Hard drive Maintenance

By: Frederick Oberg

How are files organized on a hard disk?

Scan Disk (Error Checking)

• Why does my computer keep resetting while running Scan Disk?

• Recommended to run every month.

Defragment a Hard Drive • Recommended for the average user to defrag once

every 2-3 months

Partitioning a Hard Drive

Purposes:

• Separation of the operating system files from user files

• Keeping frequently used programs and data near each other.

• Having cache and log files separate from other files. These can change size dynamically and rapidly, potentially making a file system full.

• Use of multi-booting setups

• Protecting or isolating files - makes it easier to recover a corrupted file system or operating system installation.

Partitioning a Hard Drive

Copy CDs often?

Ex) Partition 700Mb of a 20 Gb hard drive

C: 19.3 Gb

D: 700 Mb

Partitioning - externally

Instructables.com

Formatting a Hard Drive

Pros Your computer should be running as good as the day you first used it.

Formatting a Hard Drive

2 waysMethod one: The disks drive manufacture's

proprietary software to erase the drive contents.

Method two: An application supplied with the operating system is used to erase the operating systems drive coordinates. The coordinates are used by the operating system to locate files and directories that it needs to function.

Formatting a Hard Drive

Jumper Pins

• Master or Single – is the drive that gets booted up.

• Slave – is a secondary drive.

• Cable Select – uses a special cable that decides who is master and slave.

• Size Reduction – for large hard drive put in old PCs [9]

Don’t Trash it yet!

1-CRT : contains lead and mercury

2-Circuit boards : contains silicon and copper

3-hardisk

Nuke it!

Freeze It!

Don’t pay for disk recovery. [7}

Hot & Cold

• Don’t try this at home!Unless you have experience

embedding computer components

in ice [6]

Sledge it!

• Mac – secure wipe on OSX

• Windows – Sledge hammer

Geek Magnets

• Instructables.com

References• [1] http://www.forensicswiki.org/images/7/79/Maxtor_Disk_Geometry.pdf

• [2] http://www.putergeek.com/scandisk_defrag/index.shtml

• [3] http://www.auslogics.com/disk-defrag/index.php

• [4] http://www.ehow.com/how_6026_format-hard-drive.html

• [5] http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313348

• [6] http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/garfinkel/17609/

• [7] Link

• [8] Link 2

• [9] http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/op/jump_IDE.htm