Social Media News

Concluding the month of December 2009, The University of California released an extensive study charting American computer usage; astonishing scientific results conclude a daily median of users absorb 34 gigabytes, an increase yielded by the year’s social media revolution — while 100,000 words were eyed each day, a level of comprehension is retained. A large amount of that information is viewed and/or shared a single time from social media and platform giants; while a chunk is saved each day to an internal hard drive inside a PC, without a second thought of the consequences. Expeditiously, resources become exhausted as the computer user saves additional content within a limited space; leading to an unexpected internal hard drive failure. A sorrowful occurrence of a enormous loss in needed data, that cannot be retrieved from a spent drive; the circle of technological life is that at some point in time ‘all’ internal hard drives will suffer from a failure — many sooner than others due to use. As a social media canvasser and journalist, I’m also a chic geek and aficionado of present day technology; thus I strongly recommend the purchase of an external hard drive and quote the importance of backing up all data saved to the internal memory.

—Early Warning Signs—

In isolated incidences a user may notice an array of problems before the internal hard drive fails. Below are typical errors to be encountered pending an internal hard drive failure. It needs to be noted that once a pattern is noticed in a system dysfunction, a backup plan must be put in effect without delay.

→ The computer freezes repeatedly, much more than a typical corruption that may occur once a month from system overload. When such happens entry from the keyboard fails as well as the mouse cursor remains stationary; if seen at all. The only solution to this is a cold boot, since one cannot access a normal shut down; cold boots are preformed when manually shutting the computer off — by holding down the off switch/button, restarting will often lead to a resume normally or ‘start in safe mode’.

→ The computer functions, yet functionality is at a snail’s crawl. Opening files, accessing programs, and so forth take forever to load and function with the same slow rate — increasing massive frustration. Opening too many programs, typically yield the result of PC freezing which a manual cold boot restart is required.

→ Files, usually recently saved or retrieved, seem to mysteriously disappear; usually failing to reappear, as the internal hard drive starts crashing severely more and more files will see this fate. Due to this occurrence, again, it is of the upmost importance to back up your work; an external hard drive is recommended and will pay for its expense in the future – another option is to pay for a web-base service that is accredited in backing up data.
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→ While some computers may lock up during start-up, failing internal drives are frequent for lock-up booting. There will be a defiant pattern of notice for this.

—-Real Failure—

Failures are a black and white yin and yang occurrence, if the drive is functioning to any extent; the above may continue happen. Failures vary by degree, however, a total failure will exhibit the signs listed below:

→ Collaborate your senses, real internal failures require hearing as a failed hard drive will produce horrid metallic sound of disorder; which will be the first prognoses of a critical issue — far from noiseless, often the hard drive will be heard in a variety of ways. Sounds are produced from the read/write head, on the internal hard drive aimlessly trouncing around without the ability to save data – since it can no longer write the data to the drive itself.

→ One may believe aliens overtook their system, as the ‘blue screens of death’; keep users from engaging in their computing. Also referred to as the “Blue Screen of Death” both are a common colloquialism used for screen errors — these are most notably reserved for aMicrrosoft Windows product.

→ Due to a failed internal hard drive, the system will not boot. Booting simply means the starting of one’s system to get to the desktop, internet access, and downloaded programs. Once the hard drive fails, turning on the computer goes no place but sets there uselessly.

—Diagnostic Testing—

In a case of a failing internal hard drive a series of testing may identify the problem; these steps are researved for advanced computer users; less advanced users may wish to take their system to tech support or a friend with common advanced system know how — as the case must be opened for diagnostic testing steps below:

→ First, check the power cable to ensure a proper connection is made to the internal drive

→ Second, after checking the power cable, the data cable needs to be checked to ensure proper establishment to the internal drive.

→ Third, getting more advanced; if an IDE drive is the type of drive in the system the red edge of thee ribbon should be properly aligned. Pin One should be aligned close to a power adaptor switch; this is where the red ribbon earlier mentioned should be lined up correctly. Failure to do so will result in problems.

→ A Master/slave assignment should be set up, properly; if this is a IDE drive. Without this problems will arise.

→ Once a connection is verified, next check to see if the drive registers; if the drive doesn’t show the problem is that of a failed internal hard drive. One step on IDE drives to go functionally though the BIOS to connect. If it does connect this simply means its visible but not viable

→ Antiviral programs, store bought, come with boot disks; using such disk. A full scan of the internal drive will function if part of the internal drive is still executable, however this doesn’t signify a fully functioning drive. If anything is found to me malicious, a scan should be allowed to clean up the blunders’ which may buy a few more days/weeks.

→ FDICK is the recommended program for the examination of internal computer drives, that is rather simple to use; each drive is scanned and if no internal hard drive information is retrieved that drive indicated severe damage.

→ Lastly, system utilities like ‘scan disk’ and/or ‘disk check’ should be deployed only if the internal drive is partial in its function. For those with a full mechanical failure, nothing will function as it should; not even system tools or system restore.

No software utility  software is currently in existence to salvage lost data; which is why back up, again, is of extreme importance. Partially collapsed internal disks may retain “some” of the saved data with various disk utility programs; however you must find the correct program prior to its recovery feat. If the disk continues to fail, without back up, commonly and/or saved files will often disappear. Yielding the blue screen of death or mammoth freezing when trying to use a computer; that may be of a snail’s pace., which is why once must be cautious prior to saving to an internal disk as space is limited and major mess ups can easily occur.

(Copyright © Social-Media-News 2009)