Computer Help

Before we dive in with their differences, let’s look at their similarities. Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and Solid State Drive (SSD) are both storage components of your computer. Both also come in external or portable form. But how they function and store data are completely different.

 

Whenever consumers shop for new computers, even second-hand ones, they always check for the storage. And what they commonly encounter as the storage of say, example 1TB, is the hard drive, and very rarely the SSD. But some desktops and laptops have SSD in them as storage. Ultimately, what you use your computer for will determine which one you will need more. Wait, you can run a computer without an HDD? Well technically, yes. But it will be tricky.

 

The reason why HDD is one of the first things you see when shopping for a computer is because its quality and technology is tried and tested with time. 5 decades, to be precise.

The technology behind hard disk drives is well known and well-tested. Hard disk drives have been around for more than 50 years, steadily increasing their storage capacity and decreasing their physical size. HDDs rely on spinning disks, or platters, to read and write data.

(Via:https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ssd-vs-hdd)

 

Spinning platters and moving arms are what mainly compose a hard disk drive.

Hard disk drives consist of one or more magnetically-sensitive platters, an actuator arm with a read/write head on it for each platter, and a motor to spin the platters and move the arms. There is also an I/O controller and firmware that tells the hardware what to do and communicates with the rest of the system.

(Via:https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ssd-vs-hdd)

 

HDDs have stood the test of time. They have a trusted and reliable technology. Moreover, they are more affordable than SSDs even with the same storage amount. And compared to SSDs, they also come with more storage in the market. The bad? They use physical power. The moving parts can stop working when your computer is mishandled, especially laptops.

The drawbacks to HDDs are a result of the mechanical parts used to read and write data, as physically finding and retrieving data takes more time than electronically finding and retrieving data. The mechanical parts can skip or even fail if they are handled roughly or dropped. This is a concern in laptops, but not as much in desktops. HDDs are also heavier and use more energy than comparable SSDs.

(Via:https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ssd-vs-hdd)

 

An SSD, on the other hand, utilizes flash memory. This means that its processes are electronic, not physical.

Solid state drives use flash memory to deliver superior performance and durability. Because there are lots of

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Do you remember that time you got your PC or laptop and how mighty fast it was? A few months in and it was beginning to be sluggish. Pages load slow, programs don’t open as fast as they did before, the computer starts and shuts off slower than ever – it’s beginning to be hard to tell what is which.

The truth is, a lot of things can cause your computer to slow down. Your storage may be almost full if not already, you have viruses and other malware lying around, you have a long list of search history, or you simply have a slow internet connection. These are just some of the many things that have been keeping your computer from performing at its fastest.

Here are some things you can do to help your computer work relatively faster.

Make way for the more important and current things.

If these temporary internet files and other useless items stick around for too long, they can not only cause programs to hang and become unresponsive and sluggish, but also take up valuable hard drive space.

Clean up your desktop if it’s cluttered. Making Windows Explorer load those icons and folders each time the desktop refreshes can put unnecessary load on your hardware, which takes away system resources that could be used elsewhere.

Remove unwanted programs that are just lingering on your computer. These are not only taking up hard drive space but they might open automatically with Windows and be running in the background all the time, sucking away at the processor and memory. There are several free uninstaller tools that make this really easy.

Also considered junk files is anything you simply don’t use or want anymore. So, delete those old video files that you downloaded a year ago and back up all the data you don’t readily use, like vacation pictures.
(Via: https://www.lifewire.com/speed-up-your-computer-3506852)

Defragging the hard drive.

To defrag your hard drive is to consolidate all the empty spaces that are created in the file system structure as you add and remove files. These empty spaces make your hard drive take longer to think, which in turn causes files, folders, and programs to open slowly.
(Via: https://www.lifewire.com/speed-up-your-computer-3506852)

Windows is more susceptible to viruses and malware than Mac. The best way to address this is by having an anti-virus or malware program.

Once the virus is on the computer, it usually stores itself in the system memory, hogging resources that could be used by legitimate programs, thus slowing everything down. Some malicious programs show pop-ups or trick you into buying their “antivirus program,” which are even more reasons to remove them.

You should periodically scan your computer for

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Backing up data isn’t only for your PC or laptop. There’s nothing like losing important data because of accidental deletion or a misplaced folder or location. When it comes to smartphones and tablets, you can always back them up by storing some data on your computer from your device. But if this isn’t an option for you or if your computer is almost full, other backup processes can be done instead.

Devices that store data like smartphones and tablets need to be backed up as well. You use your smartphone almost every time and take it with you wherever you go. Therefore, it only makes sense to back it up.

Back in the day, backing up phones is a tedious process. But today, it has become less dreary and confusing. Everyone’s got a different Android version on their device. But these steps can still apply to the recent ones. Android allows backing up from your Google account.

First step, you need to turn on the backup settings.

Open the Settings menu and look for Backup and reset. Check that the Back up my data option is enabled under Google account and that the correct Google account is shown under Backup account — tap this section to add another account, if necessary.
Also check that Automatic restore is enabled, this backs up your app settings.
(Via: http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/phones-tablets/dont-lose-your-stuff-how-to-backup-your-smartphone-and-tablet-11363975313535)

After turning it on, you can now decide on what to sync with your Google account. Among these are your contacts, calendar, Google Drive, etc.

Go to Settings – Accounts and tap your Google account and you’ll see a list of what is being backed up to Google’s servers, including: Calendar, Contacts, Drive and Gmail.

Use the sliders to turn back up off.
(Via: http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/phones-tablets/dont-lose-your-stuff-how-to-backup-your-smartphone-and-tablet-11363975313535)

Another thing you can backup is your photos. Better back them up than lose them.

Back up your photos using the Google Photos app.
The first time you use this it may give you the option to Back up your photos and videos.

Otherwise, launch the Photos app, sign in with the Google account you want to use, then click Settings – Back up & sync and turn on the slider next to Back up & sync.
(Via: http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/phones-tablets/dont-lose-your-stuff-how-to-backup-your-smartphone-and-tablet-11363975313535)

The next thing is to choose how you want to back up your photos. You have two choices: over wi-fi or mobile data.

By default, backups takes place over wi-fi, but you can choose to use mobile data by tapping the slider next to Photos. If you opt for this make sure you keep an eye on how much data you use.

Google Photos provides ‘unlimited’ online storage for your photos and they’re private unless you share

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There are many fast browsers and search engines out there. Among all these, Google Chrome is one of them. When one uses a search engine, data is downloaded, uploaded, and stored. This causes the user experience to slow down. Servers can go slow, loading of pages go slow, and so on. This can cause frustration among users, especially those who are using it for work-related tasks.

If you are using Chrome to upload content during the deadline, or going online shopping because the item you’ve been eyeing on is finally on sale, there is something you can do to make things faster. These steps will help you improve the speed and overall experience.

The first thing you do is to clear the browsing data. The reason why you have data stored in your cache and history from all of your searches and pages you’ve opened is that Chrome wants to load them faster for you the next time you visit them. The more pages you open, the more data is collected and stored. This means that Chrome can work slower.

Thankfully, the solution to this is easy: clear your cache. To do this, simply access your browsing history by entering chrome://history on your address bar. From the left panel, select Clear browsing data. Choose which data will be deleted by clicking on the checkboxes of all items you want to delete, like cached images or cookies. You can also select the time range that will be affected by the deletion. You can delete your history for the past hour, the last 24 hours, the last 7 days, the last 4 weeks, or from the beginning of time. Once you’ve selected the files you want to delete and their corresponding time range, click Clear data.
(Via: https://www.techadvisory.org/2018/12/make-google-chrome-faster-with-these-easy-steps/)

Another thing you can do is to deactivate or not enable the extensions. Chrome extensions are available for download. These are like programs that give your Chrome browser a personal touch. Depending on what you need or want, you can download a lot of different extensions available on Chrome. They are there to add into, remove, or change a certain function according to your preferences to make the way you use Chrome more convenient. But the more extensions you install, the more the browser can slow down.

Most extensions will show on Chrome’s address bar, and you can quickly uninstall them by right-clicking on their icons and selecting Remove from Chrome. You can also manage all extensions by typing chrome://extensions on your browser and hitting Enter. From there, you’ll find a list of all the extensions you have (even those you don’t remember installing). Simply scroll through the list and click Remove to

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Are you looking for a laptop? You have a lot of options out there but if you’re on a budget, your options maybe limited. Nonetheless, you’d still be able to one. That’s for sure.

If you’re looking for a laptop under $300, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices, but that doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with a bad notebook. There are laptops under $300 that offer 1080p displays, long battery life and even 2-in-1 functionality. If you’re against getting a Chromebook, you might want to reconsider, especially because that device will most likely run a lot smoother with a weaker processor compared to a Windows 10 machine.

(Via: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/best-laptops-under-300)

Here are the 4 options you can look into. You can start with HP Stream 11.

The HP Stream 11 is one of the best Windows 10 laptops you can find at this price. The Stream’s cute, 11-inch chassis is packed with all-day battery life and relatively strong performance. This laptop is also incredibly portable, weighing in at 2.5 pounds and measuring just 0.7 inches thick. And even though its keyboard can be a little cramped, it offers decent key travel. You won’t find a better Windows laptop for under $200.

(Via: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/best-laptops-under-300)

The HP Chromebook 14 is also worth looking into.

The Intel version of the HP Chromebook 14 is a solid improvement over its AMD counterpart. For just under $300, you get an attractive laptop with a 14-inch, 1920 x 1080 display, which is an incredibly rare combination at this price point. To top it all off, HP’s Chromebook 14 features a comfortable keyboard and a battery that can last an entire workday and then some. If you’re looking for a Chromebook that doesn’t scream elementary school, then the HP Chromebook 14 is the one to get.

(Via: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/best-laptops-under-300)

The Lenovo IdealPad 330 is packed with a lot of features for a very affordable price.

We wouldn’t call the Lenovo IdeaPad 330 one of the best laptops around, but for under $300, it’s pretty decent. Its design is pretty standard, but the chassis itself is actually sturdy, not giving into pressure when flexed. Additionally, Lenovo’s gold-standard keyboard design remains intact on this budget machine, as the system is super comfortable to type on. However, be wary of its short, 5:52 battery life and its subpar Celeron N4100 processor.

(Via: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/best-laptops-under-300)

The Lenovo Chromebook C330 boasts of a long battery life.

The Lenovo Chromebook C330 gets nearly 10 hours of battery life as well as a comfortable keyboard and a neat HDMI port, which is somewhat rare for a Chromebook. This 11-inch convertible is also pretty light and thin, coming in at

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The day has come. We can finally use an external hard drive with our iPad. Isn’t that great? We have to keep in mind that our iPad wasn’t exactly designed for an external drive. Since it’s a portable device, all our files, movies, and photos are meant to be stored in the cloud.

That’s exactly how it is until iPadOS has brought in support for flash drives and hard drives. So, now, we don’t have to rely on the internet to access our files. We can still enjoy the portability of our iPad and all our files without being connected.

Before we get right into the list of the best hard drives for our iPad, here’s something to think about.

There are a few factors to consider when picking the best external hard drive for your iPad: how often you store your files, how many files you store, and how easily you need access to your files. Different types of external hard drives will work better depending on your personal needs.

(Via: https://www.imore.com/best-external-hard-drives-ipad)

Here are the 4 external hard drives we can use with our iPad.

The LaCie Fuel is the most recommended. This has the best capacity, best value for our money, and best portability.

The LaCie FUEL external hard drive works as a USB 3.0 portable drive that comes compatible with all iOS devices. Its ability to work with and without an internet connection makes this hard drive excellent for on-the-go access and usability. The LaCie FUEL connects to your iPad through Wi-Fi, but it broadcasts its own Wi-Fi network. When you are not using the built-in Wi-Fi router and media server to share files simultaneously with your friends or colleagues, you can use LaCie FUEL’s network to hot spot up to five additional devices.

With an impressive 10-hour battery life and options to stream directly to your Apple TV or to Airplay, the LaCie Fuel is brilliant for allowing easy access to your files for long periods. This hard drive uses the Seagate Media App on your iPad and mobile devices and Seagate Media Sync on your desktop to manage files. This 1TD drive measures at 4.5 x 4.5 x 0.9 (HWD) and has a compact and durable design.

(Via: https://www.imore.com/best-external-hard-drives-ipad)

The Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro has an intense amount of space capacity and a very long battery life.

The Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro delivers high-speed performance with its 4K streaming over 802.11ac Wi-Fi capabilities. This makes for easy uploading, offloading, editing, and streaming on both your iOS device and your PC. It is even compatible with your Smart TV.

Offering a 10-hour battery supply with its built-in 6400 mAh power

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Hard drives never have enough space. No matter how much space capacity they offer, it’s just never enough. The reason for that is because it’s very easy to fill up a hard drive. Just take a look at yours. It’s probably about to be filled up. Even worse, it probably is already.

So, what’s filling up you hard drive? If you have no idea what, then why don’t you find out. Here’s an easy way for you to do it.

You can find the biggest individual files on your hard drive by opening File Explorer (Windows Explorer in previous versions) and typing ‘size:gigantic’ into the search bar.

This will bring up a list of any file over 128MB in size, which you can then look through to find large files such as downloads, outdated drivers, backups and ISO images.

(Via: https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/storage/free-up-drive-space-windows-3580427/)

Now, that you know what’s filling up your hard drive, it’s time to do something about it. Here are 4 ways to have more space on your hard drive.

Make use of the Windows Disk Clean-up.

Windows has several built-in tools which will automatically find and delete unnecessary files to free up disk space.

The first to try is Disk Clean-up.

1. Search for Disk Clean-up in the Start menu.
2. Wait for it to scan your computer
3. Tick the boxes to delete some or all of the files.
4. Click OK

You have to click the Clean up system files button to do a deeper scan (you have to select the particular drive – usually C: – to check for system files). This will let you delete old versions of Windows which could be using up scores of gigabytes.

(Via: https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/storage/free-up-drive-space-windows-3580427/)

Remove games and apps that you no longer need. These take up a lot of space in your hard drive.

A relatively quick and easy way to free up space is to uninstall programs you don’t need or use.

1. From the Start menu click the cog icon to open Settings
2. Click on Apps & features
3. User the Sort by: menu to choose Size
4. Now you’ll see the programs and games taking up the most space are at the top
5. Uninstall those you don’t absolutely need

Typically these will be games, but some apps can also use many gigabytes. You have to remove them one by one, and it can take a while, but it can free up an awful lot of disk space quite quickly.

(Via: https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/storage/free-up-drive-space-windows-3580427/)

Another way for you to have more space in your hard drive is by deleting Windows Restore points.

Windows creates restore points automatically so you can roll back to a previous

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Is your laptop slowing down? If it is, it’s normal. Laptops slowdown over time. There are a lot of reasons why that happens.

It is essential to know that various factors may slow down your machine. One top reason for your computer running slow is because there may be programs running in the background. This is common, especially when the device is left running for long periods. Another possible reason is having a hard disk that is already full. Attacks by viruses may also make a laptop slow. Although it is sometimes difficult to establish the reason for the slow performance, the situation can be rectified without much strain.

(Via: https://www.legit.ng/1249081-how-speed-laptop-top-10-tips.html)

While it’s inevitable for a laptop to run slower, there are some tips that you can use to overcome it. First of which is to reduce startup programs.

Many computer programs are designed in a way that allows them to auto-start each time the laptop is turned on. They are designed this way to allow quick startup when the user turns on the laptop. When a machine has too many programs on auto-start, they may slow it down. Some of these programs, for example, antiviruses, are essential, and it is better to leave the program unchanged. Others such as games slow down the computer and are not always required.

(Via: https://www.legit.ng/1249081-how-speed-laptop-top-10-tips.html)

Another great tip to help speed up your laptop is to uninstall unneeded programs.

Another simple technique on how to speed up computer is deleting the applications that you no longer need. It is common for users to have a build-up of programs, some of which are no longer required. Some of these include disc cleaners, games, virus scanners, large movie files, and backup tools, all of which run in the background. Usually, these unnecessary applications clutter and waste the system resources.

(Via: https://www.legit.ng/1249081-how-speed-laptop-top-10-tips.html)

Defragmentation is also one way to speed up your laptop.

Defragmentation is one of the best ways to speed up my laptop. The latest editions of Windows may not require this because they auto-defragment the drive. In the older computer models, there is an essential Microsoft tool that you can use for this task. There are also other defragmenting tools such as IObit’s Smart Defrag 5 and O&O Defrag that may be better. Conduct your research before selecting one.

(Via: https://www.legit.ng/1249081-how-speed-laptop-top-10-tips.html)

Make sure your laptop is free of spyware and viruses. That is, if you want to speed it up and protect it at the same time.

Laptops that are infected with spyware or viruses are normally very slow. Spyware refers to any applications or programs that are installed in the PC without the user’s knowledge. They are used to

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Have you explored your laptop? By that, I mean, thoroughly explore it to know the other things that it can do for you? If the answer is no, you’re in for a big surprise because your laptop can do so many other things.

Take a trip off the beaten track to some of the lesser-known features and options available to you—from expanding your screen space, to improving system security.

(Via: https://gizmodo.com/11-things-your-laptop-can-do-that-you-might-not-know-ab-1835899474)

Let’s start. Did you know that your laptop can go dark? Yes, it can. Here’s how.

Dark mode is everywhere these days, pretty much, and Windows and macOS have joined in. Automatic dark-mode-on-a-schedule is arriving later this year in macOS Catalina, but on macOS Mojave you can enable it manually by opening System Preferences from the Apple menu, then choosing General and Dark.

Windows user? Click the settings cog on the Start menu, then select Personalization, Colors, and Dark (under the Choose your default app mode heading). These changes should affect both the operating system and the various apps running on top of it, at least in most cases.

(Via: https://gizmodo.com/11-things-your-laptop-can-do-that-you-might-not-know-ab-1835899474)

For the gamers out there, I’m sure you already that it’s possible to stream games from your console to your laptop. The things is, your parents might not know about it. So, this is an FYI for parents out there who think their kids are always studying on their laptop.

Laptops have been able to stream games from a PS4 or Xbox One on the same wifi network for a long time (way before Google Stadia arrived).

(Via: https://gizmodo.com/11-things-your-laptop-can-do-that-you-might-not-know-ab-1835899474)

Another awesome thing your laptop can do is that it can pin websites to the dock or taskbar.

As well as pinning apps to the dock or taskbar (delete as appropriate), you can also pin websites that you frequently visit for speedy access—a sort of upgrade to the bookmarking system already available in your browser.

Mac users can just drag down a URL from the address bar in Safari to the far right-hand side of the dock. If you’re on Windows, it’s most easily done from Microsoft Edge: Open the program’s menu then choose Pin this page to the taskbar. In the new Edge, it’s under More tools and Pin to taskbar.

(Via: https://gizmodo.com/11-things-your-laptop-can-do-that-you-might-not-know-ab-1835899474)

Did you know that your laptop can also receive messages from your phone? Yes, it can!

This will be second nature if you own a Mac and an iPhone—all you need is the same Apple ID and the Messages app—but it’s also possible to send SMS messages from Android through the Your Phone app that’s part of Windows (search for it from the taskbar). Put the companion app on your Android

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Data loss is something we all fear. Imagine, losing all our important files, photos, and videos. Data loss affects everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are. Whether you’re a business owner, home owner, or an employee, data loss can be detrimental to your health. Yes, just like smoking, it can kill you. especially if you don’t know how to handle it.

Seriously, data loss hurts. The thing is, it’s the last thing anybody thinks about. Do you think about it? You probably don’t until it happens to you. That’s the thing; it can happen to you.

The loss of data is always considered as something that happens to others, such as a situation where one is naturally exempt or sheltered.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

There’s just no doubt that the consequences of data loss could be catastrophic.

The problems created from this loss can be huge, very serious and usually synonymous with budgets of large sums of money for recovery.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

Can you imagine what data loss can do your business? You probably don’t want to think about it now because it’s such a negative thought. If you don’t have any preventive measures in place, you have to think about it now.

A loss of data can leave a company out of service for several hours, and even days, and sometimes resign itself to never being able to recover certain batches of information.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

You can deal with data loss. It won’t be easy but you can deal with it.

When dealing with this type of events, it is important to know that data recovery in general terms is possible.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

It’s good to know that data recovery is possible. However, that could take up some of your time as well. What you could do is to minimize data loss. Here’s a helpful practice to help you minimize data loss.

Do you back up your files? Is this a practice you do regularly? if not, then it’s time to instill this practice at home and at work as well.

The information stored in computers, external disks, pen drives, tablets and other devices can be unrecoverable not only because of failures in these digital media but also because of fires, thefts or floods. Therefore, it is very important to have backup copies of all the significant information.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

There’s just no way you can back up once and forget about it after. That’s why you have to develop the habit of backing up at least once a day. That’s the only way you can have updated versions of your files.

A single backup is not enough. Having at least three backup copies is important

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