Copying files: does Windows write to disk if files are identical?
Question: I have a directory with a lot of books in PDF format (around 2GB in size). While reading I often leave notes and annotations in the files. Occasionally I…
Power consumption: SSD vs HDD
Question: In questions like this one and in websites everywhere it’s noted that SSDs use much less power than HDDs… usually citing ~2 W vs ~6 W for HDDs, my…
Can data on a hard disk degrade without Windows warning me that this has happened when I attempt to access the data?
Question: Is it likely that a physical degradation of a hard disk could cause bits to ‘flip’ in file contents without the OS ‘noticing’ and telling you about it when…
What is the lifespan of an SSD drive?
Question:Closed 9 years ago. ? Are SSDs comparable to HDDs for reliability and is there published research on this? Also are all SSD manufacturers at a similar ‘reliability level’? Answer:…
Will a 7mm SSD fit in a 9.5mm laptop HDD slot?
Question: I’m planning to purchase a Crucial M4 256G SSD. There are 2 versions though, 7mm and 9.5mm, at the same price on Newegg.com My current laptop is 9.5mm SATA…
Old VAX machine crashed need to recover files
Question: So I had a client contact me about some data recovery. I told her I’d take a look. Well when the box arrived I saw my first microVAX 3500.…
Chkdsk Questions
Question: Recently in running chkdsk /r on my system drive (platter drive, Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit) I’ve gotten back “4 EA records processed” and “76 reparse records processed”. ?Am I…
What is this 48-pin laptop hard drive connector?
Question: I’m trying to get data off a 2.5 inch hard drive from an old laptop (a Macintosh PowerBook Duo 230), the drive is model: WDS-2120 It looks like a…
Why are there different lengths of contacts on SATA connectors?
Question: I have looked around, but cannot seem to find out why. On SATA drives (2.5 and 3″), there are variable lengths to the copper contacts on both the data…
Need clarification on what IDE hard drive size 2.5 inch versus 3.5 inch actually means
Question: I have some older IDE (parallel ATA) hard drives I want to check for files before tossing them out. I have found SATA/IDE to USB Adapters to use, but…