Can I increase memory without external HD?

[Soulstones]

Can I increase memory without external HD?

Talking about total memory capacity (not RAM).

Is there any way to add some good sized memory (250gb-1tb) to my current c: drive without buying a totally new hd?

Im thinking that is most likely not probable, so is there a way of adding a new drive that boots with the computer? (any recommendations of brands? aiming for 500gb, maybe up to 1tb or a bit higher depending on price)

 

[Johnny]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

get an external one and keep all your movies and porn on that. Those things don't need speed anyway.

 

[Soulstones]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

yea i use an external HD for several months now. 500gb. But it gets annoying it turning it on and off.

 

[Johnny]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

I never turn mine off. I just keep it running.

 

[Garbad_the_Weak]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

If your porn is just pictures and not movies, you can also store it on thumb drives.

 

[Soulstones]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

lol ... anyway its a bunch of tv series .... but yea any1 got knowledge of computer hardware . cause i sure dont

 

[The Sandcat]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

Why don't you just burn your movies and series onto DVD's.There is no sense in keeping them on drive C:/ .It's also safer that way,because if your drive fails,you don't lose your stuff.Added bonus: you can watch the stuff on any DVD player.

 

[jmervyn]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

Soulstone, I think it's a bad idea, but you can compress disk storage with various software schemes. If you're running Windoze XP, you would access the option by right-clicking your HDD to get the properties menu. It's the first check-block. Your first, better option might be to reinstall the OS, patch it, and then delete all the hidden patch files. You won't be able to undo the system changes, but it will free up some space.

@ Sandcat - Seconded. While one must to paw through one's porn collection and haXX0red warez to make sure the burning process was clean, the claims of CD and DVD short shelf lives are in regard to <unburned>, i.e. blanks. Apparently burned CD's and DVD's are as permanent as one can hope anything else made from plastic and foil would be.

@ Johnny - not as good an idea. Even though drive bearings have incredibly long life when compared to, say, car axles, all HDD's still wear out through use.

 

[Johnny]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

@ Johnny - not as good an idea. Even though drive bearings have incredibly long life when compared to, say, car axles, all HDD's still wear out through use.

Servers don't have hard drives?

This drive has been spinning non stop for over 5 years.

 

[Firvagor]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

First off, your C: drive, unless partitioned, represents the entire physical device in your computer, which means that its max capacity is all you have without buying a new hard drive. (BTW, the phrase you might be looking for is storage capacity)

By default, any hard drive you plug in should be detected when the system is next turned on/rebooted (actually, it can sometimes be detected right when it's plugged in), if that's what you mean by "boots with the computer."
For brands, I'd recommend Western Digital or Seagate, and prices for 500GB-1TB can be around $60-100 depending on size, along with other specs you probably don't need to worry about.

 

[phool]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

My newest external (Maxtor) effectively turns off automatically if inactive for a pretty long period or if I shut down my laptop, iirc Lacies do this too, no doubt among others. If I try and access it after it's in its power saving (and presumably lifetime saving) state it'll take under 5 seconds to whirr back into action.

Just always have one more external than you need for backup as they tend to have lengthy warrantee for the device but the far more valuable information on it won't be covered... I've found externals to be unreliable enough that 2 500GBs is generally worth the price increase vs a 1 TB. I've had 2 Seagates fail, currently using a Maxtor, Seagate Barracuda HD in a seperately bought case and a Western Digital.

 

[Dirty_Zulu]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

Is there any way to add some good sized memory (250gb-1tb) to my current c: drive without buying a totally new hd?

Yes-- You want to keep your current C: drive but increase it's memory without buying a new HD (internal or external)? You can take the HD out take it to a lab where they'll disassemble the aluminum substrate (the data storage platters). Add in the higher capacity ones and you get back your HD with new internals. That will cost you thousands.

Cheaper is to add second internal HD.

 

[Glurin]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

Servers don't have hard drives?

Servers tend to have things like RAID configurations, so when one hard drive dies, which they will do, you can just slap a new one in without any impact to the people accessing that server. If you have it all set up right, nobody knows you've done anything at all.

 

[Johnny]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

Servers tend to have things like RAID configurations, so when one hard drive dies, which they will do, you can just slap a new one in without any impact to the people accessing that server. If you have it all set up right, nobody knows you've done anything at all.

My point is that hard drives last for a very long time and turning it on and off several times a day will cause equal if not more wear on it than just keeping it on.

 

[BobCox2]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

and saves power for a non mission critical machine.

reference = servers

If you need it! Use a raid 10 controller and drives and MONITOR it.
I see more failed raids that lose a drive and no one notices the warning or alert and replaces it so it is useless when the second or third drive fails. (fools get fired after the damage is done)
FYI in case the building falls down raid is useless. Better have a off-site backup FTW, and that means consider the off-site risk of the same earthquake making the building the backup is in fall down.

It's called Disaster Recovery and a good IT center can make a $25,000+ phone call and have the recovery center up the next day in a remote geographic location. (if your the first to make the phone call and the 25k is just the cost of the call - the places that do this stuff are overbooked and if the big one hit California for example the late callers come on-line later in the week)

Being a real IT person means your always on call and you kick *** in a real situation and chew it when a false alert happens.

 

[jmervyn]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

Servers don't have hard drives?

Of course they do. And the drives eventually fail; they're not frictionless perpetual motion machines or anything.

This drive has been spinning non stop for over 5 years.

Then "bully" for it. As I recall, drives generally fail within the first year, around the third and eighth year, or after around thirteen years. But I have no recollection of where that factoid came from.

@Bob - It's nice to have professional IT.

 

[Johnny]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

Of course they do. And the drives eventually fail; they're not frictionless perpetual motion machines or anything.

Thank you captain obvious.

 

[jmervyn]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

Thank you captain obvious.

I'm happy to have helped you pull your head out of your nether-quarters, then.

 

[Johnny]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

I point out that you can keep external hard drives running. You claim that it's somehow a bad idea because although hard drives bearings last longer than car axels (20+ years, really?) I make the argument that servers keep hard drives running 24 hours a day for years on end without problems and so keeping your external turned on when your computer is on is no problem. You claim that it's not a good idea and the only argument you can provide is that "it can't run forever" which is almost as redundant of a statement as your latest post.

 

[Glurin]

Re: Can I increase memory without external HD?

FYI in case the building falls down raid is useless. Better have a off-site backup FTW, and that means consider the off-site risk of the same earthquake making the building the backup is in fall down.

No one ever said raid is a replacement for a proper backup. I was simply pointing out that servers have fault tolerance systems, such as raid, so you don't have to shut down production and bring out your backups for one failed drive. Or worse, make that $25,000 phone call you're talking about.

I point out that you can keep external hard drives running. You claim that it's somehow a bad idea because although hard drives bearings last longer than car axels (20+ years, really?) I make the argument that servers keep hard drives running 24 hours a day for years on end without problems

I would argue that servers actually have a higher drive failure rate than PCs for the simple reason that they tend to have more drives. Although several other factors can affect drive failure rate, such as heat, access frequency, power spikes, etc.