Data Storage Archives - Geek for Hire

Solid State Drive – What is it and Why Do I Need One?

Posted on June 11, 2019October 31, 2019 by Gail Eddy in Data Storage, Hard Drive, HDD, Laptops, Mac's, PC's, Solid State Drive, SSD, Tips

For the past several years, whenever Chris had to replace a hard drive in a Mac or PC or is designing a new computer for a customer, he always recommends that they get a Solid State Drive (SSD), rather than the traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD). Why?

For a long time, I just didn’t get it. Why is “newer” always “better” for these geeks?! Chris patiently explained to me some of the benefits.

More Robust:

Because a Solid State Drive has no moving parts, there aren’t any parts to break. This makes the SSD perfect for those who don’t count “grace” as one of their better qualities. It’s also a better choice for frequent travelers.

Speed:

SSD’s are faster. Machines with an SSD will boot faster, open programs faster, transfer files faster. Games process more quickly too. When seconds count, choose an SSD.

Lighter:

When you’re lugging a laptop through an airport, you want to shed every excess ounce that you can. SSD’s weigh less than the HDD’s.

Downside:

SSD’s are more expensive to purchase than HDD’s. But, considering that the SSD will last longer, that’s only a short term problem. If you’re looking to get a new machine under $500, you will be getting a standard hard drive.

Here’s a great explanation from PC Magazine of how an HDD saves your data:

“The traditional spinning hard drive (HDD) is the basic nonvolatile storage on a computer. That is, it doesn’t “go away” like the data on the system memory when you turn the system off. Hard drives are essentially metal platters with a magnetic coating. That coating stores your data, whether that data consists of weather reports from the last century, a high-definition copy of the Star Wars trilogy, or your digital music collection. A read/write head on an arm accesses the data while the platters are spinning in a hard drive enclosure.”

And here’s a description from TechTerms on how the Solid State Drive works:

“While SSDs serve the same function as hard drives, their internal components are much different. Unlike hard drives, SSDs do not have any moving parts (which is why they are called solid state drives). Instead of storing data on magnetic platters, SSDs store data using flash memory. Since SSDs have no moving parts, they don’t have to “spin up” while in a sleep state and they don’t need to move a drive head to different parts of the drive to access data. Therefore, SSDs can access data faster than HDDs.”

Here are some additional articles that compare SSDs and HDDs:

Lifewire (13 May 2019)
Storage Review (May 2019)

Purchasing Recommendations:

When a customer needs to have their machine rebuilt, Chris recommends this internal SSD from Samsung.

Remember that upgrading the standard hard drive in your Mac or PC to a Solid State Drive will make your machine run much faster. It’s a very affordable upgrade and may make more sense than buying a new computer. Contact us if you’re thinking of an upgrade. Remember that we can install your new SSD once it arrives as well.

And if you ever need help partitioning your HDD or SSD, give us a call.

Please forward this to your friends who may need a new hard drive in their Mac or PC.

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

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Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

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Original post: 28 April 2015

Updated: 11 June 2019

Flash Drive – They’re All The Same, Right?

Posted on October 2, 2018December 7, 2020 by Gail Eddy in Data Storage, Tips

“If you need to copy files to a flash drive or memory stick, and don’t care how long it takes, get the cheapest one.” ~Chris Eddy

Every once in a while, Chris is asked to copy data to a flash drive. The person has one that they purchased from above the candy rack at Target or has a huge logo that the person received as a freebie from a trade show. He does a silent groan and prepares to make casual conversation.

Flash Drive – They’re all the same, right?

That’s what I once thought. The only variable I thought, was how much storage it had. Do I have just a few pictures of the kids to give to my Dad? Then I’ll get an 8g flash drive. A handful of videos of the grand-kids? Well, then I’ll get a 128 gig flash drive or even a 2Terabyte external hard drive!

Speed Matters:

It turns out it’s not just the size that matters with Flash Drives, speed matters too. Most of the readily available flash drives at the checkout counter will transfer around 5-8 MBps (MBps = Million Bytes per second). Head into the back aisles of your favorite electronics store though, and you’ll see Flash Drives that are speed rated at 50 to 200 MBps. So, if you have a lot of data to copy, you won’t be sitting around twiddling your thumbs for an hour or more while it does its thing. (I’ve written about this before. Check out this blog from last year.)

Flash Drives that Chris likes:

This Samsung transfers at 150 Mbps and holds 128g.
This Flash Drive from Kingston transfers at 100 MBps and holds 64g.
Chris especially likes the price of this Samsung which transfers at 200 MBps and holds 64g.

If you found this helpful, please forward it to your friends!

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INFORMATION ABOUT GEEK FOR HIRE, INC.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

Memory Stick aka Thumb Drive aka Flash Drive

Posted on December 19, 2017December 7, 2020 by Gail Eddy in Data Storage, Tips

Last week a customer asked Chris to transfer a bunch of files from his computer to a memory stick. He handed Chris a brand new flash drive along with his laptop. I happened to be there when Chris was transferring the files. He was very frustrated at the speed at which the files were being transferred. You might say they were being copied at a “turtle’s pace”!

I asked Chris why it was taking so long. I thought that all memory sticks were pretty much the same except for their capacity. He then told me that memory sticks have different speeds. The less expensive ones will transfer files very slowly. The more expensive ones will be quick and snappy. He explained that USB 3.0 are generally much faster than USB 2.0. He also mentioned that the packaging typically only lists the speed if they are faster than 150mBps. The cheap memory sticks generally have speeds of 2mBps and don’t broadcast that “turtle’s pace” on the outside.Slow as a herd of Turtles

About 45 minutes later, Chris was done transferring all the files. If you need to copy files to a memory stick and don’t care how long it takes, get the cheapest one.

Expect to pay $15 for a 16gig memory stick that is reasonably fast, and about $20 for 32gig. Find our recomendations here.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

INFORMATION ABOUT GEEK FOR HIRE, INC.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

Is the Cloud safe?

Posted on June 20, 2017June 27, 2017 by Gail Eddy in Cloud, Data Backup, Data Recovery, Data Storage, Technology Tips

A friend asked me a question today. Is the Cloud safe? She feels like a Luddite because she’s not using it, but she really doesn’t feel like it’s safe. I’ve talked to a number of people who feel the same way. Some people think that their data in the Cloud will be stolen in some fashion. Others tell they’re afraid that their data will be taken out of context and they’ll be hauled off to jail. So, what’s the answer?

Is the Cloud safe?

Well, yes it is.

The Cloud is the safest place I’ve found to store my data. This is because my data backup is on automatic pilot. When I change a file and save it, it gets updated to my computer AND to Dropbox. We’ve had several customers who use an external hard drive to back up there data once a week or once a month. The trouble there is that people are fallible. People don’t always remember to do a task. They may have set up a calendar alarm to remind them to back up their data, but decide when it goes off that they will do it “later”. And “later” never comes. Those customers I mentioned earlier then had their hard drive crash, but hadn’t backed up their data in six months or a year.

So, is the Cloud Safe?

Well, no, it’s really not.

There have been several instances where the “bad guys” have broken into databases and stolen data. One instance last year when a Password Manager was hacked and thousands of passwords were compromised. (Which is why I am constantly harping on folks to change their passwords frequently!)

Another concern according to MalwareBytes that many people (and companies) have is: “It’s physically out of your hands. You aren’t saving to a hard drive at your house. You are sending your data to another company, which could be saving your data thousands of miles away, so keeping that information safe is now dependent on them.”

It’s really your call. Convenience vs. keeping your data physically in your possession. But, if you have precious data that changes frequently, I really recommend the Cloud. Oh, and change your password!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years. We like the free 2-3 day shipping and the online streaming. I haven’t tried the Kindle lending library yet. I’ll try that next! Prime is normally $99/year, but you can try it for 30 day for free by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial (Yes, we’ll get a small commission if you sign up.)

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What Is a Solid State Drive and Why Do I Need One?

Posted on April 28, 2015December 2, 2019 by Gail Eddy in Data Storage, Hard Drive, HDD, Laptops, Mac's, PC's, Solid State Drive, SSD, Tips

Check out our update on SSD’s in our more recent article.

For the past five years or so, whenever Chris had to replace a hard drive in a Mac or PC, or is designing a new computer for a customer, he always recommends that they get a Solid State Drive (SSD), rather than the traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD). Why?

First of all, here’s a great explanation from PC Magazine of how a HDD saves your data:

“The traditional spinning hard drive (HDD) is the basic nonvolatile storage on a computer. That is, it doesn’t “go away” like the data on the system memory when you turn the system off. Hard drives are essentially metal platters with a magnetic coating. That coating stores your data, whether that data consists of weather reports from the last century, a high-definition copy of the Star Wars trilogy, or your digital music collection. A read/write head on an arm accesses the data while the platters are spinning in a hard drive enclosure.”

And here’s a description from TechTerms on how the Solid State Drive works:

“While SSDs serve the same function as hard drives, their internal components are much different. Unlike hard drives, SSDs do not have any moving parts (which is why they are called solid state drives). Instead of storing data on magnetic platters, SSDs store data using flash memory. Since SSDs have no moving parts, they don’t have to “spin up” while in a sleep state and they don’t need to move a drive head to different parts of the drive to access data. Therefore, SSDs can access data faster than HDDs.”

For a long time, I just didn’t get it. Why is “newer” always “better” for these geeks?! Chris patiently explained to me some of the benefits.

More Robust:
Because a Solid State Drive has no moving parts, there aren’t any parts to break. This makes the SSD perfect for those who don’t count “grace” as one of their better qualities. It’s also a better choice for frequent travelers

Speed:
SSD’s are faster. I’ve read that they are 100 times faster than HDD’s. Machines with an SSD will boot faster, open programs faster, transfer files faster. Games process more quickly too. When seconds count, choose an SSD.

Lighter:
When you’re lugging a laptop through an airport, you want to shed every excess ounce that you can. SSD’s weigh slightly less than the HDD’s.

Downside:
SSD’s are more expensive to purchase than HDD’s. But, considering that the SSD will last longer, that’s only a short term problem.

Here are some additional articles on why the SSD is a better choice:
PC Magazine / OCZ / ThinLabs

Purchasing Recommendations:
If you are looking into purchasing a new SSD, C|NET has some great recommendations here.

Once you get your new SSD, we can help you install it – just give us a call!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report on what to look for to protect yourself from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.