Installing A New Hard Disk Drive - A Beginners Guide

Random Access Memory (RAM) in our computers only holds information while the computer is turned on. Your word processor sits in RAM - as does that five page document you spent two hours typing in.

Turn your computer off, or (heaven forbid) you have a power cut, the contents of RAM is emptied and the word processor along with all that work simply disappears in a flash. You obviously need a way to save your work and that's where the hard disk drive (hdd) comes in.

Essentially magnetic media, the disc (or platter) inside the hdd works in a similar way to a cassette tape in as much as the information on it doesn't disappear when the power is turned off.

But, after we have had our computers for a while, the hdd can either fill up or even start to fail, causing slow loading times and error messages. In this article, we'll look at the former - adding another hdd when your current hdd is full.

How long your hard disk takes to fill up depends on how big it is and what you use your computer for.

For a normal computer user, this can take a very long time. In fact, some users will never fill the hdd in their computer.

But, if you've taken up amateur photography for example, and take hundreds of photos a week, you can fill up the hdd in a few months. If you've bought a new video camera and want to create, edit and store movies, filling a hdd can happen much quicker.

So if you get a message on your screen telling you that you are getting low on disk space, it's time to start deleting stuff... or sort out a new hdd.

Yes, you can always plug in an external USB hard disk, but if you are on a budget, you can fit an internal hdd for a lot less - or spend the same and get a much bigger hdd!

The actual process is fairly straight forward and if you know how to use a screwdriver you should find it quite easy.

Preparation:

The first thing I do is check the computer's BIOS to see the current hdd configuration. The chances are that the BIOS screen is something you've never seen before and I strongly suggest that after doing what I'm going to talk you through now, you don't go into it again.

We are only going to look at existing settings now, but there are things in the BIOS that you can change to the wrong values and although your computer won't blow up or anything drastic like that, you could stop Windows loading or even stop your computer from switching on.

To get to the BIOS, turn on (or restart) your computer and watch the bottom of the screen for a message which tells you what to press to go into the Setup screen.

On most computers it's the Del key (the Supr key on Spanish keyboards where I live), but on some computers it's the F2 or F10 key. I've even seen the Ctrl

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ViewSonic VA2231WM Or BenQ G2222HDL - The Frugal's TFT Guide

ByMika Staplesson

Whether you're a seasoned gadget fanatic or just about to begin shopping for a modern flat-screen display after having lived under a rock for five years, this article aims to be a useful guide in the forest of value-range 22" TFT monitors.

If you consider yourself to be at least as picky as the average customer, you'll find it hard to find something to your liking under $150 and at 22" diagonal measurement. Let me help you out by pitting ViewSonic VA2231WM against BenQ G2222HDL.

Common Features

Both displays have a 21.5" visible diagonal measurement TN-Film based TFT panel. Graphic designers fringe, those working in professional printing industry hide in a corner and mutter to themselves, when TN panel is brought to the discussion. The matter of fact is, TN is good enough to squeeze that 'Wow' out of any non-savvy customer.

If you've been using a monitor, which is at least three to five years old regardless of its make, either of the displays discussed today thumps it with purpose. At least picture-quality wise.

Also, both manufacturers managed to cram 1920 by 1080 pixels in their product, along with both a DVI-D digital, and a D-Sub 15 analogue signal input. Remarkable, just a year and a half ago any sort of digital input was considered premium feature.

Where Ways Part

Viewsonic decided they'd rather have integrated speakers in VA2231WM than not, while LED backlight technology missed this facelift. BenQ, on the other hand, have done away with the old CCFL technology, light-tube, and put LEDs to take over its place. The result has been nothing short of spectacular, and I know because I'm sitting in front of one right now.

LED backlight in this case gives G2222HDL a maximum power consumption roughly 38% less than the typical value VA2231WM can boast. Assuming your desktop monitor uses roughly $50 worth of electricity a year, LED backlight puts $19 back in your pockets. Incidentally, that's more than the price difference between the retail prices.

Other Minor Matters

BenQ's design approximates the 'business look' a bit better than the ViewSonic, but neither is what I'd call professional. I use the BenQ personally and I'd like to be the first to testify against the glossy plastic it uses for the bezel. I managed to scratch it by putting my aluminum MacBook next to it.

ViewSonic uses this kind of material, too. That said, in this price range having these issues as the most serious problem is superb. I'd rather have a scratched bezel than dead pixels or bleeding backlight.

Verdict

Both Viewsonic VA2231WM and BenQ G2222HDL are decent displays when their price points are taken into consideration. The former gives you integrated speakers and costs $10 less at the time of writing, while the latter has no speakers but makes use of the latest LED backlight technology.

I suggest you opt for the BenQ monitor in this case, simply because it puts about $20 back in your pockets a year through its muffled power consumption.

I hope you've got your questions answered!

In case you long for more about either ViewSonic VA2231WM or BenQ G2222HDL, feel free to follow the links.

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Laptop Trolleys and Lockers - A Guide to Choosing Secure Storage for Your IT Equipment

Do you require your laptop storage to be mobile?

There are two main types of laptop storage:

The Laptop Locker, this is a static item that can be fixed in place for additional security.

The Laptop Trolley: Trolleys, by their very nature, are mobile, ideal for use in different classrooms or boardrooms when you might want to give a presentation and then move on.

Would you like to charge your laptops at the same time as storing them?

Laptop lockers and trolleys are all available with a charging option, this is in the form of a bank of mains plugs to charge using the laptops own power supply. Cable storage keeps the mess to a minimum, safely hidden away at the back.

How Secure are the Laptops?

All of the trolleys and lockers come with lockable doors or compartments. The lockers come with various door options allowing a door for each laptop or a larger door covering multiple laptop bays.

Cleanliness - Are they easy to keep clean?

You will find that most products are powder coated with Germ Guard Active Technology anti-bacterial paint.

How good do they look and are they functional?

The lockers are available in a range of door colours. Most trolleys are now available in a large range of very funky colours. The trolleys are available with lockable wheels, are very sturdy with a low centre of gravity.

So moving and fixing in place are not a problem and for the fashion conscious, they look cool.

Will my laptop get damaged?

Each drawer, within the trolley, is fitted with soft rubber grips to hold your laptop, many models also have sliding drawers to allow easy access to your laptop.

Check for dimensions so that you can be sure that your laptop fits snugly. Some trolleys are now specific to the laptop make and model e.g. The laptop Trolley for Dell Latitude.

Wireless Connectivity?

Trolleys are now available with a built-in wireless access point, allowing the trolley to act as booster for your wireless network ensuring a good wireless signal strength nearby.

This also has the added benefit of allowing the laptops to 'stay on your network' when in storage so you can run maintenance schedules during down time. The wireless router is locked within the back of the trolley keeping it safe from tampering.

CAT5 cabling is also available within the trolley.

Safety - What precautions are taken?

The back of the trolley is adequately ventilated and, also available, is a Power7 timer. The mains power can only be accessed through a separate side or back door and most lockers and trolleys come supplied with compact cable storage, keeping cables safely tucked away from prying hands and fingers.

Cost - Are Lockers and Trolleys Value for Money?

If you consider the cost of your entire laptop stock and the very real and regular cost of accidental damage and theft, putting a very visual and secure means of protecting your equipment into your organisation is in the interest of any savvy company, school or college.

Where would these Lockers and Trolleys be best suited?

Any business, school or college that has a lot of laptops being used by pupils and staff. If you are looking for a safe and secure means to store your most expensive IT equipment then a Laptop Trolley or Locker is a definite addition to your next IT budget.

About the Author Andrew is a web designer by trade and is now starting to author and write articles alongside running his web design business.

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Computer Monitor: Buying Guide

ByKare Tarry

Confused about the different choices for monitors these days - LED, LCD, CRT, TN, IPS? Big hint - don't buy a CRT - do they still make those?

LCD Monitor Technology: 3 different flavors - TN panels, IPS panels and VA panels

TN panels: Twisted Nematic

great response time - good for gamingpoor viewing angles - siting (or standing) directly in front of monitor is bestadequate color reproduction - don't choose a TN panel for graphics design - games and text will be finecheapest monitors available - most home users will be very pleased with this type of monitor

IPS Panels: In Plane Switching

best for graphics designbest color reproductionpoor response times - not good for gaming (ghosting and blurring can occur)best viewing anglesexpensivecan be hard to find (and very expensive - at least twice the cost of a good quality TN panel)

VA Panels: Vertical Alignment

best contract ratios - better black levels than TN or IPSslow response times similar to IPS panelsghostingbest viewing anglessimilar color reproduction to IPS panelscan be easier to find than IPS panels with similar qualitiesmiddle of the road price

LED monitors (LCD Monitors with different back lighting technology)

uses LED (light emitting diode) for back lighting instead of CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps) 2 types of back lighting are availableDynamic RGB LED's positioned behind the panel - best blacks and much higher dynamic contrast rations (insanely expensive if you can find one)Edge LED - light diffused from the sides of the monitor - uniform color across the screen (least expensive - easy to find, most consumer LED monitors use this type of back light)
uses less power
generate very little heat compared to standard back lighting (CCFL)
most are TN panels
thinner and lighter than typical TN panel
same overall picture quality as TN

Which technology to choose: TN is an excellent choice for gaming and general use with either LED or CCFL back lighting. You will notice very little if any difference in image quality between LED or CCFL back lighting. LED is the "green" choice. Led is also easier to mount due to the lighter weight (check and make sure the LED has VESA mounting holes - many new LED monitors offer adapters but are not VESA compliant). Longevity is similar in CCFL and LED panels, with a slight edge to LED. Graphics designers who must have the most accurate color reproduction should choose the VA or IPS panels. If you have money to burn ($3,000 - $5,000) look for a dynamic RGB panel.

BeepingTech.com

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