[PCWorld]

Post your comments for My PC doesn't see the new, second hard drive here

[berock212]

Man it took me an hour to figure this one out.

[ReadandShare]

I use a second hard drive (an external USB drive) for data backup -- and while that too is susceptible to power surges, fire, and burglary -- I believe it makes sense because all my data will still be within easy reach -- if or when the first drive malfunctions.

I also backup my data onto the cloud -- to provide offsite protection. So why not just take out the external drive? Because downloading all my data will be a major, major annoyance -- if my first drive should crash.

IMO, better to have a local backup in addition to an offsite backup.

[ReadandShare]

Edit to the above:

Following the author's link -- I see that he does encourage local backup -- but using an external drive rather than an internal drive. Sorry.

But now I wonder... might an external USB drive be susceptible to a power surge as well? In other words, for data backup purposes, would a local external drive face the same risks as a local internal drive?

[DaveNH]

Almost...
If that additional drive going into Windows 7 is a Dynamic Disk from an XP or W2K machine, Disk Manager (and Windows Explorer) will not see it, although it will show up in BIOS and in the Device Manager/Disk Drives.

To use Dynamic drives from those OSs, you need to Right Click the Disk number in Disk Manager and click Import Foreign Disks.

Cheers,
DaveNH

[Patruns]

"But please don't install a second internal drive for backup. "

I disagree. I would change that to "But please don't install a second internal drive as your only backup."

In most cases this is a potential and convienent life saver. If you have a simple hard drive failure this would be a quick way to restore data. Why do you think that RAID allows for mirroring drives?

[MKZ1945]

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ReadandShare stated:
I wonder... might an external USB drive be susceptible to a power surge as well? In other words, for data backup purposes, would a local external drive face the same risks as a local internal drive?

The simple answer is yes, but in a round-a-bout way the external drive might survive a power surge that damages some components in the main computer. The external drives are powered by AC to DC transformers (all of mine are 12 Vdc), and even though everything may be powered from the same power source the backup drive MIGHT survive a power surge. I’ve had cases with gadgets in the past where the transformers themselves were smoked, but the device attached worked fine when the transformer was replaced. Nothing is totally safe during power surges, and if you get nailed by lightning like I did last spring, the best surge protector is not going to save you. The best way to be sure your entire system is made safer from power surges is to run them off a UPS, and that’s not 100% fail proof.

[databaseben]

the article does lack some technical expertise.

its unclear as to why the suggestion wasn't made to the user to review the computer bios settings and ensure that the drive is being seen / attached to the motherboard. (sometimes the drive spec's have to be manually inputted into the bios)

its also unclear as to why it wasn't suggested to the user to ensure the drives jumpers were set properly, eg to slave.

its also unclear as to why it wasn't recommended for the user to visit the home site of the drive to find faq's for that particular drive model.

and its also unclear as to why it wasn't recommended to the user to double check the wiring and connectors because sometimes the wiring is broken or the connections ie, data cable and power cable, are not as secured as they appear to be.

if after all of the above has been double checked "then" i would consider the drive as being defective.

[MKZ1945]

Quote

the article does lack some technical expertise. its unclear as to why the suggestion wasn't made to the user to review the computer bios settings and ensure that the drive is being seen / attached to the motherboard. (sometimes the drive spec's have to be manually inputted into the bios) its also unclear as to why it wasn't suggested to the user to ensure the drives jumpers were set properly, eg to slave. its also unclear as to why it wasn't recommended for the user to visit the home site of the drive to find faq's for that particular drive model. and its also unclear as to why it wasn't recommended to the user to double check the wiring and connectors because sometimes the wiring is broken or the connections ie, data cable and power cable, are not as secured as they appear to be. if after all of the above has been double checked "then" i would consider the drive as being defective.

I thought Mr. Spector’s article was pretty good for most novice computer users. My experience with these types of people is exactly what Mr. Spector seems to assume, and that is the user installs it does not realize he or she needs to use Disk Management to set up the drive. Some of your suggestions are true but there application depends mostly on the age of the machine. For example, most hard drives for computers manufactured in the last 4 to 5 years are SATA hard drives. The jumper settings on these drives only disable or enable enterprise level features for the drive. The newer BIOS systems and the drives are designed to communicate with each other and you seldom need to go into BIOS other than to change boot order. I’m sure you would agree that it would be difficult to write an article that would cover all systems and situations that one may encounter with even something as simple as installing a hard drive in the normal space allowed for these articles. I’m just happy that some users out there are still not afraid to remove the cover on their computers.

[databaseben]

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I’m sure you would agree that it would be difficult to write an article that would cover all systems and situations that one may encounter....

well, i don't think it would be too difficult to write an article with a little extra details, such as those i mentioned. as you can see, its not exactly the size of "war and peace"

[MKZ1945]

Quote

I’m sure you would agree that it would be difficult to write an article that would cover all systems and situations that one may encounter....

well, i don't think it would be too difficult to write an article with a little extra details, such as those i mentioned. as you can see, its not exactly the size of "war and peace"

Maybe, but you have to draw the line somewhere. It probably would have been better if the author states his assumptions while writing the article. I was not trying to attack you here, but sometimes I do come across as being critical without realizing it. Believe me, if I'm being critical, you'll know it without a doupt. See my reply to AsokAsus in the article "Which Windows 8 version is right for your small business?" and you'll know what I mean.

Obviously you have had some experience installing hard drives, as I have, and probably like you, I could write a 10 page article on a types of hard drives, compatibility with the various BIOS types and versions, and whether they were SATA or IDE, or whatever. I've spent over an hour installing drives in the past. With todays drives and machines, its less than 20 minutes.

[Axwell]

Do people not realize that you can avoid the whole surge thing by installing a $60 battery back-up?

My god. I'm really worried about this Earth's future.