There are several different types of removable storage devices

PC components :: There are several different types of removable storage devices ::

Removable Storage Devices

There are several different types of removable storage devices. We discussed removable full-sized hard drives in the section on RAID. There are additional uses for these. One is for drives containing data only (no OS or programs) that can be easily switched from machine to machine, although networks usually do that job. Another use is as an easy way to switch OSs on a single computer, a job usually done by setting up the different OSs on different partitions.

USB and FireWire (IEEE 1394) Drives

USB and FireWire are external drives that connect easily into the appropriate port. They are especially good for backup and transferring large amounts of data from one machine to another without using a network connection, and they are hot-swappable (consult the manual to be sure). These take drive letters, just as internal hard drives. They cost a bit more than internal drives because of the housing and external power supply. When installing one of these drives, make sure you follow the directions exactly, especially order of installation. You can expect problems if you don't. If you are asked to get one of these drives working after someone installed it incorrectly, you'll have to uninstall the drive and start over again.

PC-Card (PCMCIA) Hard Drives

PC-Card hard drives are credit card sized drives that fit into the appropriate Type II or III PC-Card slots on notetutorial computers and the occasional full-sized computer. Recent models by Kingston (kingston.com) and other companies hold several gigabytes of data. However, because of their extraordinarily small size, they don't have much buffer, so they are good mainly for data archiving on notetutorials. These drives are usually easy to set up and they do get a drive letter from the system. They are also hot-swappable, but if Windows is running, make sure to stop the device by clicking the Eject or Unplug Device icon in Windows' system tray, or in the Add/Remove Hardware wizard (or equivalent depending on Windows version) in Control Panel. Failure to stop a PC-Card device before ejecting it can damage the device.

Microdrives

Microdrives are even smaller drives used in certain computers and digital cameras. A Hitachi (hgst.com) 4GB drive using a single 1-inch platter should be coming on the market as this tutorial is released. There are adapters available to plug microdrives into PC-Card slots.

Tip When formatting an external hard drive, take into account the different computers in which it might be used. You wouldn't want to format a drive as NTFS if it will be shared with a notetutorial running Windows 9x.

Flash Memory Cards

Flash memory is memory that doesn't need continuous power to maintain its data. Therefore, it can be used in place of a disk drive. Flash memory has the advantage over disk drives of having no moving parts, so it is much more resistant to damage than the spinning platters and fast-moving heads of a hard drive. If flash memory eventually gets to the point where it exceeds the speed of hard drives for a comparable cost, it will possibly replace hard drives and possibly all disk drives. Flash memory is also adaptable to PC-Card slots.

Diagnosing Removable Storage Device Problems
These devices can fail just as regular hard drives can. Follow all drive troubleshooting instructions that apply to these devices. Moreover, with the USB and FireWire drives, drivers could be a problem—either the driver could be corrupted or the installer didn't follow the instructions. Uninstall the device and reinstall the drivers, making sure to follow the directions to the letter. See tutorial 2 for more information on device drivers.

Zip and Jaz Removable Disk Drives

Zip and Jaz drives use proprietary removable disks in sizes running from 100MB to 2GB. These drives get a drive letter and are fast and easy to use. Windows Me and later versions don't need to have software installed in order to use them. Mac- formatted disks and PC-formatted disks are available. A Mac can usually use a PC disk, but a PC needs third-party software to be able to use a Mac disk. The disks are rather reliable, but of course are subject to bad sectors and magnetic or physical damage. The disadvantage to these drives is that the removable disks are much more expensive than CD-RWs and recordable DVDs, which can be had for under $1 apiece, and can be formatted to act as a regular magnetic disk.

legal disclaimer

Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Web-articles is a free articles resource.
Suggestion: If you need fresh, daily updated content for your website, feel free to use our service. Click here for more information.

1. General Rules for Memory Installation
General Rules for Memory Installation Use the correct memory for the motherboard. Follow all instructions from the computer/motherboard and memory manufacturers. Make sure all the memory modules match as described earlier in the tutorial. Start at the lowest number memory slot, either 0 or 1. Insert the memory in capacity order starting with the highest-capacity module in the lowest number slot. After you have installed the memory, boot the computer and check...

2. Hard disk drives are so named because they contain hard magnetic disks
BIOS Memory Settings Some BIOS setup programs have settings for memory. Normally, most of these settings are to be left alone. In fact, manuals for Award BIOSs warn the technician never to alter the memory settings on the Chipset Features Setup page unless data is being lost. Data loss from memory is extraordinarily rare, so we also recommend leaving these settings alone unless directed to change them by support technicians from the computer/motherboard manufacturer or the BIOS manufacturer. One memory setting you can chan...

3. Hard Drives and Operating Systems
Hard Drives and Operating Systems For it to store and retrieve data on a hard drive, and keep track of multiple partitions and multiple drives, significant portions of OSs have to be dedicated to managing hard drives. A partition is a portion of a hard drive recognized by the OS as a separate and complete entity; it is not the divider between these portions as the name suggests. File Systems The OS has to have a method of storing and organizing files on a drive. There are different file systems used by Wi...

4. OS Hard Drive Control and Configuration
OS Hard Drive Control and Configuration There are several Windows and DOS programs and commands to use to control and configure hard drives. When you are dealing with the only hard drive on a system, you are limited to what you can do in Windows. The reason for this is that Windows files are in use. In many cases, major changes won't be made until the computer is rebooted. The following sections are overviews of the programs. FDISK FDISK is a program that runs in DOS, and is useful mainly in 9x. Very old versions ...

5. Hard Drive Removal and Installation
Hard Drive Removal and Installation It is usually not difficult to remove a hard drive from a desktop or tower computer for testing, virus scanning, data transfer, or disposal. The biggest problems you might run into are accessing the screws or having enough room to slide the drive out of the back of the cage. There are a number of steps to follow to install a new or replacement drive, but it usually isn't difficult either. Hard Drive Removal The first step in removing a hard drive is, with all the cables and powe...

6. Hard Drive BIOS Settings
Hard Drive BIOS Settings As long as it has such a setting, it is best to set the BIOS to Auto, so that it detects the hard drive settings itself. Manually entering these settings might slightly reduce the time it takes for a computer to boot, but it won't be significant enough to make it worthwhile. Some motherboards auto-detect the drive the first time and set the parameters so that they don't have to detect the drives each time. The other option is often called User, meaning that the user sets the parameters. If you feel you need...

7. Hard drives are a common culprit in PC problems
Troubleshooting Hard Drives Hard drives are a common culprit in PC problems. These problems can range from easily correctable to disastrous. As mentioned earlier in this tutorial, making sure S.M.A.R.T. drives are enabled in the BIOS will be helpful to catch some of these problems sooner than they otherwise would be caught. This section covers some common hard drive problems and solutions. Operating System Is Missing One of the most obvious signs of a hard drive problem is an error message early in the boot process s...

8. CD drives are called optical drives because microscopic pits
CD/DVD Drive Overview Compact Disc (CD) and Digital Versatile Disc (DVD, formerly Digital Video Disc) drives are called optical drives because microscopic pits embedded into the discs are read by measuring reflected laser light. Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) drives became popular around 1994 and represented a major improvement over floppies for program installation. They can also be used to read from CD data discs. Eventually came CD-R drives, which allowed discs to be burned (recorded) once only. There weren't too many of these ...