Everything About IDE Hard Disk

Upgrading? Better destroy all data on your Drive

Bryan — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:03:51 +0000

Many companies observe strict policies regarding computer hardware and the data they contain. But many of us common folk fail to observe the same and sometimes end up in trouble for such irresponsible acts. May they be old digital photos or lewd email backed up on your hard drive, all of these can be used for wrongdoing and should be dealt with in the proper manner.
The simplest way to destroy data is to do a software hard format using the Operating system’s long format option. Going a step further, you could get your drill and drill a few holes through the whole thing just to be safe and then toss it into the recycling bin to be made into new drives. But be safe and do wear proper safety gear and clamp down the drive in a vise to prevent injury.
Keeping information out of the wrong hands is the responsibility of everybody and it does not hurt to be extra careful.

To Slave or Not to Slave

Bryan — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 08:24:21 +0000

This is a manually set designation done on an IDe hard drive that tells the computer system whether the drive is the boot drive or primary or secondary. This is vital for it tells your CPU where the boot drive is that contains the Operating system(usually windows). This can be determined with a quick check on the label of the drive where the pin designations are shown.

Setting this, you take a look at the IDE hard drive(preferably when it is still not installed on the computer system) in between the IDE cable and the power supply. There are normally three pairs of pins, one for master another for secondary or slave and the last one is for auto-detect with the computer system determining on it’s own which is which.

IDE Drive cables

Bryan — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:12:51 +0000

There are basically two cables that come with hard drives may they be SATA or IDE, the power and bus cable. The ribbon cable as it is known due it’s resemblance to one in an IDE drive is usually colored grey but it can come in many colors depending on the motherboard manufacturer. Should you ask if they do fail, yes they do and it may bring about a myriad of mysterious events such as disappearing drives or intermittent connection to one. Simply replace the flat cable and re-seat the power supply chord to diagnose it properly and check for the usual humming(no clicking) of the drive as it spins up to proper operating speed and you’re good to go…

IDE hard disks still not obsolete

Bryan — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:11:37 +0000

With the ever growing popularity of SATA hard disks because of its faster speeds and connectors that are can be more easily attached and detached (not to mention they’re significantly smaller), it looks like the days of IDE hard disks are numbered.

But it’s not just about to die yet. One good thing about devices today is that most of them are still working perfectly and these legacy devices still use IDE hard disks. That’s why a cursory look at online stores or brick and mortar retailers of computer products will yield positive results in terms of new IDE hard disks with capacities that still rival that of SATA hard disks.

Data Transfer Rates

Bryan — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:33:33 +0000

Data written on a hard drive is encoded not as human readable language but rather a series of 1s and 0s that represent a Bit or Binary Digit. This is the only language that the computer understands that is why it is commonly referred to as machine language. Commonly, files have a property size of xx KB (kilobytes) or xx Byte, a byte consists of eight bits which represents a character. Data transfer rates is the velocity at which data is transmitted from one device to another.

In IDE hard disk specifications, it is commonly seen that a data transfer rate is xx ms (microsecond). Essential, the lower the data transfer rate, the faster the hard disk can read and write on the media and retrieve data that is requested by the user or a software application. The data transfer rate allows for faster execution of tasks sent by the user to the computer system.

IDE External Enclosure

Bryan — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:55:52 +0000

With the growing popularity of portable devices, IDE hard drives are also following suit. With the development of External Hard Drive Enclosures, anyone can carry around his hard drive and have the capability of connecting it to any computer system via the Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. This type of enclosure is compatible with USB 2.0 as well as the USB 1.1 standard. Major operating systems like Microsoft Windows and Mac are compatible with the device which allows for easy identification and integration. The enclosure is capable of transferring data with speeds of as high as 480 Mbps and can accommodate all 3.5” types of hard disks. This device is also fitted with an LED indicator to help the user monitor hard disk activity.

Compact Flash Adapter

Bryan — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:54:58 +0000

With the introduction of the Compact Flash Adapter, anyone can now make use of a CompactFlash memory as a primary hard drive function for a computer system. As opposed to the traditional hard drive, this has no moving parts like spinning disks or wobbling bearings. This gadget provides the functionality of replacing traditional hard drives with economical and rugged CompactFlash cards that uses the same IDE motherboard interface like regular hard drives. Any system equipped with a standard 40-pin IDE connector can use this technology. This solution does not require the installation of additional hardware drivers and can be used as a primary boot device that contains the computer’s operating system.

Epson QX-10 IDE Drive

Bryan — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:54:15 +0000

There was a development undertaken a few years back that was geared towards creating a control chip to be utilized by system independent IDE host adapters. The Epson QX-10 was one of the devices used in this experimentation wherein it was fitted with an IDE hard drive. The developed interfaces were primarily simple in order to make some minor BIOS setting changes easy. A Western Digital WD1002-HDO was used with 95% of its driver routines being able to correctly control the function of the hard drive. The minor revisions done included the addition of a single sector number to the IDE where it starts at sector 1 instead of the default sector 0.

Hard Disk Role in Computer System

Bryan — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:32:28 +0000

The hard disk possesses a major role in the various aspects relative to the operation of a computer system that includes:
� Performance � hard disk is important in determining overall computer system performance because the speed of boot up and loading of software applications are directly affected by the speed of the hard disk. It is equally vital during multi-tasking operations or processing large amounts of data;
� Storage Capacity � obviously, being the main storage device, a higher capacity allows for storage of more data and programs;
� Software Support � with inflated operating system files and software applications, the hard disk provides critical support to their stable performance;
� Reliability � good quality coupled with smart maintenance and back up will help protect your data.

Secure Erase

editor — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:11:23 +0000

Identity theft and data loss may leave the company at stake being liable under federal law. HIPPA, Sarbanes-Oxley, Graham-Leach-Bliley and other state laws are example of the federal laws. Penalties include fines and imprison of 20 years plus results of civil suits if any.

Secure Erase makes it safe to avoid the crimes. It is a set of command mostly incorporated in ATA drives. This technology is available since 2001. But it was disabled by most of motherboard BIOS. That’s why many of users don’t know it besides Murphy’s Law was still enforced. Secure Erase is a gun aimed right to all of the data in the PC.