Lap Top Advice

[Shora]

I need some advice guys. My personal laptop is a Dell Inspiron E1405. I am very happy with it and all is working perfectly.

The problem is that I just bought a Dell XPS M1130 for the business and it makes my personal laptop jealous. However, as cool as the XPS is, it's a Vista and my E1405 is an XP so I would really prefer to just upgrade my E1405 than buy a Vista for personal use. My goal is to try to stay with the XP (used on my laptop and desktop) until Windows comes out with something better or they break. Depending on what occurs first, I may be forced to start buying MACS.

I was thinking to buy a new HD but I know very little about upgrading computers (other than just buying a new one).

I was thinking to get a 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drive like the one in my XPS but I don't know the exact one to get or even the type to get (is 7200RPM really much than better a 5400RPM to one who NEVER played a computer game?)

I cannot even figure out if I have an SATA drive or what.

Those of you with the know-how, can you please tell me what to get? For a guy like me, a direct link to the HD at an online store with good prices will be best.

My current HD is a Hitachi HTS54106095A00 (I think just by my description of the HD you can tell that I am a novice since I don't even know the short lingo for it. :o)

[GordonB]

shora,
Maybe if you tell us what you are trying to accomplish with your laptop we can make a few recommendations. My advice is STICK WITH Windows XP. I have Vista on a new Dell laptop, 17" display and it is a PITA. I had to UNinstall both security programs I run just to be able to install Vista SP1.
A 7200rpm drive will get your data faster than a 5400 rpm drive. BUT unless your need more room on your HD, why bother?
GordonB

[Shora]

shora,
Maybe if you tell us what you are trying to accomplish with your laptop we can make a few recommendations. My advice is STICK WITH Windows XP. I have Vista on a new Dell laptop, 17" display and it is a PITA. I had to UNinstall both security programs I run just to be able to install Vista SP1.
A 7200rpm drive will get your data faster than a 5400 rpm drive. BUT unless your need more room on your HD, why bother?
GordonB

The comp works perfect for me the way it is. The only problem is that all the new computers are using Vista and I don't want to go that route for my personal computers. I don't want to start using MACS because that's another learning curve and for nothing.

So, I want to upgrade this one just enough so that it doesn't fall behind until something better than Vista is available. My current E1405 only has 60GB while my new XPS has 320GB.

What do you recommend.

[SWOOSH]

Wow, Car and Laptop gurus??? Now this is a kick a$$ group of guys!!!!

[Shora]

Wow, Car and Laptop gurus??? Now this is a kick a$$ group of guys!!!!

This is one of THE BEST SITES ON THE NET. I feel so good here I can can even ask the best way to cook chicken and I will learn a lot because all are helpful.

[Aren Jay]

...........................

[Shora]

Hi

I used to upgrade and refurbish computers and Laptops/notebooks... couple thousand PC's and around 850 laptops. I build them and used to configure them for other people and did recommendations for a few years.

Depending on what you want to do and how you want to do it, will better determine what you should get.

I have personal preference when it comes to computers, I personally do not like Dell but I have nothing against Michael or his company just some of their practices...

Anyway

If you could list what you want to do with your home computer, i/we can give you some pointers. Pointless upgrades are fun, from a nerdy pov but costly and often unnecessary.

Most often for a notebook speed or capability takes a backseat to design. Depending on use size weight or battery life makes more of a difference. Often if used just as a desk unit a desktop will do the job better, faster, cheaper.

Please inform us as what you wish to do, and we can help out better.


Cool,

I use the computer for very basic tasks. Internet, to view the CCTV cameras from my stores (when I save events [stolen items, accidents, etc] onto the hard drive it takes a lot of room) so I usually also back it up on cds. I save my family photos (8mp camera), music.

The usual. 60GB fills up fast just from the CCTV and music like Tiesto.

[Richy04]

Just a hint,

SATA drives are now very popular in those external drives they sell. I went to buy a 160gb drive from Best Buy and and they were fresh out. The guy told me to buy a western digital external drive and inside I would find a SATA drive. He was right and it was 50 bucks cheaper and I got a spare case for an external drive to boot.

Sata drives are easy to identify, there are NO male pins like an ordinary drive, it has a set of plastic tabs on the front of it with gold flat pins embedded in the tabs that slides into a connector in the laptop. Kinda like the old atari cartridges or for another example the plug in cards inside a desktop.

If you have a laptop, Griffin makes a PCMCIA type card that holds two SATA drives in its external port. A really cool device..

[Shora]

Just a hint,

SATA drives are now very popular in those external drives they sell. I went to buy a 160gb drive from Best Buy and and they were fresh out. The guy told me to buy a western digital external drive and inside I would find a SATA drive. He was right and it was 50 bucks cheaper and I got a spare case for an external drive to boot.

Sata drives are easy to identify, there are NO male pins like an ordinary drive, it has a set of plastic tabs on the front of it with gold flat pins embedded in the tabs that slides into a connector in the laptop. Kinda like the old atari cartridges or for another example the plug in cards inside a desktop.

If you have a laptop, Griffin makes a PCMCIA type card that holds two SATA drives in its external port. A really cool device..

Good advice. I opened her up and "Duh" it says that it's SATA 60GB 5400RPM right on it.

The question now is what should I go with:
-320GB
-250GB
-5400RPM
-7200RPM
-What brand
-Best place to buy (a direct link would be really nice).

You know my uses/ or needs from above. Basic uses.

Thanks guys.


http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/Dell1.jpg

[Aren Jay]

...........................

[Motorhead350]

This is one of THE BEST SITES ON THE NET. I feel so good here I can can even ask the best way to cook chicken and I will learn a lot because all are helpful.

I can tell you how to NOT make chilli. :rolleyes:

[fastblackmerc]

Good advice. I opened her up and "Duh" it says that it's SATA 60GB 5400RPM right on it.

The question now is what should I go with:
-320GB
-250GB
-5400RPM
-7200RPM
-What brand
-Best place to buy (a direct link would be really nice).

You know my uses/ or needs from above. Basic uses.

Thanks guys.


http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/Dell1.jpg

You do have a SATA hard drive. See it says so on the label.

[Aren Jay]

...........................

[Shora]

Good advice. I opened her up and "Duh" it says that it's SATA 60GB 5400RPM right on it.

The question now is what should I go with:
-320GB
-250GB
-5400RPM
-7200RPM
-What brand
-Best place to buy (a direct link would be really nice).

You know my uses/ or needs from above. Basic uses.

Thanks guys.


http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/Dell1.jpg


You do have a SATA hard drive. See it says so on the label.

I know, I said that in the text above the pic.

[Shora]

Note above system is over the top but has ugrade room and will work 3 x better than your laptop, also will give you full 1080P monitor and blue ray, plus a colour laser printer and scanner fax. A real complete home theatre system setup, that will catalogue all your store videos and your home video dvd etc...

It would also work with your home big screen tv or a projector, if you have such a setup.

It doesn't just replace your notebook. It blows it away.

Leave out the Printer, sell your notebook and enjoy, if money is a problem.

The system you designed is very nice but not for my needs. I have two homes (MD and FL) and I travel all the time. I need a laptop and I don't need all that extra performance. I never even played a computer game other than those on this site (Arcade) and will never use all the performance in that set up.

However, if I needed a desktop, I would consider that set up just so that it doesn't expire (get out dated) fast.

Anyway, I was thinking about buying the WD Scorpio Black 320GB, 16 cache (<<don't know what this means but it's the highest I can find), and 7200 RPM.

It seems to be one of the best Laptop HD available. What do you guys think?

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=482

[illwood]

Grr.

MM.net always logs me out after 5min. I lost my last post I was composing about suggestions. I will summarize it:

Don't forget about RAM, for about $40 you can upgrade to 2Gb and it may even be faster on your machine if your motherboard can use the speed increase of PC-5300 vs PC-4200. As for brands, look at Crucial, Corsair, Muskin, and OCZ.

A 7200rpm hard drive is faster, but will drain your battery faster. I like Seagate and Samsung for brands.

If you want to know some good online stores, PM me for the ones I use. I don't want to give them any free advertising on MM.net.

Also, you may have some unnecessary software running in the background or and antivirus program that uses a lot of system resources. McAfee can make a decent computer crawl.

[Aren Jay]

...........................

[BruteForce]

Anyway, I was thinking about buying the WD Scorpio Black 320GB, 16 cache (<<don't know what this means but it's the highest I can find), and 7200 RPM.

It seems to be one of the best Laptop HD available. What do you guys think?

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=482

That is a SATA 3Gb drive. Your pic shows a SATA 1.5Gb drive. You would not benefit from the increased performance unless your laptop can communicate at SATA 3 levels.

Unless you need the extra space, you should look to max out your RAM before changing hard drives. That will give you more bang for your buck than a faster drive. According to Dell, max is 2 GBs.

Here's a Hitachi 7200 RPM 200 GB for $115 after rebate (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145 160)
HITACHI Travelstar 7K200 HTS722020K9SA00 (0A50940) 200GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA

[Shora]

Grr.

MM.net always logs me out after 5min. I lost my last post I was composing about suggestions. I will summarize it:

Don't forget about RAM, for about $40 you can upgrade to 2Gb and it may even be faster on your machine if your motherboard can use the speed increase of PC-5300 vs PC-4200. As for brands, look at Crucial, Corsair, Muskin, and OCZ.

A 7200rpm hard drive is faster, but will drain your battery faster. I like Seagate and Samsung for brands.

If you want to know some good online stores, PM me for the ones I use. I don't want to give them any free advertising on MM.net.

Also, you may have some unnecessary software running in the background or and antivirus program that uses a lot of system resources. McAfee can make a decent computer crawl.

About the Ram, I never upgraded one before. I think that I only have 1G of Ram now but I have "even less of a clue" what I am doing when it comes to "that" department.

Just ask me what you need to know about my computer and direct me towards the proper Ram chip. :beer:

Also, I have no unwanted programs because I completly format my hard drives the first day I buy new computers to remove all the crap they put on them.

PM sent for Websites.

[Shora]

That is a SATA 3Gb drive. Your pic shows a SATA 1.5Gb drive. You would not benefit from the increased performance unless your laptop can communicate at SATA 3 levels.

Unless you need the extra space, you should look to max out your RAM before changing hard drives. That will give you more bang for your buck than a faster drive. According to Dell, max is 2 GBs.

Here's a Hitachi 7200 RPM 200 GB for $115 after rebate (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145 160)
HITACHI Travelstar 7K200 HTS722020K9SA00 (0A50940) 200GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA

First, good info in this post. Thank you.

Now, I didn't have a clue about paying attention to the SATA levels. Your information makes me want to know if using a 3 GB level will hurt anything or make it run worse in anyway?

The reason I ask is because the bigger and faster WD Scorpio Black is still cheaper than the Hitachi you linked without the rebate ( half the time I never get them).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136 280

If it won't hurt anything maybe it's better to just buy the bigger and faster drive?

About the Ram, please tell me what you need to know about my system and link me the item to buy. (I hope it's easy to replace like a hard drive.).

Guys, thank you for all the help and advice. With any luck, this system will last long enough for windows to get their act together and make Vista more user friendly).

BTW, what does 8/ 16 Cache mean?

[Aren Jay]

...........................

[Shora]

Assuming you do not want a new laptop, then just get one of these:

Western Digital 320GB Scorpio 5400rpm SATA Notebook HDD w/ 8MB Cache half the price of the one your looking at, your notebook will not notice any difference between them.

Trend Micro PC-cillin will let you use your laptop with full security on, Norton or McAfee will kill your performance.

For your laptop more ram will help but microsoft always has a minimal ram cache using your HDD, so unless you turn virtual memory off, the added ram will make little difference.

A ram drive might be handy but it all depends what you want to do.

I don't use this one but it will give you an idea: http://www.farstone.com/software/virtual-hard-drive-pro.htm

I don't want a new laptop because because this still works perfect for what I need. Also, I did just buy a brand new Dell XPS M1330 for my business and it great but the I don't like Vista and would rather upgrade my personal laptop for now than deal with it more than I must.

You brought up a good point. Will my laptop not notice a difference between the

-WD Scorpio "Black" 320gb 7200RPM 16 Cache and the
-WD Scorpio 320gb 5400RPM 8 Cache?

This link shows them both on the same page so you can review the details. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=Western+Digital+32 0GB+Scorpio

Also, the difference in price between the two is only $30 so maybe it is still better to buy the "Black" version for future needs if it won't hurt anything?

[Shora]

Sata level I or SATA level 2 only make a difference if your computer can use the level 2. They will run at the same speed without problem on a level 1 system 99% of the time. 1% of the time they will not run at all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148 338 If you want 320GB have a look here, even has free shipping.


Where does it say what level of SATA the HD is? Also, do you really think that this HD is better than the WD Scorpio you mentioned before (only $10 more) or the WD Scorpio Black ($40 more)? The others have a lot of positive reviews and this unit has only 1 review.

[BruteForce]

First, good info in this post. Thank you.

Now, I didn't have a clue about paying attention to the SATA levels. Your information makes me want to know if using a 3 GB level will hurt anything or make it run worse in anyway?

The reason I ask is because the bigger and faster WD Scorpio Black is still cheaper than the Hitachi you linked without the rebate ( half the time I never get them).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136 280

If it won't hurt anything maybe it's better to just buy the bigger and faster drive?

About the Ram, please tell me what you need to know about my system and link me the item to buy. (I hope it's easy to replace like a hard drive.).

Guys, thank you for all the help and advice. With any luck, this system will last long enough for windows to get their act together and make Vista more user friendly).

BTW, what does 8/ 16 Cache mean?

All the SATA drive levels will likely work. They are designed to be backwards compatible. In fact some of the SATA 3 drives come from the factory jumpered to use 1.5. Using a new tech drive won't cause any problems. Just know that you are paying extra for performance that you won't be able to use.

The 8 / 16 cache specification is the amount of on board cache memory the drive has. In most cases larger is better. The PC and drive work together to predict was will be needed and to stash that data in the cache for faster access. Each step down in the data food chain is an order of magnitude slower than its current level. That means that data stored in the CPU cache is fastest. If its not there it looks in system memory (RAM). If it not there it looks in the drive cache. If its not there then it retrieves it off the hard drive. We're talking milliseconds here so normally you'd have to be using some sort of benchmark software to even be able to measure the difference... BUT the moral of the story is that choosing between two disks running at the same RPM, the one with the larger cache is going to be faster.

Now for the RAM, you don't mention how much it already has. The lappy spec say it has two slots and its likely one is filled at present (maybe both). It requires 1.8-V SODIMM DDR-2 memory chips. It supports both 533MHz and 667MHz memory modules. Which to use depends on what is already in there. If you just add a stick, it needs to be the same speed. If you replace it, go with 667MHz.

First we need to determine what you have already. On the XP desktop, right-click the My Computer icon and select properties. At the bottom of that pop up window it should state X GB of RAM. Now you need to shut it down and open up the memory bay cover to see how many modules you have. If you can taken a close up snap of the module so I can see the markings. That will help the decision process for determining what is needed to upgrade.

Link to Dell manual showing how to get access to the memory (http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins640m/en/om/parts.htm#wp1076835)

[Shora]

All the SATA drive levels will likely work. They are designed to be backwards compatible. In fact some of the SATA 3 drives come from the factory jumpered to use 1.5. Using a new tech drive won't cause any problems. Just know that you are paying extra for performance that you won't be able to use.

The 8 / 16 cache specification is the amount of on board cache memory the drive has. In most cases larger is better. The PC and drive work together to predict was will be needed and to stash that data in the cache for faster access. Each step down in the data food chain is an order of magnitude slower than its current level. That means that data stored in the CPU cache is fastest. If its not there it looks in system memory (RAM). If it not there it looks in the drive cache. If its not there then it retrieves it off the hard drive. We're talking milliseconds here so normally you'd have to be using some sort of benchmark software to even be able to measure the difference... BUT the moral of the story is that choosing between two disks running at the same RPM, the one with the larger cache is going to be faster.

Now for the RAM, you don't mention how much it already has. The lappy spec say it has two slots and its likely one is filled at present (maybe both). It requires 1.8-V SODIMM DDR-2 memory chips. It supports both 533MHz and 667MHz memory modules. Which to use depends on what is already in there. If you just add a stick, it needs to be the same speed. If you replace it, go with 667MHz.

First we need to determine what you have already. On the XP desktop, right-click the My Computer icon and select properties. At the bottom of that pop up window it should state X GB of RAM. Now you need to shut it down and open up the memory bay cover to see how many modules you have. If you can taken a close up snap of the module so I can see the markings. That will help the decision process for determining what is needed to upgrade.

Link to Dell manual showing how to get access to the memory (http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins640m/en/om/parts.htm#wp1076835)

Thank you so much for the info. The link showing how to get to the chips was a nice touch for someone like me.

Ok, when I click on the my computer icon/ properties it says that I have 798MHz, and 0.99 GB of RAM.

Pic 1 of chip under Keyboard DIMM A:

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/DimmAunderkeyboard.jpg

Pic 2 of chip under Keyboard DIMM A:

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/DimmApic2.jpg

Pic 1 of chip from the bottom of computer DIMM B:

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/DimmBpic1.jpg

Pic 2 of chip from botton of computer DIMM B:

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/DimmBPic2outofcomp.jpg

:beer:

[Aren Jay]

...........................

[Shora]

For your computer the Seagate will run at the same speed as the Western Digital.

Western Digital is a good drive the Seagate is better and is reflected in the 5 year warranty vs the 3 year WD warranty.

The Seagate is cheaper and for you, you will not see any difference in performance.

Likewise for the price difference you could pick up the Ram drive software and that will make a big difference to your performance.

The performance is like having a 3.55 Marauder and a 3.73 Marauder but never driving more than 25 mph. The Ram Drive will raise the speed limit to 40 mph.

What about this deal:

http://www.techonweb.com/products/productdetail.aspx?id=A01XTT&src=PG

This makes the WD Scorpio Black (said to be one of the fastest laptop) hard drives in said size only $12 more than the Seagate.

I don't pull the trigger because of you guys who, unlike me, actually know what your doing. However, can you explain to me why a 7200RPM and 16 Cache HD (WD Scorpio Black) won't be faster than a 5400RPM and 8 Cache HD (Seagate)?

Why won't the extra speed and Cache work on my computer?
Remember, it's only $12 more.

[Aren Jay]

...........................
...........................

[Blk Mamba]

This is one of THE BEST SITES ON THE NET. I feel so good here I can can even ask the best way to cook chicken and I will learn a lot because all are helpful.


Coq au Vin

[BruteForce]

Thank you so much for the info. The link showing how to get to the chips was a nice touch for someone like me.

Ok, when I click on the my computer icon/ properties it says that I have 798MHz, and 0.99 GB of RAM.


Now we are getting somewhere. You have 2x 512 MB chips for a total of 1 GB of RAM. To max it out at 2 GB you will need to replace both; about $35. Here is the list at NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010260381%201052910525%2013 09121117&bop=And&Order=RATING). Any of those will work. Look for "200-Pin SO-DIMM DDR2 667".

PS. Either hard drive will be fine. You won't see the difference in real world usage. Me... I would buy the fastest with the largest cache available.

[Shora]

Now I get it. Coke is good for more than just Jack Daniels.


I'll try to explain it this way.

You have two bottles of coke. One has a top that is 1.6 " in diametre and the other 0.8" in Diametre.

You have a coke machine that has a input pipe that narrows down to 0.8". Now with adapters both coke bottles fit the machine.

Which bottle will allow you to take Coke from the machine faster?

That's right, they will take it at the same speed.

The point being that your computer cannot take advantage of the extra speed or cache levels to make a difference.

Secondly the difference would be so small that you would never notice, if it could.

A Ram drive for Virtual memory on the other hand is 20 times faster than HDD Virtual memory and thus speeds up your computer, even your slow machine.

It also adds battery life and cuts noise and heat.

Finally if your computer was SATA II 3.0GB transfere speed capable and had a good through bus, notebooks tend not to, then you would see a big difference.

But you don't.

Also check a review site like Dr. Tom Pabst's Tomshardware site: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/notebook-hard-drive,2006-17.html

[Shora]

Now we are getting somewhere. You have 2x 512 MB chips for a total of 1 GB of RAM. To max it out at 2 GB you will need to replace both; about $35. Here is the list at NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010260381%201052910525%2013 09121117&bop=And&Order=RATING). Any of those will work. Look for "200-Pin SO-DIMM DDR2 667".

PS. Either hard drive will be fine. You won't see the difference in real world usage. Me... I would buy the fastest with the largest cache available.


Thanks for the list. These seem to have a bunch of positive reviews. They should fit right? Also, these are just plug and play? No need to do anything to them after install?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231 116

I see Diabolical's point about not buying "more hard drive" than my system can handle. However, for only $12 more, I am thinking to buy the best available just incase I end up using the drive in for a different application in the future (I.E. external hard drive). Heck, one day I may put it into my XPS (it's only a 250 GB) and I am sure that the improvements will be noticed (or even required) there.

Thanks guys for all the help. I am really thankful.

As soon as I get confirmation about the Ram I above the orders for all will be placed.

Three more questions:

-I think that the WD Scorpio Black HD ships naked (with out the case). Can I re-use the case from my current HD?

-What is the best way to format the new hard drive and should I partition it in any particular way?

-What is the best way to format and clean my current HD after I install the new one so that I can keep use it as back up?

[BruteForce]

Thanks for the list. These seem to have a bunch of positive reviews. They should fit right? Also, these are just plug and play? No need to do anything to them after install?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231 116


Those will work just fine. I was going to point to that exact product but decided to post the list and let you decide. Great minds think alike. ;)



I see Diabolical's point about not buying "more hard drive" than my system can handle. However, for only $12 more, I am thinking to buy the best available just incase I end up using the drive in for a different application in the future (I.E. external hard drive). Heck, one day I may put it into my XPS (it's only a 250 GB) and I am sure that the improvements will be noticed (or even required) there.

Thanks guys for all the help. I am really thankful.

As soon as I get confirmation about the Ram I above the orders for all will be placed.

Three more questions:

-I think that the WD Scorpio Black HD ships naked (with out the case). Can I re-use the case from my current HD?

-What is the best way to format the new hard drive and should I partition it in any particular way?

-What is the best way to format and clean my current HD after I install the new one so that I can keep use it as back up?

1. There is no "case". The bare drive will look just like the one you posted a pic of.

2 & 3. If you want to copy over your existing drive contents to the new one, you will need some cloning software. Just happens there is a great sale going on for Acronis True Image (http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/). $9.99 for software that not only will clone your drive but is also a great data backup solution for backing up to an external drive.

Use coupon code: ATIH80 (Coupon is good through the 19th) to get the discount.

You will need a USB external 2.5" drive case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090092%201053807124%2010 54107131&name=SATA&Order=PRICE) to connect the new drive to clone the old one over. Be sure it supports the full size of the new drive (some older ones have 120 GB limit).

Once you have it up and running with the new drive, put the old one in the external case, format it, and voila you have an external drive to backup your laptop to using your new backup software! :banana:

PS. You might consider this External Hard Drive SATA Enclosure Docking Station (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153 066) as it works with both 2.5" laptop and regular 3.5" SATA drives. Its not very good for long term connections (drive just plugs in the top and sticks out), but is very useful as a quick and dirty tool for accessing a SATA drive via USB.

[BruteForce]

Continued from our PM discussion...



What did you end up doing?

[snip]

Today I ordered the following products from the following sites:

http://www.techonweb.com/products/productdetail.aspx?id=A01XTT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231 116

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=204850&om_keycode=67

^^^I never even heard of such a product before. I really wanted to buy the WD Passport external hard drive since they are so small and easy to carry, but when I saw that you recommended this I knew that it was a good thing that I didn't buy the WD. Like you said, this unit will allow me to use my current HD as well as be able to purchase a 1TB 2.5 or 3.5 HD for use as back up for much less than the WD would end up costing. What a great item.

I also want to order the Acronis True Image 11 that your recommended but I never used one before. Is this one really for beginners like me? Also, it seems to be only a download program. Will I be able to burn in on to a CD/ DVD for back up or to I have to pay the extra $12.99?

Basically, the only time I ever format HDs is when I do a total system restore. How do you recommend that I do it with all these items?

Thanks again.

First... if you plan on using the spare drive as a backup destination, you will want a regular external case like I listed. The USB Docking Station, while a cool tool for doing quick tasks, is really not suitable for long term use with a hard drive. The drive just sits in it sticking out the top basically held in by gravity. You want a stable, sealed enclosure for permanent use.

Yes Acronis is suitable for someone unfamiliar with doing disk cloning and backup. It has step-by-step "wizards" for each of its functions and there is a vibrant and knowledgeable online user group (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=64) (much like MM.net!) with lots of FAQs and how-tos for some of the more complicated stuff. I have it setup on 3 PCs to automatically backup all the drives without me having to do anything. AND it sends me an email with a status report when its done. Much like more expensive enterprise quality apps.

The download is a single EXE file so you can burn it to a CD for archive or storage but its not going to work like store bought software where you drop it in and it starts installing. You have to double-click on the downloaded EXE file to get it to install.

Now the "how to" for getting all this new stuff setup. First install the new RAM. Make sure the PC "sees" it all (the same right-click, properties thing like we did before).

Then install Acronis on the laptop. Don't do anything with it yet, just get it installed. Then install the new hard drive in either the external case or docking station, plug it into the laptop USB port. Depending on how it comes from the factory, you may need to "initialize" the disk for Windows/Acronis to see it as a writable drive. Then fire up Acronis and go into "Disk Utilities" and then "Clone Disk". Follow the step by step wizard to clone the old hard drive to the new one. Once that is done, turn off the laptop and swap the new drive in and turn it on.

That's about it. Once that is done, you can put the old drive in the external case, connect it via USB and using Windows Disk Management, format it. Then its just a matter up setting up a backup schedule using Acronis to keep a backup image on the external drive that you can use to restore the lappy if the new drive fails or something gets borked.

[Shora]

Continued from our PM discussion...



First... if you plan on using the spare drive as a backup destination, you will want a regular external case like I listed. The USB Docking Station, while a cool tool for doing quick tasks, is really not suitable for long term use with a hard drive. The drive just sits in it sticking out the top basically held in by gravity. You want a stable, sealed enclosure for permanent use.

Yes Acronis is suitable for someone unfamiliar with doing disk cloning and backup. It has step-by-step "wizards" for each of its functions and there is a vibrant and knowledgeable online user group (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=64) (much like MM.net!) with lots of FAQs and how-tos for some of the more complicated stuff. I have it setup on 3 PCs to automatically backup all the drives without me having to do anything. AND it sends me an email with a status report when its done. Much like more expensive enterprise quality apps.

The download is a single EXE file so you can burn it to a CD for archive or storage but its not going to work like store bought software where you drop it in and it starts installing. You have to double-click on the downloaded EXE file to get it to install.

Now the "how to" for getting all this new stuff setup. First install the new RAM. Make sure the PC "sees" it all (the same right-click, properties thing like we did before).

Then install Acronis on the laptop. Don't do anything with it yet, just get it installed. Then install the new hard drive in either the external case or docking station, plug it into the laptop USB port. Depending on how it comes from the factory, you may need to "initialize" the disk for Windows/Acronis to see it as a writable drive. Then fire up Acronis and go into "Disk Utilities" and then "Clone Disk". Follow the step by step wizard to clone the old hard drive to the new one. Once that is done, turn off the laptop and swap the new drive in and turn it on.

That's about it. Once that is done, you can put the old drive in the external case, connect it via USB and using Windows Disk Management, format it. Then its just a matter up setting up a backup schedule using Acronis to keep a backup image on the external drive that you can use to restore the lappy if the new drive fails or something gets borked.

Sounds easy enough. I will post more soon as all the stuff arrives.

Thank you very much.:beer:

[BruteForce]

Looks like the Acronis coupon code isn't working anymore. :(

There are a couple other options like Target (19.95 not online, not verified) and NewEgg (29.99) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832200 004&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL091208&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL091208-_-SecurityUtilitiesSoftware-_-L1B-_-32200004&CMP=AFC-C8Junction) which is a shipped CD, not download.

[Shora]

Looks like the Acronis coupon code isn't working anymore. :(

There are a couple other options like Target (19.95 not online, not verified) and NewEgg (29.99) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832200 004&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL091208&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL091208-_-SecurityUtilitiesSoftware-_-L1B-_-32200004&CMP=AFC-C8Junction) which is a shipped CD, not download.

$30 for the actual bootable CD is not bad at all. I will buy it only after the rest of the items arrive because version 12 is do out in about 2 weeks and will get a free up grade to it if 30 days haven't passed. I bet that I don't need the added items on V 12 but it can't hurt if it's available. If not, no big deal.

Edit, I also noticed that my XPS has over three (3) GB of Ram and 1.89mhz.

Was there a way to upgrade my E1405 to those levels or is the rest of the hardware the limiting factor.

[illwood]

Was there a way to upgrade my E1405 to those levels or is the rest of the hardware the limiting factor.
According to crucial.com, your machine can handle 4Gb of RAM. Before you get too excited, your OS and processor are probably 32bit and can only use 3Gb of that RAM. You just buy (1) 1Gb chip and (1) 2Gb chip to get the 3Gb of RAM.

If you are unsure of what your system can handle, you can go to the Dell Upgrade (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/DellPartsFamily.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1) page, put in your service tag # and it should tell you what they sell and is supported.

[Shora]

According to crucial.com, your machine can handle 4Gb of RAM. Before you get too excited, your OS and processor are probably 32bit and can only use 3Gb of that RAM. You just buy (1) 1Gb chip and (1) 2Gb chip to get the 3Gb of RAM.

If you are unsure of what your system can handle, you can go to the Dell Upgrade (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/DellPartsFamily.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1) page, put in your service tag # and it should tell you what they sell and is supported.

Good information. I will post what I find out.

Thank you.

[Shora]

All the items have arrived, installed, and working nicely.

Thank you for ALL the help and advice. It would not have turned out this good without it.

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/IMG_0140.jpg

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t327/ShoraMarauder/IMG_0136.jpg

[Shora]

Sorry... Double post