software such as Media Widget which is currently available from www.bootstrapdevelopment.com for $24.95. There are other utilities that perform this function also and some are free.

As far as the FAT32 is concerned, some external hard drives have this type of file system to ensure maximum compatibility between PCs and Macs. A more secure and robust file system is the NTFS file system. You can reformat an external hard drive to be NTFS but you will lose all of the data. You can read more about file systems at The Elder Geek’s “FAT32 or NTFS: Making the Choice”  (link: bit.ly/BlYXS).  This decision is not crucial but should be made before you start using the drive. Read the rest of this entry »

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