Newsletter Archives

• Using USB-attached Windows media

  Posted on October 7, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Ed Tittel • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.41 • 2024-10-07

  WINDOWS

  

  By Ed Tittel

  Ports, cables, and devices all matter when you hook storage to Windows via USB.

  These days, it’s undeniable that the Universal Serial Bus — better known to all as USB — is the most common way to connect external devices to desktop and mobile PCs. And USB connects much more than mouse and keyboard. It also serves all kinds of storage, printers, and scanners. Indeed, ultra-fast modern USB versions such as USB4 can even accommodate high-resolution monitors via USB-C.

  USB has come a long, long way since the first version appeared in 1996. In particular, USB lets users add storage capacity to Windows PCs, across a variety of types. In this story, we’ll take a look at options for USB-attached storage, and present some possible selection criteria for same. But first, a quick review of USB-version history.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.41.0, 2024-10-07).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Windows External Drives, Newsletters, NVMe, Performance, storage, USB, USB4

• The resources you need for a secure computer

  Posted on July 22, 2024 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  With over a year left before Windows 10 stops being supported in its current fashion, are you reviewing its health and well-being?

  Just the other day, I came across a home computer that was not a happy camper. Its C (boot) drive was too full. Upon review, I found that it also had a D drive with room for data, so I went into storage settings and moved 30GB of photos from the pictures folder to the D drive.

  Why was this important? Because the PC was not installing updates. Clearing out space on the C drive provided the room for updates, and soon the PC was acting normally. Now we can wait to see how it responds to the constant pull of AI — and decide its future later, perhaps next year.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.30.0, 2024-07-22).

  On Security Backup, Boot Drive, Corruption, Internet Speed, Local Storage, Newsletters, RAM, storage, Windows Updates

• Terabyte update 2024

  Posted on June 24, 2024 at 02:42 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Will Fastie

  This year, the numbers are bouncing around and the trends are muddled.

  Except for the influences exerted by events such as floods in Thailand and global pandemics, pricing for storage usually follows a predictable trend line.

  Prices are behaving slightly differently this time around. I will offer some thoughts about why this might have happened, but I admit to a lack of clarity.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.26.0, 2024-06-24).

  Hardware HDDs, Newsletters, RAM, SD Cards, SSDs, storage, Storage Prices

• Working with USB 3 and 4 in Windows

  Posted on August 21, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Ed Tittel • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ed Tittel

  The Universal Serial Bus, most commonly known as USB, has been a basic staple of computing since it first arrived on the scene in 1996.

  It’s a widely used computing-industry bus standard that’s overseen by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), an industry consortium that publishes and maintains standards for USB4, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, USB ports, cables, connectors, and more. I haven’t seen a PC that didn’t include multiple USB ports since the early 2000s.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.34.0, 2023-08-21).

  Hardware Newsletters, storage, USB, USB 2, USB 3, USB Flash Drives, USB-C, USB4, Windows

• Terabyte update 2023

  Posted on June 26, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.26 • 2023-06-26

  Look for our BONUS issue on Monday, July 3, 2023!

  HARDWARE

  

  By Will Fastie

  There are several important trend lines this year.

  In last year’s installment of this series, I wrote about being surprised that there were no significant price changes.

  This year, there have been some changes, which may mean some tangible trends are emerging.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.26.0, 2023-06-26).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Hardware HDDs, Newsletters, SSDs, storage, Storage Prices

• When OneDrive isn’t OneDrive

  Posted on April 17, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  ONEDRIVE

  

  By Will Fastie

  You think you know what you’re talking about, and then reality hits you smack on the nose.

  You may recall that I have two OneDrive instances — one belonging to me, my personal Microsoft 365 account, and one belonging to the 365 Business plan we use to run this operation.

  I thought they were identical in every respect.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.16.0, 2023-04-17).

  OneDrive Microsoft 365, Mobile apps, Newsletters, Office Online, storage, Windows

• Do external hard drives make sense in the cloud-storage era?

  Posted on March 7, 2022 at 02:44 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  With effectively infinite storage available online, is there any point to storing files and backups locally, on external hard drives? A subscriber’s question prompts today’s first item.

  The second item looks at a PC electrical glitch. A subscriber has a battery-backed uninterruptible power supply and an emergency generator. Trouble is, they won’t work with each other! Here’s what’s probably going on, and how to correct it.

  Last, you’ll see ways to connect to an unknown, potentially compromised, public USB charging port — without risking your device’s data!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 19.10.0 (2022-03-07).

  LangaList LangaList, Newsletters, Power, storage, USB Charging

• What’s a NAS, and do I need one?

  Posted on October 25, 2021 at 02:45 CDT by Richard Hay • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.41 • 2021-10-25

  HARDWARE

  

  By Richard Hay

  If I were writing this to a group of aviators in the United States Navy, they would immediately respond by saying a NAS is a Naval Air Station. However, this article is not about a location where planes and helicopters take off and land.

  For this article, NAS stands for network-attached storage.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.41.0 (2021-10-25).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.41.F (2021-10-25).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware, Network, storage
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