What are binary, octal, and hexadecimal notations? Binary Notation All data in modern computers is stored as series of bits. A bit can take on one of two values. The two values are generally represented as the numbers 0 and 1. The most basic form of representing computer data, then, …
Read More »SMART Technology
What is S.M.A.R.T.? S.M.A.R.T. is a system that enables the PC to predict the future failure of devices such as disk drives. Armed with a failure prediction, the user or system manager can back up key data, replace a suspect device prior to data loss, or avoid undesired downtime. S.M.A.R.T. …
Read More »SCSI vs. IDE
As the result of ever lowering costs, IDE RAID configurations are becoming increasingly popular. However, costs alone should not be your only consideration when comparing SCSI to IDE in RAID configurations with 4 or less hard disk drives. Although SCSI is often considerably more expensive on initial implementation, it offers …
Read More »What's the Difference Between PIO and DMA Mode?
PIO, DMA, what’s the Difference? If you have arrived here via a search engine and there is no menu to the left, click here! The difference between PIO and DMA modes There are two modes in which data can be transferred between an ATA hard disk drive and the computers …
Read More »Hard Drive Glossary
PARALLELISM 1. The condition of two planes or parallel lines. Important in disk drives because a lack of it in mechanical assemblies can result in positioning inaccuracy. More precisely: planes-coplanar; lines-colinear. 2. Is the local variation in disk thickness measured independently of thickness itself. 3. The ability of a multiprocessor …
Read More »Hard Drive Glossary
Hard Drive Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Notice: The information provided herein is presented as is and without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. In …
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SECTOR A sector is a logical segment of information on a particular track, and is the smallest addressable unit of storage on a disk. Tracks are divided into sectors, with each sector 512 bytes long. They contain data, but also contain information as to where the data is located, among …
Read More »join MS-DOS Command
Type: External (3.1 and later) Syntax: JOIN d: [d:path] JOIN d: [/D] Purpose: Allows access to the directory structure and files of a drive through a directory on a different drive. (In DOS Version 6, this program is stored on the DOS supplemental disk.) Discussion After joining a drive to …
Read More »Server versus Peer to Peer
Peer-to-Peer versus a Client-Server Every network, regardless of whether it is “peer-to-peer” or “client – server” based requires some form of special software in order to control the flow of information between the users being networked. A Network Operating System, or “NOS”, is installed on each computer requiring network access. …
Read More »Making Windows Explorer work as you wish!
Making Windows Explorer work as you wish! If you have been accessing files on your Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0 based computer, you have no doubt done so using Windows Explorer. When using Windows Explorer, it typically opens to the default view displaying the contents of …
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