Installing cd-drive question:

[Robert]

Good path to go, Robert.

Try this -

(e-mail address removed)

Put my name where the XXXXX are.

You'll be very pleased with your result.

Ok, another question has come up. While I was reading how to copy the
files from one drive to another at the bottom it says:

Note: If there are too many errors or fragmented files on the old
drive, the copy procedure may fail. If this happens, run Error-check
and Defragment the old drive. To access the Error-check and Defragment
tools, double-clicking on My Computer in Windows 2000 or XP, or
Computer in Windows Vista. Then right-click on the drive letter,
select Properties, and click on the Tools tab.

Well I've already done this and recently ran Defrag and it ended ok
but when I ran the Error-check afterwards on my C drive I got an error
message in phase 2 saying it cannot complete the check. I tried it
again but it gave me the same message, so it seems I do have a
problem and perhaps I won't be able to copy from one disk to another.
This was another reason why I decided to get a new hard drive and
perhaps why I thought I needed an external hard drive. Thoughts/
Suggestions?


Robert

 

[Anna]

Robert:
First of all, hold off on those purchases...

I'm pretty sure that Kingwin USB external HDD enclosure you mention is
NOT compatible with a SATA HDD such as the WD one you've also
mentioned. That USB enclosure supports *only* PATA (IDE) hard drives
such as the type of HDD currently installed in your Dell machine. So
check that out.

Now you could purchase a SATA HDD for use in an enclosure that
supports >> >> a SATA HDD with the external enclosure supporting USB
connectivity. So >> >> that you could use that device with your Dell
machine. But there's another
problem here...

I'm virtually certain your Dell 8200 has only USB 1 (1.1) capability,
i.e.,
it does not support USB 2.0. As such, while you could use the USB
external HDD with your present system it would be slow - tortuously
slow - >> >> when employing the device as the recipient of the cloned
contents of your
internal day-to-day HDD (which I'm assuming you're planning to do
using
the Acronis program you've mentioned).

Now you can get around this by purchasing a PCI card that supports USB
2.0 capability. They're relatively inexpensive - see, for
example, http://www.directron.com/aud041.html
(I'm assuming, of course, that you have an available vacant PCI slot
in
your PC to install this card).

If you decide to go that general route, I would suggest purchasing an
external enclosure that has *both* USB-connectivity as well as direct
SATA-to-SATA connectivity. The difference in cost between the two
types
is generally modest. Coupled with a SATA HDD (such as the WD one
you've been contemplating) this type of device could prove useful if &
when >> >> at some future point you purchase a new machine which will,
no doubt, have
built-in SATA capability. SATA-to-SATA connectivity is decidedly
superior >> >> to USB-connectivity in terms of speed of operations.

I believe you've already received a flurry of responses re your
optical
drive issue so I won't comment on that aspect.

One other thing...
While the Acronis True Image program is a fine program (incidentally,
the
latest version is 11, not 10), we prefer the Casper 4.0 program for
disk-to-disk cloning rather than the Acronis program. We recently
provided details concerning the use of this program in a 11/18 posting
to
this newsgroup under the subject...

"Re: My miserable experience in testing and "removing" the "Acronis
[alleged] True Image 11 Home" Backup product."

Take a look at it if you're interested. Or I can reost the info to
this
newsgroup if you (or anyone else) is interested.
Anna

:
Robert:
I'm sorry I confused you in my response to your query. Let me see if I
can
clarify and at the same time simplify at least a portion of my comments
for
your benefit and possibly the benefit of others...

First of all - and I don't mean this in any condescending way - take a
deep
breath and relax. This is not any "nightmare" situation. You just have to
take things calmly on a step-by-step basis trying to understand each step
along the way.

Your present Dell desktop PC is equipped for USB 1.0 or 1.1. At this time
it
does not support the USB 2.0 protocol. You seem to understand that USB
2.0
is a superior protocol as compared to USB 1.0 (1.1) in that its speed of
data transfer is considerably faster than USB 1.0 (1.1). This fact is
particularly important in your case because you're planning to use a disk
cloning/disk imaging program as a comprehensive backup program (a most
worthwhile objective) - you mention the Acronis program - for the purpose
of
copying *all* the data from your internal HDD to a USB external HDD.
Presumably you would be doing this on a routine systematic basis. At
least I
hope so.

I tried to point out to you that using the built-in USB 1.0 (1.1)
capability
of your Dell PC would result in an extremely slow data transfer rate.
Extremely slow. Most users would find this lack of speed intolerable
within
the context of routinely using a disk cloning/disk imaging program as a
backup system. The fact that the USB external enclosure you would be
using
would be USB 2.0 capable is irrelevant *unless* you equipped your PC with
USB 2.0 capability - which you *could* do by purchasing a PCI card that
supports USB 2.0 and install that card in a vacant PCI slot within your
computer. Then you would have USB 2.0 capability through the connection
to
your USB 2.0 external HDD.

Do you now understand the above explanation?

If you're still puzzled by my previous comments as they relate to PATA -
SATA hard drives as they relate to an external enclosure, I'll try to
clarify my remarks should you want. But you must make it clear what
precisely is confusing you.
Anna- Hide

Yes, I understand what you are trying to say now, I guess I was just
frustrated with all the things I read about installing a hard drive
e.g. setting the BIOS, paritioning etc. For the present I've decided
to concentrate on installing the LG DVD/RW drive and then the Seagate
hard drive I've purchased. Afterwards, I would still like to address
the issue of buying a separate hard drive as I think its important to
have a back up of my hard drive in case theres some sort of failure or
problem in the future. I did check on the back of my computer and it
seems that theres (1) slot available so that I might be able to buy a
PCI card and become USB 2.0 compatable but again this is after I
install the drives. I assume that if I install a PCI card then it
needs cables to run to the motherboard?

I didn't mean to cause any disagreement between you and Wally as you
are both trying to help me. I went with Wally's suggestions for the
DVD/RW drive as well as the Seagate hard drive as I requested
suggestions for brands names and types since I know nothing about
these and he was the only one who responded with suggestions and
apparently I needed the ATA configuration versus the SATA which I
assume is a newer version. I also liked how he explained things in
steps which make it easier for me to understand. In any case, I
appreciate both of you trying to give me a hand and walk me through
this.

Robert

Robert:
First of all, please don't fret about you're causing any "disagreement"
between myself & Wally. There's no problem here. There are different
approaches one can take with respect to configuring one's computer,
determining an appropriate backup system, etc., etc. The main thing is that
a particular approach fits *your* objectives, your equipment, and, of
course, your pocketbook. As long as Wally's suggestions meet your
objectives, fit your particular system, and you're comfortable with his
recommendations that's really all that matters.

I'll just add re your specific question concerning the PCI USB 2.0
card...that there is no cable that runs to the motherboard when you install
that device. The card is simply installed in a vacant PCI slot on your
motherboard just like you would be doing with a video/graphics card or sound
card. Just look around newegg.com for those cards and you'll see what they
look like.
Anna

 

[Robert]

I have a Dell Dimension 8200 with home XP with DSL connection. It
has a cd-drive but it's read only and also a 3 1/2" disk drive
which is
useless. I would like to upgrade it to a cd-read/write drive and my
question is this; can I use the same connectors for the 3 1/2 drive
for the new cd-drive? Also will the new cd-drive come with a
faceplate or do I have to purchase that separately? I would
appreciate
any suggestions as to what brand/type of drive to get.
Thanks,
Robert
I want to thank everyone for their suggestions and help. This is
what
I've decided to do and I would appreciate any comments or follow up
suggestions. Also, bear in mind that although I'm not completely
computer illiterate I sometimes have difficulty following some of
the
comments. I have no idea what SATA is for example, so please bear
with
me.
First, before my hard drive crashes I want to build an external hard
drive using a Kingwin enclosure:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817146307
Then buy a Western Digital Caviar hard drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136178
Then as I understand it buy Acronis True Image Home version 10 for
downloading from my computer.
After I've bought and set up my external hard drive then I want to
replace the existing hard drive with a new hard drive, and the cd-
drive with a dvd/rw. My present hard drive is a 40GB Ultra ATA/100
but when I check on My Computer>C: drive> properties> it says
WD400BB-75CLBO. Perhaps they are the same. In any case, I would
appreciate any suggestions for a replacement.
Given my system are there any requirements I need to look for? In
addition, I seem to remember USB1 or 1.1 it being mentioned. How
do
I tell what I have?
All I can say at this point is that I have a USB connector on the
front and the back of the computer but the rear connector is
presently
being used for my wireless mouse and I use the front occassionally
to
upload pictures from my digital camera.
Thanks,
Robert
Robert:
First of all, hold off on those purchases...
I'm pretty sure that Kingwin USB external HDD enclosure you mention is
NOT compatible with a SATA HDD such as the WD one you've also
mentioned. That USB enclosure supports *only* PATA (IDE) hard drives
such as the type of HDD currently installed in your Dell machine. So
check that out.
Now you could purchase a SATA HDD for use in an enclosure that
supports >> >> a SATA HDD with the external enclosure supporting USB
connectivity. So >> >> that you could use that device with your Dell
machine. But there's another
problem here...
I'm virtually certain your Dell 8200 has only USB 1 (1.1) capability,
i.e.,
it does not support USB 2.0. As such, while you could use the USB
external HDD with your present system it would be slow - tortuously
slow - >> >> when employing the device as the recipient of the cloned
contents of your
internal day-to-day HDD (which I'm assuming you're planning to do
using
the Acronis program you've mentioned).
Now you can get around this by purchasing a PCI card that supports USB
2.0 capability. They're relatively inexpensive - see, for
example,http://www.directron.com/aud041.html
(I'm assuming, of course, that you have an available vacant PCI slot
in
your PC to install this card).
If you decide to go that general route, I would suggest purchasing an
external enclosure that has *both* USB-connectivity as well as direct
SATA-to-SATA connectivity. The difference in cost between the two
types
is generally modest. Coupled with a SATA HDD (such as the WD one
you've been contemplating) this type of device could prove useful if &
when >> >> at some future point you purchase a new machine which will,
no doubt, have
built-in SATA capability. SATA-to-SATA connectivity is decidedly
superior >> >> to USB-connectivity in terms of speed of operations.
I believe you've already received a flurry of responses re your
optical
drive issue so I won't comment on that aspect.
One other thing...
While the Acronis True Image program is a fine program (incidentally,
the
latest version is 11, not 10), we prefer the Casper 4.0 program for
disk-to-disk cloning rather than the Acronis program. We recently
provided details concerning the use of this program in a 11/18 posting
to
this newsgroup under the subject...
"Re: My miserable experience in testing and "removing" the "Acronis
[alleged] True Image 11 Home" Backup product."
Take a look at it if you're interested. Or I can reost the info to
this
newsgroup if you (or anyone else) is interested.
Anna

I appreciate your taking the time to respond to my problem but to be
honest you've totally confused me and I don't understand half of what
you said only that it seems I'm screwed no matter what I decide to
do. I thought this was going to be a simple procedure and its turning
into a nightmare. In addition, I'm financially strapped so buying a
new computer is out of the question. Suggestions? and please keep it
simple.
Thanks,
Robert
:
Robert:
I'm sorry I confused you in my response to your query. Let me see if I
can
clarify and at the same time simplify at least a portion of my comments
for
your benefit and possibly the benefit of others...
First of all - and I don't mean this in any condescending way - take a
deep
breath and relax. This is not any "nightmare" situation. You just have to
take things calmly on a step-by-step basis trying to understand each step
along the way.
Your present Dell desktop PC is equipped for USB 1.0 or 1.1. At this time
it
does not support the USB 2.0 protocol. You seem to understand that USB
2.0
is a superior protocol as compared to USB 1.0 (1.1) in that its speed of
data transfer is considerably faster than USB 1.0 (1.1). This fact is
particularly important in your case because you're planning to use a disk
cloning/disk imaging program as a comprehensive backup program (a most
worthwhile objective) - you mention the Acronis program - for the purpose
of
copying *all* the data from your internal HDD to a USB external HDD.
Presumably you would be doing this on a routine systematic basis. At
least I
hope so.
I tried to point out to you that using the built-in USB 1.0 (1.1)
capability
of your Dell PC would result in an extremely slow data transfer rate.
Extremely slow. Most users would find this lack of speed intolerable
within
the context of routinely using a disk cloning/disk imaging program as a
backup system. The fact that the USB external enclosure you would be
using
would be USB 2.0 capable is irrelevant *unless* you equipped your PC with
USB 2.0 capability - which you *could* do by purchasing a PCI card that
supports USB 2.0 and install that card in a vacant PCI slot within your
computer. Then you would have USB 2.0 capability through the connection
to
your USB 2.0 external HDD.
Do you now understand the above explanation?
If you're still puzzled by my previous comments as they relate to PATA -
SATA hard drives as they relate to an external enclosure, I'll try to
clarify my remarks should you want. But you must make it clear what
precisely is confusing you.
Anna- Hide

Yes, I understand what you are trying to say now, I guess I was just
frustrated with all the things I read about installing a hard drive
e.g. setting the BIOS, paritioning etc. For the present I've decided
to concentrate on installing the LG DVD/RW drive and then the Seagate
hard drive I've purchased. Afterwards, I would still like to address
the issue of buying a separate hard drive as I think its important to
have a back up of my hard drive in case theres some sort of failure or
problem in the future. I did check on the back of my computer and it
seems that theres (1) slot available so that I might be able to buy a
PCI card and become USB 2.0 compatable but again this is after I
install the drives. I assume that if I install a PCI card then it
needs cables to run to the motherboard?

I didn't mean to cause any disagreement between you and Wally as you
are both trying to help me. I went with Wally's suggestions for the
DVD/RW drive as well as the Seagate hard drive as I requested
suggestions for brands names and types since I know nothing about
these and he was the only one who responded with suggestions and
apparently I needed the ATA configuration versus the SATA which I
assume is a newer

...

read more >>- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Did you see my latest question involving the copying from disk to
disk? I would appreciate any advice on this.


Robert