Maintaining a healthy hard drive (sm)
Posted By: giddy pc guru on 2008-02-24
In Reply to: How long have you noticed your hard drives lasts when you are on the computer 24/7. My computer is - PAMT
Maximizing the life of your hard drive
The following is a list of important maintenance and monitoring techniques you can use to maximize the life of your hard drive and prevent data loss.
Hard drives are physically fragile – handle with care
Statistics show that 25% of lost data is due to a failure of a portable drive. (Source: 2001 Cost of Downtime Survey Results)
Contrary to its seemingly rugged appearance, your hard disk is a very delicate device that writes and reads data using microscopic magnetic particles. Any vibration, shock, and other careless operation may damage your drive and cause or contribute to the possibility of a failure. This is especially relevant for notebook users, as they are most at risk of drive failure due to physical damage, theft, and other causes beyond their control. That’s why we recommend regular backup of notebook hard drives, as often as possible.
Possible solutions include external USB or Firewire drives (although these are prone to the same risks), desktop synchronization, or backup at a data center through the web.
Hard drives write data in a non-linear way forcing it to become fragmented.
When files accumulate on your hard drive, they do not just get written in a linear fashion. A hard drive writes files in small pieces and scatters them over the surface. The fuller your hard drive becomes and the more files you save and delete the worse file fragmentation can be. Hard drive access times increase with fragmentation since your drive must work harder to find all the pieces of the files. The more fragmented your data is, the harder the actuator arm has to work to find each piece of a file.
A case in point: Disk fragmentation is a common problem for users of Outlook Express and database software. Each time outlook saves new mail, it does so in a different physical location from the previous time. This results in extreme fragmentation, causing longer access times and forcing more strain on the actuator arm.
Finally, in the event of a total crash, a fragmented drive is much more difficult to recover then a healthy defragged drive.
Luckily, Windows makes it remarkably easy to defrag your hard drive, simply launch the Disk Defragmenter utility (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools), choose which disk or partition you’d like to defragment and set it to work overnight or while you are not actively using your computer. Defragmentation will speed up your computer and ensure a longer life for your hard drive.
A very small power surge can fry a hard drive – use a UPS and turn off your computer
Another little-known fact about the fragility of your hard drive is its susceptibility to electrical failure. An electrical failure can be caused by a power surge, lightening strikes, power brown-outs, incorrect wiring, a faulty or old power supply, and many other factors. If a power surge enters your computer, it may do an unpredictable amount of damage, including destroying your hard drive’s electronics or crashing the heads and possibly resulting in total data loss.
The best way to protect your computer from such dangers is to use a highly rated protected power bar or an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). Although these devices won’t eliminate the chances of a crash, they will serve as effective protection in most cases. Also, you can minimize the danger of an electrical problem and reduce wear of your hard drive by turning off your computer or using power-save modes whenever possible. It’s a known fact that 100% of drives fail, the question is when will it happen and will you be prepared?
*Be SMART, monitor the health of your drive to prevent unexpected crashes
All modern hard drives have a self-monitoring technology called SMART (Self Monitoring Analysis & Reporting Technology). What most people don’t realize is that the majority of hard drive failures do not have to be unexpected. Most failures occur as a result of long-term problems which can be predicted. By regularly monitoring disk health and performance, you can know about potential hard drive problems before you lose any of your data.
Several excellent utilities are available, including DiskView and Stellar SMART for standard IDE and SATA desktop drives. Also available are tools that monitor the health of SCSI drives and full RAID Array systems. Ariolic Software offers a great utility called ActiveSMART.
*The only fool-proof way to prevent data loss is... Backup!
If you only take one of the suggestions here to heart, let it be this one: always back up your important data. After all the monitoring and all the prevention measures are in place, one fact still remains: all hard drives fail. Backing up regularly will ensure that you’re never caught without your critical data. For individuals, the simplest solutions include external portable hard drives, dvd’s, and online storage.
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Hard drive?
Hello...sorry for the beginner question, but if I purchase a hard drive, are they generic to any computer? Or do they need to be specific for the computer they are going to be put into? It's going to go into an HP Pavilion. I just want to get a 40GB hard drive that doesn't cost too much. Any info. would be appreciated.
hard drive & software
I have an older computer I would love to upgrade. My problem is I have company provided Olympus software that I do not have the CD for. I have a newer computer with the software on it as well (I have 2 offices). I would like to either upgrade or retire the older one and even own a newer third computer that I use for other work, but I have to use the old clunker when I am at my second office because I cannot transfer the software, and the distance and time constraints have kept the MTSO from being able provide the CD to be loaded on the new computer.
Send hard drive to Third World country
xx
Here's a healthy one.
Edamame (soy beans) blanched in salted water, served on Townhouse crackers with a light layer of cream cheese. Delish!!
Mine isn't nearly as healthy. LOL
I tend to go for burgers. I like a cheeseburger with grilled onion, tomato, and green olives.
When I was younger and I trusted the food supply, we used to have cannibal sandwiches...raw ground steak, raw onion, salt, and pepper on pumpernickel bread. Tastes way better than it sounds. :-)
There's also a restaurant here with a world-famous (really!) pork chop sandwich. It has chili, coleslaw, onions, pickles, and mustard on it.
Can you tell I live in the South?? LOL
not a healthy two-year-old
Apparently, the whole house had the rotavirus and the two year old got an ileus? This is a relative. I have never heard of such a thing!
Doesn't anyone eat healthy? nm..
??
How about a healthy alternative
Healthy? What? For Superbowl? I know. I must be kidding, right?
How about a bunch of carrot sticks, or pre-peeled baby carrots, celery sticks, bell peppers cut into strips and some hummus. You can find good hummus at Whole Foods, and surprisingly, the Sam's near me has a really good one. Not everyone likes it, but it's one of my favorite snacks. You can also get pita chips and some baguette bread cut up into small slices to serve it with as well. Add some calamata olives and some bruschetta topping, which is roasted peppers in olive oil, and I think you'll have a hit that is not just the same old same old.
Healthy paranoia
Seriously, you're already distrustful of the guy or you wouldn't be having these doubts. How long have you known him? I'm with the other posters who advise you listen to your intuition.
Since it is a small dog, assuming it's healthy,
it actually should not be hard to place. Do contact rescues in your area if you don't have a network of dog-loving people you really know well. Also vets' offices. See if they will put up signs. Sometimes when people lose a pet, they want to get a nice adult dog fast so they won't be alone.
I'm also in NC, and I know a woman who wants a small dog. She's in her 50s, either divored or widowed, needs a small, clean, adult dog that's already trained and won't cost her a fortune. Look for somebody like that.
Well, I'm right in the middle, not skinny just healthy
I've never really been skinny, I'm too curvy to ever be skinny, but I'm at a healthy weight (bmi of 21) and very happy with my body. I pretty much eat whatever I want, just know I need to exercise more if I eat high-calorie/high-fat foods. I've been overweight but was miserable and decided to make a change, definitely much happier now.
If he is otherwise healthy, I'd lose the tail.
He'll have to adjust how he balances but otherwise I think he'd be fine.
Healthy meals for fussy 7-10 YO sm
"Yuck, ugh," sick of these words from young kids whose Mom wants them to eat healthy. They are also label readers (believe it or not), want to know where everything is on the food pyramid, yet they balk at everything in front of them. I am so tired of trying to please them and don't want to go against the Mom's rules. Anything tasty and healthy? Forget vegetables!
Anyone ever been really heavy and have a healthy pregnancy? sm
Well I am at 325 and pregnant. Yes, I am tall but still that weight is very, very disgusting. I wonder how I got to this place. But I am so worried about my weight affecting the baby. The baby was nto planned - was a complete surprise. A welcome surprise though. But I never thought I would be able to get pregnant while being this heavy. I don't why I thought that but I truly did. I am just wondering if anyone has been really overweight and how it affected your pregnancy. The doctors don't really see any harm in it, or so they say, but I am still a bit worried. Thanks for all input. I am getting the Lap band after I have the baby. I want to be healthy for my family after this and it seems like a reasonable option. Thanks everyone. Have a great Thanksgiving!
My SIL was heavy and had two healthy babies.
With her last pregnancy, she started walking and eating better while she was pregnant. She weighed less at the end of her pregnancy than at the beginning. Baby was 7 lbs and healthy, too!
Exceedingly fit and healthy, could he be using steroids?
x
School lunches are quite healthy in this day and age...
they have a lot of standards they have to be up on. Our school serves at least 3 fruits/veggie options with every meal. They actually serve healthy things like yogurt, side salads, etc. When I was younger, school lunch was terrible, but that's changed. It went from just plain terrible when I was a kid to terrible because they served so much unhealthy pop, chips and all to now where they aren't even allowed to have pop OR chips. The ones who bring their own lunces are the eating the crud now. The weight may have been the tubs of pb eaten with a spoon rather than the actual lunches served, as being a tween you should have burned off even a crappy lunch.
I think some things mentioned here are healthy
like nuts- I would like to see a picture of you say at 65 and see do you not still have a spread- it is called the middleaged spread and it happens whether thin, fat or whatever. Get off your high horse and quit looking down on others.
Lucky is the one who is healthy and does not need a doctor!...nm
nm
I so agree...mother of 3 healthy kids
I have a similar relative who would NEVER let anyone around her girls when they were babies, whether we were sick or not. No one was allowed to even hold them. Those babies grew up to be 2 of the sickest kids I ever saw.
Well, any healthy relationship should be close to equal
My husband works FT and still helps out a lot around the house. I only work PT, so I usually do the cooking, helping our daughter with homework and most of the cleaning. My husband always cleans the kitchen after I cook (and vice versa) though and he cleans the bathrooms. We also alternate doing the laundry. So, I'd say everything evens out to be pretty close to 50/50 in our relationship. We are truly best friends and we treat each other as such, and I would never dream of "serving" my man - that's just a ridiculous statement! I even had that part taken out of our wedding vows! If it becomes a problem where you feel like you're being taken advantage of, then you need to sit down with your husband and let him know that he needs to pull his own weight or you won't be happy. Good luck!
Focus on getting healthy, not on losing weight
I don't know your height, but was 5Ǝ" and 175 when I started trying to get fit. I lost inches first before losing weight. It took 4-5 months to lose 25 lbs, going from a size 16 to 12. Once I got there, I was more fit than 93% of all women my age. I was doing mountain hikes that put my teenagers to shame.
A few years later, I had some GI problems and started losing inches and a bit of weight, but not much weight. I lost the muscle as I had already burned off the fat. I dropped only 5 lbs, but went from size 12 to a size 8. I was anorectic. I'm back up again. ugh.
Just wanted you to know that if you think about getting fit, you may be more successful than if your goal is to lose weight. A lot of people give up because they don't lose the weight they expect of themselves. Your body will tell you where you should be. If you lose too much weight, you'll stay sick. If you are fit and stay fit, you'll feel it in any muscle and bone of your body. Good luck! Sounds like your off to a good start.
It's not healthy to base your happiness on another person
I'm not trying to be mean or judge, but I just don't understand why women do this. You should never be this "into" a guy, it's just not healthy. You really need to get into counseling or try to fill that void in your life with church/God/Christianity, anything that makes you happy. Find out what makes you happy (in a healthy way) and pursue that. I've been married 10 years to a wonderful man who is honestly my best friend and I would be very sad if our relationship ended, but I wouldn't be devastated and I know that I'm a strong enough woman that I would get through it just fine. To honestly have a healthy relationship, you should be completely happy and whole on your own and you shouldn't need another person to make you feel happy. I pray that you find whatever it is that you're seeking, but trust me, you'll never find it through another person.
Just started Healthy Performance..cooking involved though.
It has been just a little over 24 hours. I CAN do this. Sometimes it just takes a kick in the butt to get me moving in the right direction and I think this is gonna do it. Good luck to you!
Contact him and be thankful you found him alive and hopefully healthy. sm
If you pass this opportunity up, you may never get another chance. I think i would call him, but you also have to think about someone else answering the phone and be prepared just in case. i believe everyone deserves a second chance and a chance for explanations. my eldest brother recently had his 23yo son contact him. lots of issues and reasons, but at least his son got to meet his father. now i am trying to get the family together as i am trying to get to know my nephew via myspace. both were sitting around waiting on the other to make a move after their initial meeting and neither were doing it. just FYI though, my brother's wife also had a major problem with my brother meeting his long lost son as well. what's up with that??? i can't comprehend that. as adults, it isn't like they are only after money you know. just want to know their family is all. contact him before you regret it!
whaaahh...I bough some Smart Ones and Healthy CHoice
holiday pounds. I want chocolate!!!
It just doesn't seem at all normal, healthy, or realistic to put your dogs in front of your own c
.
It looks fun to drive, too! -- nm
xx
So who is going to drive them to the
bank? You? I doubt they have a good enough credit rating to get the house, so just get your paperwork in order as quickly as you can and see if you can beat the competition to it, no matter who the competition is. While you stew, a whole other person might come in and snap up the house you want.
I can drive myself where I want to go! nm
x
low sex drive
Yep, I feel your pain. It IS part of the menopausal cycle. Already talked to my doctor and a PA about this. Guess what? There is nothing that they can do. However, through my own investigation (and watching Oprah) there are bioidenticals. I went to a seminar in my area about it. I believe it can help, but it isn't cheap. Google this and read up on it. It's very interesting. You can try over-the-counter creams, they help somewhat, but they don't "get you in the mood". That's the hard part. Good luck!!
Jealous of what? Because she can drive
NM
There is a bar w/ a drive thru store
across the street from our apartment complex. One morning around 10/11am I saw a school bus go through there. I'm sure he/she was just picking something up for later but it just looked bad!
That's prey drive for you.
With Siberian huskies, I know all about that. Sasha has been known to catch birds, moles and squirrels. Misha got herself a rabbit once. I could see how proud she was, marching through the living room with it before taking it back outside. No I don't like it, but then again there are also hawks and snakes trying to get them also, even in my yard.
Sasha enjoys eviscerating a squeaky stuffed toy, but it's a pale comparison to the real thing for her. Thankfully she just carries the real animals around once they are gonners. It is unfortunate, but it's only inside the 6-foot privacy fence that they're in danger. Wish I could keep critters out. I even get snakes back there, but so far those just make Sasha bark for me to come see.
When we go to pet stores they would be happiest if they could spend most of their time in front of the small animal cages. They really want me to get them a ferret or rat, but that's not going to happen!
Drive your car to death
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- By keeping your car for 15 years, or 225,000 miles of driving, you could save nearly $31,000, according to Consumer Reports magazine. That's compared to the cost of buying an identical model every five years, which is roughly the rate at which most car owners trade in their vehicles.
In its annual national auto survey, the magazine found 6,769 readers who had logged more than 200,000 miles on their cars. Their cars included a 1990 Lexus LS400 with 332,000 miles and a 1994 Ford Ranger pick-up that had gone 488,000 miles.
Consumer Reports calls the Honda Civic a "Good bet" to make it to 200,000 miles.
Calculating the costs involved in buying a new Honda Civic EX every five years for 15 years - including depreciation, taxes, fees and insurance - the magazine estimated it would cost $20,500 more than it would have cost to simply maintain one car for the same period.
Consumer Reports' "Good bets" for making 200,000 miles: Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Lexus ES, Lexus LS, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Prius, Toyota RAV4
Consumer Reports' "Bad bets" for making 200,000 miles: BMW 7-series, Infiniti QX56, Jaguar X-type, V8-powered Mercedes-Benz M-class, Mercedes-Benz SL, Nissan Armada, Nissan Titan, Volkswagen Touareg, V6-powered Volvo XC90.
Then it is worth a drive. I'm sure you will have a
xx
And why do they have to drive in packs?
Everyone bunched up. Almost like it is an insult if someone passes them. I prefer to stay back and take my time. I think it's funny that everyone seems to end up stopping for the red light anyway. How much sooner do they get to their destination - 5 minutes?
How to drive them all crazy
I put random numbers and/or letters on the presents not to be revealed until Christmas morning, so no one knows whose is whose. Gives me lots of chuckles year after year!
Was married to a man with zero drive sm
I mean, he seemed to have some drive in the very beginning, but after about a year he seemed to have no drive at all! He would constantly complain about being tired...even after spending the entire weekend asleep on the couch. He took antidepressants and it didn't help. He took sleeping pills to help him sleep more deeply, didn't help and it wasn't so he would be "up" for fun either. Hottie lingerie didn't work. NOTHING WORKED.
We are divorced for some years. When my oldest child was a teenager and would stay over at dad's with the new wife, he frequently heard his stepmother whine to his dad about always been too tired for relations and he didn't seem interested in it at all. I thought...mmm...same argument new wife! It wasn't me!!!
I have talked to enough of my friends to understand that some men lose interest or perhaps they lack any kind of a drive anymore. This is why my friends and I all agree that you need a younger man so that when his interest peeters out you'll be slacking off too. LOL
Why not drive down to your parents on
x
I would not drive after drinking it!
Use in place of wine:)
drive it until it dies!!!
when you say you can't afford anything over $2000.00 is that because you have 2K cash or you can afford the payments? My thing is I REALLY want a new car. I dont NEED it quite yet, but im getting there. I bought my first Honda Accord in 2001. 8 years later it is really starting to show signs of wear and tear... something is DEFINITELY wrong as it is making noises now but I haven't taken it into the shop yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed it is something like a plug and not a transmission or engine problem. I know the deals are great on cars right now... but like you said you have a bunch of other bills to pay and you have to sacrifice somewhere.
When you said get a decent car that will last you the rest of your life, what car at 4K will do that?? I dont think you should close your IRA until you have no other choice you know? unless do you have other savings? He isn't working now? you owe all kinds of other things? I mean... think about it. You already know the answer dont you!! :)
go to start, my computer, C-drive
cookies to start - and if you can find a history click on there - but if he is tech saavy - he will have already deleted all that via tools, internet options, and from there you can delete files and cookies and history - that's another way to see.....tools (top of browser), internet options, then settings and then VIEW FILES.......but if he deleted them - you won't find them, unfortunately
Go to my computer, highlight the drive sm
and make it run. If it is a DVD, then you need to have a DVD drive. If a CD, then you should be able to make it play if you only have a CD drive.
Bad idea to drive to NYC - take a train
once you get there - it costs a fortune to park and traffic is bumper to bumper!
Who'd a thought a cat could drive this thing?
Take Drive Only?...good info
I was going to suggest maybe removing the hard drive and shipping it and then purchase a computer there and replace it, or save all files needed to disc and then just take those. At least buying a computer you would have something to show for your money. Attached URL has some interesting information that might be worth considering. In the left hand column, where it says moving to spain, click on "What to take" and it gives some computer info.
20 miles is not far, 1/2 hour drive
if you can stay in his town, for now, and if it's better for the kids, and your first grader is comfortable with people working with him, and it's cheaper, maybe you can go visit your family regularly. A half hour is not far; people drive farther than that one way to work day.
also, it sounds like you agree there was nothing ever in common, it's okay, at least he is caring, and you can remain friends, and he is a good father. It's okay; you'll probably be happier in your own place.
dogs & prey drive
Don't you guys blame the dogs. This is normal, natural behavior for dogs & its called prey drive. Dogs can be taught to "leave it" but that takes time. Remember, dogs are only a few generations away from wolves & they have to hunt their food or the pack will starve......Learn about clicker training & how to distract your dogs from this behavior if you have a lot of critters getting into your yard......Dogs can learn to "leave it!", "drop it"! or OUT!
I only drive at night when I absolutely have to
for the same reason. Just like N/T fan, even in my own town. As soon as it starts to get dark I have turn on several lights just to read.
Well, I might agree to it..I can see why he doesn't want to drive so much every day! (sm)
That's a long way!! But then again, we are all used to my husband being gone a lot so, I don't know. That's just so far for him to have to drive every day...
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