Computer Motherboard Guide by Peter Stewart
The heart of any computer is the motherboard. It is that big board inside the computer that everything is connected to. It performs the role of traffic lights and policemen, directing flows of information to where they are needed, when they are needed. ... Fourth is hard drive and optical drive connections Two kinds are available, IDE and SATA, IDE is older with a thick cable and SATA is newer with a thinner cable. ... Both DDR and DDR2 come in different speed ratings measured in MHz. ... AGP slots come in speed variants up to 8x, make sure the slot matches your card.

Computer Training - Building a PC, Piece By Piece by Michael Russell
Building a computer from piece by piece is the best way to get the computer you really want, in addition to being an entertaining process. There are many different parts that make up a computer but it doesn't take long to learn. Depending on what you will be using your computer for, the parts... Hard disk drives come in very large capacities now, but if you want speed over capacity, you might want to use a smaller hard drive. ... Serial ATA hard drives can obtain higher speeds than that of an IDE drive.

Eight Key Tips for CD Duplication Preparation by Andy Machin
The master of your CD or DVD disk, is of the utmost importance for replication or duplication. Here are some tips which may help you create a high quality master disc: 1. Always use the highest quality discs that you can obtain. Do your research, take your time, then choose a brand that will... This will allow the drive to slow down the burn speed if your computer can't supply data fast enough. ... If you can't, try using the copy to hard drive first feature. ... If the source files for your disk are on a network drive then copy the files to your computer before you burn a disc.

Building Your Own Computer by D. David Dugan
The world of computers is constantly changing. It is one of the only industries that is different from month to month. If you’re in the market for a new PC, there are continually new options available. To get the best bang for your buck in computer technology, you may want to consider building... These include the motherboard, processor, cooling fans, hard drive, memory, keyboard, mouse, video and sound cards. ... A customer can choose from different options regarding speed, memory and special portals.

Hard Drives by Kent Pinkerton
A hard drive, or hard disk drive (HDD), is the storage device you use in your personal computer (PC). These are non-volatile storage devices used to store the data of your computer—meaning you can be assured that whatever data is stored in these devices, it cannot easily be erased. ... These moving parts and electrical charges could possibly cause the breakdown of your HDD, but manufacturers have already designed firmware into the HDD to allow more efficient scheduling of reads and writes if the HDD surface and the remapping of sectors of the disk fail.

CD Duplication Explained by Bob Janeway
It took some 20 years before CD duplication methods became efficient and cost-effective. From a single CD to thousands, better tools and devices have made it possible for anyone to duplicate CDs even in the comforts of their own homes. The end products are not too shabby, either. ... Speed matters The rate at which CDs are duplicated will depend greatly on several things: the amount of data on the disc, the speed of the copy disc, the speed of the connection between your PC and CD burner and the speed of the CD burner itself.

Basics of RAID by Jason Kohrs
A couple of the recent Tech Tips from www.geeks.com have made mention of RAID, but the level of detail required in those tips didn’t shed much light on what RAID actually is. The number of e-mail responses and comments in the Readers Digress section was convincing enough that an introduction to... Each drive’s contents are identical to each other, so if one drive fails, the system could continue operating on the remaining good drive, making it an ideal choice for those who value their data. ... It allows a failed hard drive to be removed from a live system by simply unlocking the bay and...

How Data Is Stored On A Hard Drive by Jason Perry
When a file is saved on a computer, the data is stored on the hard disk platter's magnetic coating. This magnetic coating on the platters is the 'glue' that keeps your data. Any damage to that magnetic coating means that there is data loss as each piece of missing coating contains data. ... Each firmware revision is specific to its hard drive type and each hard drive can go through dozens of firmware revisions to increase that particular manufacturer's disk drive's performance. ... Printed Circuit Board (PCB) The PCB of the hard drive is the electronics of the hard disk that manages and...

5 RAID Data Recovery Prevention Tips by James Allen
If you have spent the time to increase your computer's performance by setting up a hardware RAID array, you owe it to yourself to invest a little extra time and effort in maintaining the hard disks in your setup. Following these tips will help limit the need for data disaster recovery in the... If you are setting up a multi-user enviroment, creating a 3 or 5 drive RAID-5 array may be your best choice for speed and data protection. ... Despite the increase in speed and performance using RAID arrays, files can still become disorganized and corrupted.

Flash Drive Mania by Brenda Fleen
All across the globe people are opting for technology that they could take along with them anywhere and everywhere. The trend even suggests that the more compact a device is, the better. Take a look at laptops and cellular phones, for example. Is it just me or are they getting smaller and... For those of you who don't know what a USB Flash Drive is yet, it is commonly defined as a compact and portable hard drive that is convenient and universal. ... It is carefully designed to fit your wrist conveniently and doubles as hard drive with one swift unplugging motion.