Is A Cheap Memory Stick Worth The Risk Of Data Loss?
USB Flash Memory storage devices are a practical and highly portable method of storing and moving data between places. Flash Memory is highly practical for this task as it has no moving parts, supports fairly large storage and if used properly has very little chance of failing in any serious manner.
Recently though the reliability of these devices has come under a lot of scrutiny as the failure rate of what is normally very reliable technology has escalated to previously unseen levels. Data recovery companies around the world are fielding increasing number s of enquiries and have geared their operations to cope. So what is the problem here?
USB storage devices are also dropping in cost all of the time. They are growing in popularity at such a rate that the number of devices shipped in 2007 was double that shipped in 2006. By the end of 2008, annual sales are estimated to be in the region of 300 million shipped units.
With the higher number of units in the market place it goes without saying that that the actual physical numbers of failures of portable storage devices will increase, double the units = double the failures. However along side the number of failing units of more concern is the increase in the ratio of failed units that is being seen.
Given the previous reliability of USB storage media why then is there an increase in the ratio of failures? Investigations tend to have a common theme and a common result. In a majority of reported cases the actual flash memory in the device has not failed at all and is in perfect working order.
Part of the problem lies with the consumer to some extent as the demand for ever cheaper products leads to the need for lean and more efficient or cheaper manufacturing requirements. A lot of failed devices are said to originate in the far east as are marketed as generic memory devices. In addition there is also a large increase in the number of fake devices in the market place as noted by one of if not the leading UK data recovery company in this article:
These fake devices often take advantage of the consumer by reporting much higher storage capacity than is actually available which is very misleading right from the off. Another problem here as well is the cost , yes they are cheaper but what are you actually getting for your money? The manufacturing process can only go so far and that only leaves one option, cheaper and substandard components!
Often These portable devices will hold a lot of your valuable data that if lost and not backed up could be lost forever. You get what you pay for as the saying goes so is it really worth the increased risk of data loss to save what is in reality a tiny sum compared to the cost of a branded device?
You can find more great advice on data recovery here or for general computing advice visit the Server Support website.
How Should I Remove Software From My Pc?
For those who have been using computers for years with lots of installing and uninstalling of computer programs, using the Windows based add/delete program may seem like second nature. For those who have not done this multiple times they may be a little apprehensive about adding or deleting anything from their computer. It is likely many think they will break their computer completely (which is kind of possible, but not likely) by adding or removing a piece of software. For those in that situation they may search the Internet to find the best uninstall software they can find on the market to ease their concerns. One thing about uninstaller software is although it may seem to do something similar to the Windows Add/Delete application; it can many times do much more.
For example some programs are stubborn and can not be removed with the basic applet program and therefore they may require that a force uninstall be completed. That is where software built for that specific purpose can help. Other types of software may come with an uninstaller application built in and are easy to remove that way. But not all software does and those that do not can be more difficult to remove from one’s computer.
Lastly some people have trouble or concerns about removing very common software that should be relatively easy to remove. For example it is often heard of people saying something like: Uninstall Adobe Acrobat - I don’t know anything about computers!
If that sounds like you then you may wish to use software build to help you with it. At least is should give you some piece of mind that you will not break your computer. After you have installed and removed software many times it becomes second nature. While it is true that everyone will likely experience some problems on occasion, many times it goes smoothly. Sometimes people are just scared because they think the magic box will completely blow up on them if they do something wrong. While it may stop working on you, it is very unlikely anything worse will happen.
For more software Pc and server support click here
Recovering Data From Failed Seagate 7200.11 Hard Drives
Seagate have admitted there is a firmware problem in the new 7200.11 series of hard drives and have already issued a firmware fix. The problem stems from a memory bug where the cache size is not reported correctly.
If you are lucky enough to have found this out before your hard disk has failed, then get onto the Seagate website and download firmware update (if it is appropriate), or search for ‘Seagate 7200.11 firmware update’ on Google.
According to the manufacturer, the problem affects the following drives..
500 GB : ST3500320AS
750 GB : ST3750330AS
1000 GB : ST31000340AS
Reports on the Seagate forum indicate that there may be a similar problem with the 1.5 TB version of the drive.
If your hard disk has failed, then you will need a data recovery company, such as MjM Data Recovery Ltd in the UK who, at the time of writing, are one of only a handful of companies in the world that are able to repair the drives in order to recover the data. A link to MjM is provided above.
Other problems that have been reported with 7200.11 drives are..
1. The drive hangs during start up or;
2. The drive reports as 0 MB.
MjM Data Recovery can also recover data from all other manufacturers of hard disk and other storage equipment and are usually the first company able to recover when new problems arise.
They were also first when there were problems with the translator in Seagate SCSI drives and (according to their website) repair these drives for customers all over the world.
The Top Ten Laptops
In nowadays’ consumer society where everybody produces and tries to sell their products, it is obvious that there is a tremendous competition among the various manufacturers. It is obvious that each company or producer, no matter in what field of activity, will always try to sell their products by pretending theirs are the best or at least better than the others’. Not only do producers try to push their products upfront but the market is full of consumer reviews and professional critical appreciations that create separate distinct tops and classification charts. This obviously happens computers, laptops and their accessories too. For one interested in classifications, the Internet is the best source for information on the top ten laptops.
Personal preferences remain subjective but undeniable. Therefore, you will find different top 10 laptops classified on the basis of the various factors that people have in mind when judging laptops quality. The size is an important criterion since people with jobs that require travel need small, light designs, even the tiny ultra portable ones like the Asus Eee PC. Other buyers closely investigate the storage capacity or the memory extent, yet more memory equals more money. Last but not least, screen resolution also rules when it comes to deciding whether an item deserves to be part of the top 10 laptops chart or not.
To give an example of what top 10 laptops lists look like, we suggest that you take a look at the next compilation that presents the products progressively from the first to the tenth: Apple MacBook Pro, Asus m70sa, Sony Vaio VGN-AR590E, Asus C90, Dell Inspiron 1525, Alienware m15x, Fujitsu Lifebook 8410, Lenovo ThinkPad R61, Apple MacBook Air, and Acer Ferrari 500. Such lists are compiled using the technical data posted on the official websites of each and every producer.
Another chart design of top 10 laptops includes the following laptops: Acer Aspire One AOA110-1295 Notebook, Acer Aspire ONE A150-1447 Notebook, Apple 15″ MacBook Pro Notebook, Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Notebook - Customizable, HP (Hewlett-Packard) Pavilion Dv4-1120us Notebook, Sony Vaio Ns135 Notebook, Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Notebook, Apple 13.3″ MacBook Notebook, Asus Eee PC 1000H Notebook, Acer Aspire 6930-6455 Notebook. Even if the two models of top 10 laptops are similar, the slight difference points out that this charting system is not 100% trustworthy given the high versatility of the computer market.
Reading Laptop Computer Reviews are a good aid for finding the Best Notebooks available.
New xbox 360 to hit shops
It has been confirmed, the xbox 360 will be subject to an internal memory upgrade to 256MB in order to run the new xbox live experience. Anyone who currently owns the new xbox 360 Arcade console will know that it requires 256MB worth of internal memory in order to run, if you don't have the right amount of internal memory you will not be able to run it.
Fortunately, the new upgrade costs nothing except for the fact that you have to buy an entirely new console. If you dont want to spend the money on a brand new console you can purchase an external memory unit in order to run the xbox live feature. Microsoft was at least good enough to confirm the rumour on several computer console website, "We are constantly upgrading the consoles more that 1700 internal components. We can confirm that we're moving to internal memory for the xbox 360 arcade. The physical internal memory is the same size as the previous external memory units which is 256MB".
Obviously this does affect the flexibility of the platform as it will take more power to use the xbox live feature. Demos and saved games are not even transferrable between devices on the xbox 360. However it is more of a viable solution from the xbox team to solve the recurrent issue of the arcade model of the xbox not being powerful enough to drive several games. It is so frustrating when a game skips and frame rates are stupidly slow. This is simply down to the frustrating fact that the xbox is not powerful enough to run it.
This is not the first problem that I have personally encountered with the xbox. Only last week I received the infamous 'red lights of death' on the front of my xbox 360 which signified the end for that machine. The hardware is completely gone once you see those red lights and I had to return it to the shop, which was so annoying.
Excellent reconstructive hand surgery. Reliable ear surgery.
