Hard drives

[Gvlax]

i have read about these new drives and it seems to be the future. Normal HD take so much energy to run and this new flash technology will be very efficient. that being said technology is always is too expensive for me. I always wait for technology to be a few years old before i buy it.

[UofMLaxGoalie11]

Since Im running windows 98se right now, I am looking to upgrade in a matter of days, rather than months. And I want to do it right. So while the solid state may be a cool innovation, waiting just isnt an option for me right now. Ive got my new computer sitting here waiting to be turned on. Sorry, but 6 months wont cut it. An external actually sounds like a good idea since Ive gotta transfer everything from my current computer. Maybe once I start my new job and pull in a few bucks I can spring for both a new internal and external drive. Otherwise, anybody have any (cheap) ideas for transferring data between the two computers without throwing my current hard drive into my new computer?

[Beta]

Since Im running windows 98se right now

You may need to upgrade your processor too, if it's that old. Complete overhaul.

[GrayBear]

Right. That is what they used to say about 1GB, then 100GB, etc.

That's right on the money, and funny you should say that. Back in 1991 when I acquired my first IBM 286 (used) the guy I got it from was bragging: "Yeah, this has 80 meg capacity. You'll never fill that up!"

[LaxTV_Admin]

Right. That is what they used to say about 1GB, then 100GB, etc.

That's right on the money, and funny you should say that. Back in 1991 when I acquired my first IBM 286 (used) the guy I got it from was bragging: "Yeah, this has 80 meg capacity. You'll never fill that up!"

AWESOME!! I remember when my mom spent $2000 on a Gateway 486dx with Windows 3.1. We were on the cutting edge....

If don't have a lot of stuff, I have a server you can FTP your stuff up to and then pull it down. It might take a while for the data transfer, but it is an option. Let me know, I have probably 8GB of space (and it fills up quickly )

[UofMLaxGoalie11]

AWESOME!! I remember when my mom spent $2000 on a Gateway 486dx with Windows 3.1. We were on the cutting edge....

I used a 486 Gateway with one of the first CD-roms up until about 2000. That 8 megs of ram was awesome. Came with 3.1 originally, got upgraded to win95 later.

Since Im running windows 98se right now

You may need to upgrade your processor too, if it's that old. Complete overhaul.

I have an entire new machine Im gonna be using. Hopefully this current one will still function as a cupholder (cd tray) or paperweight.

[TexOle]

I had a Compaq with the keyboard that would fold up and lock in place. It had this little screen built in. It rocked.

[Champ]

Otherwise, anybody have any (cheap) ideas for transferring data between the two computers without throwing my current hard drive into my new computer?

That's the fastest way to transfer data, and it also happens to be super easy and free.

You could network both of them if you have a hub, switch or router.

[UofMLaxGoalie11]

Otherwise, anybody have any (cheap) ideas for transferring data between the two computers without throwing my current hard drive into my new computer?

That's the fastest way to transfer data, and it also happens to be super easy and free.

Would you expect that I have room and cables for two more hard drives in there already? Or would I probably have to get another cable or something?

[laxfan25]

Otherwise, anybody have any (cheap) ideas for transferring data between the two computers without throwing my current hard drive into my new computer?

That's the fastest way to transfer data, and it also happens to be super easy and free.

Would you expect that I have room and cables for two more hard drives in there already? Or would I probably have to get another cable or something?

If you got a larger desktop box you probably have the bays for installing and you can always pigtail more power supply cords - the ribbon cable may not have enough attachment points though.
Another reason to just add on a large external drive - makes it much easier to move to a new computer down the road as well.

[Champ]

Otherwise, anybody have any (cheap) ideas for transferring data between the two computers without throwing my current hard drive into my new computer?

That's the fastest way to transfer data, and it also happens to be super easy and free.

Would you expect that I have room and cables for two more hard drives in there already? Or would I probably have to get another cable or something?

If you are just transfering data don't even mount the drives, just connect them and sit them on the ground with the case open, disconnect when done. However I would expect a new full size desktop to have 2 HD expansion slots. Whether or not your mother board has a slot for IDE cables is not predictable (probably does).

[UofMLaxGoalie11]

I opened it up today and found that it is configured for only one more hard drive. So if I wanted to do a major swap, it would involve more than just simply plugging them both in.

[Campbell]

Some other things to think about before putting in a new HD are first, what kind of connection does it have. Most drives I see today are SATA drives and won't work if all you have is IDE connections. Find out if your MOBO is SATA compatible and whether it is SATA1 or SATA2. SATA2 is reverse compatible if that is all you can find, but you might save a few bucks if you only have SATA1 on your MOBO and can find those drives. Make sure your power supply can handle the extra load.

Consider your power supply. If you are running multiple devices on your power supply like fans, CD/DVD drives, video card, floppy drives, etc. you might put too much strain on your power supply and things will run poorly. If this is a factory machine or an older machine the power supply may have been sufficient for what it came with, not what you want to add.

Think about heat, if you have a bunch of devices crammed in your case you might consider upgrading to a larger case with more ventilation, fans, and ideally one with a larger power supply. Adding an HD takes up space and will make things hotter, which will make your processor and RAM unhappy and reduce the overall life of all your hardware.