Long gone, but now back… sort of. :)
Formatting and backing up are two separate things. Formatting comes first: it sets the drive up to be able to record and deliver data. Formatting uses a little of the drive’s capacity for itself; what’s left is the amount of data you can actually put on that drive. For example, an 8GB flash drive will…
Reader Raleigh K. is wondering about the longevity of solid state hard drives (SSDs). Early SSDs did have some problems, not least because the operating systems of the day treated SSDs as if they were standard spinning-platter hard drives. SSDs are fundamentally different, so trouble cropped up: Mismanaged by the OSes, SSD performance would seriously…
If the actual laptop is broken — destroyed screen, liquid on the keyboard, or some such — there’s a good chance the drive itself is OK. If that’s the case, you can physically salvage the drive and use another PC to recover the drive’s data. First, unplug the laptop and remove the battery. Flip the…
In general, “older laptops” were mostly 32-bit systems, which mathematically max out at 4GB of RAM. If the laptop has less RAM than that, I’d consider starting there, to bring the laptop to its full memory complement. Because it’s an “older system,” you probably can buy RAM for cheap. If the laptop is already maxed…
This week’s new AskWoody Plus newsletter is out; and for a while, you can read it for free, here. Here’s what’s inside issue 16.10.0: LANGALIST: Win10’s new winver alternative contains a ton of useful and easy-to-access info about your PC’s security, hardware, and operating system. Plus: Is Macecraft’s jv16 PowerTools still recommended? And, why is a reader’s external drive suspending/sleeping while busy…
Seriously! Some scientists say that the advent of agriculture and the switch from tough, raw foods to easier-to-chew cooked and fermented foods actually changed the evolution of some human teeth, making it “easier for people to make ‘labiodental fricative’ sounds like ‘f’ and ‘v,’ which require the top teeth to press against the bottom lip.”…
Reader Steven Clifford Cohen asks: “I disabled the driver for the camera on my laptop. I also put tape over it. Is that enough?” Enough to prevent video-based snooping, sure. But opaque tape alone would do that; a camera can’t see through an opaque object, period. However, if you’re really worried about remote-snooping, consider the…
Reader Jenni Wieter asks; “What is your favorite laptop that you have ever had or used and why?” Hmmm. Two top contenders come to mind: Model 100: This was my first portable computer: a TRS-100. Back in the day when PC’s were usually bulky, desktop units with several separate components, this lightweight, all-in-one portable design…
In “What’s the cheapest way to network an external hard drive?” I suggested a fully-functional, zero-cost option: Connect the drive to any PC that’s already on the network, and use the OS’s built-in network sharing function (e.g. Win10’s Give access to/Advanced Sharing/ option) to let others access the drive. Several readers had good follow-on comments…
This week’s new AskWoody Plus newsletter is out; and for a while, you can read it for free, here. Here’s what’s inside issue 16.9.0: LANGALIST: Don’t put all your admin eggs in one basket! Losing administrator privileges to your PC will, among other things, leave you stranded — unable to make the repairs needed to restore full access….