Why Build Your Own Computer System by Jeff Heaton
Have you ever thought about building your own computer system? Maybe you’ve heard friends talking about doing this sort of thing, but you were never sure what was involved. This article attempts to answer two questions. First, why would you want to build your own computer system? ... You will have purchased a case, motherboard, RAM, hard drive, CD-ROM drives, floppy drive, video card and audio card. ... This would save money, as there is probably no reason to replace such devices as the CD-ROM drive, floppy drive, or even case of the old computer system.

Best Computer Upgrades -- Cost verses Value! by John Dow
I do a lot of computer repair work and one of the first questions I get asked (after I fix the computer) is what can I do to improve the performance. I normally clean out all the old temp files and registry entries (two things that slow down a computer) whenever I work on a computer. ... The hard drive install is fairly straightforward but transferring your data and OS can get a little more involved. ... Since disk access is often and files are constantly being accessed and written, the data transfer rate and speed at which the platters spin on your hard drive comes into play.

Hacking a SNAP Server 2200 - How to Replace a Failed Drive by Dean Novosat
I had a Snap Server 2000 with 2x250GB hard drives in it. The drives were set to mirror for data redundancy. Luckily, I did as after about 18 months, one of the drives failed! Had this been setup as a stripe, all the data would have been lost. (I know all about drive failure so the SNAP Server... What I discovered from research is that the SNAP Server will boot off the mirrored drive (bottom drive) but it won't rebuild a new drive from there! ... The SNAP Server must boot and run the operating system from the master drive (disk 0 or the top drive) in order to rebuild a mirror.

Notebook Computer Penalties by Richard Keir
Notebook computers can be incredibly convenient for anyone who needs to travel or work in multiple locations. While external hard drives and flash drives can be used to carry around a hug amount of data, being able to work on the same machine, one that's been configured by you for your specific... You can't do that with an external hard drive. ... And unlike desktop systems which are relatively easy to repair, notebook computers are not only difficult to repair and require specialized, highly trained technicians, they also require specialized parts.

Is Your Backup Good Enough? by Jeremiah O'Connell
As someone who has seen quite a few hard drive crashes over the years, I believe that performing a full backup of your computer's hard drive should be an important part of your weekly (if not daily) routine. There's nothing more frustrating & costly than trying to restore a computer with only a... By creating an image of your hard drive you are basically taking a snapshot or complete copy of your drive at a moment in time, you can then use that image to restore your system drive with a few clicks of the mouse and in a fraction of the time & hassle than with the earlier example.

How To Recover Data Lost From Viruses, Power Surges, And More by Gregg Hall
Many of us work on computers these days. The work we do is important and it is always at risk. The many risks could include viruses, power surges, thunderstorms, natural disasters, human mistakes, and hackers. These things are real and we don't think they will ever happen to us. ... If you do lose data, try not to repair the hard drive yourself unless you are an expert at it. ... What happens if there is just nothing to be done about your hard drive? ... Your hard drive may be destroyed in time if you continue.

Hard Drive Failure: Picking Up the Digital Pieces of Your Life by Brian Cain
When a Digital Disaster Strikes, Who are you going to call? ECO Data Recovery has been recovering mission critical data for over 20years. Once upon a time, if your hard drive failed you had it repaired. This was a much more cost effective solution rather than buying a new “Whopping” 5Mb (Yes... Javier Trilla, Recovery Engineer at ECO Data Recovery says “Every hard drive will fail.” “It’s not a matter of If, but a matter of when.” A vast majority of the newer, larger capacity hard drives are manufactured overseas, using cheaper labor, cheap parts and not much consideration to a long life span.

PC Crash! How to Find the Best Data Recovery Consultant by Stu Pearson
Everyone’s PC crashes now and again. So what can you do after that dreaded crash? Hire a Data Recovery Consultant. You wouldn’t let somebody throw away important documents or files of yours, would you? Well, don’t let your computer get away with that either. ... Personally restoring your hard drive data is not an ideal option but a Data Recovery firm or consultant can pull a “Hail Mary” for you. ... A consultant may cost a lot more than sending your drive out to a firm, but at least repair can be on your own turf.

Data Recovery and Data Safety Tips by Frank Owen
Whether you own your own business or work for someone that does you'll find that data protection is one of the smartest and safest approaches you can take to ensure the profitability and livelihood of your business. When dealing with data recovery and protection it is vital you remain calm and... Messing with the hard drive or other parameters of your computer can exacerbate any data losses you may have already experienced. ... Here are some tips to follow to prevent a complete disaster from occurring: If you suspect something is wrong with your computers hard drive turn your computer off...

Why You Should Not Attempt a "Do It Yourself" Data Recovery by Andrea Stone
Data recovery is a highly specialized and complicated procedure. Care must be taken to prevent the disturbance of the fragile components that reside in a hard drive or other media. For this reason, data recovery can be expensive. Many people receive a price quote from a data recovery company and... Do Not Freeze or Heat the Failed Hard Drive Many people have read about freezing a failed hard drive in order to recover the data. ... Do Not Open a Failed Hard Drive to Attempt Recovery Many people do not understand the delicacy of the internal components of a hard drive.