I've got an SSD at work. It's great.
I finally bit the bullet and ordered one for my home PC. The PC itself is getting pretty long in the tooth (circa 2006), but I just don't do much on it that would justify me getting a whole new system.
I upped the RAM in it to 6GB a year or two ago. That helped.
The SSD should give me that next boost to stave off the upgrade demons for another couple years.
The SSD comes with a kit that, in theory, allows me to migrate the current drive to that one nice and easy. However, given that I did a funky ass install of Win7 (see previous posts) I'm not sure how it will work. Further, I don't think I want to use the same setup (splitting OS and User onto different drives with the OS on a 75GB Raptor).
So, I will reinstall Win7 and just do a normal install where I leave Users on the same drive as OS. That way I'll get the benefit of OS, Apps and User all on the fast 128GB SSD. It will be a pain in the ass. I've got to dig up the CDs and reinstall everything. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Win7 Installation - WAIK
In my last post I settled on doing an unattended installation of Win7 in order to place my /Users and /ProgramData folders on my Data drive.
Now I'm going to explore how to set that up.
First step is to download the kit from the following link.
Set these fields in the unattended file:
(Note: this links all go to the Vista WAIK, find the ones for Win7)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314105
http://maximumpcguides.com/windows-vista/move-and-optimize-windows-vistas-paging-file/
Move hibernate file as well. (post install?)
Install from USB key:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd535816.aspx
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_to_install_windows_7_beta_a_usb_key
Got this finally working just using an AutoUnattend.xml file on a USB stick inserted into the PC at the same time you're installing Win7. (CD + USB stick, or install from USB stick and put this file on there as well)
Here's a link to this file: AutoUnattend.xml
This will still ask you which partition you'd like to install Windows on, which gives you the chance to do advanced formatting of your drives/partitions.
P.S. Thanks to http://www.manoli.net/csharpformat/ for the code formatting above.
First step is to download the kit from the following link.
Note, this file is 1.7GB in size, so give yourself a some time to download this.
- Insert your Win7 DVD, or mount your Win7 .iso image (I use MagicDisc by MagicIso). (For the remaining steps I'll assume this is in your L: drive)
- Run the Windows System Image Manager application.
- Select your Windows Image file: L:\sources\install.wim
- Then select which image you'll be using: Windows 7 ULTIMATE
- In the Windows Image pane, select which components you want to set for your installation
This is the fun part. There's a ton of properties here that you can set pre-installation. I have no idea what most of the them do, but I'm looking for just a few to set.
The main two properties I want to set are ProfilesDirectory and the ProgramData. (Note: this links are for Vista; I couldn't find where the Win7 ones are; the two help trees are quite different.)
- Find the amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup_6.1.7600.16385 Component and the sub-node, FolderLocations.
- Right click and choose to Add Setting to Pass...
- This property will now be added to the Answer File pane and you can set the values for the two Settings.
- I set ProfilesDirectory to D:\Users
- I set ProgramData to D:\ProgramData
(Use 64-bit WAIK for 64-bit images, 32-bit WAIK for either)
Here's a guide on setting up an unattended installation.
Words of warning
There were some issues with Vista where installing /Users to a different drive would prevent some patches, but that was resolved in a KB hot fix, which I'm assuming rolled into Win7.
Set these fields in the unattended file:
(Note: this links all go to the Vista WAIK, find the ones for Win7)
- Shell Component
- Setup Component
- PageFile
- Time Zone
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314105
http://maximumpcguides.com/windows-vista/move-and-optimize-windows-vistas-paging-file/
Move hibernate file as well. (post install?)
Install from USB key:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd535816.aspx
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_to_install_windows_7_beta_a_usb_key
Got this finally working just using an AutoUnattend.xml file on a USB stick inserted into the PC at the same time you're installing Win7. (CD + USB stick, or install from USB stick and put this file on there as well)
Here's a link to this file: AutoUnattend.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<servicing></servicing>
<settings pass="windowsPE">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<UserData>
<ProductKey>
<Key>AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE</Key>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
</ProductKey>
<AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
<FullName>root</FullName>
<Organization>AcmeWEC</Organization>
</UserData>
<Display>
<ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
<HorizontalResolution>1280</HorizontalResolution>
<VerticalResolution>1024</VerticalResolution>
</Display>
<UseConfigurationSet>true</UseConfigurationSet>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<SetupUILanguage>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
</SetupUILanguage>
<InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale>
<SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
<UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="oobeSystem">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<FolderLocations>
<ProfilesDirectory>D:\Users</ProfilesDirectory>
<ProgramData>D:\ProgramData</ProgramData>
</FolderLocations>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="specialize">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<TimeZone>Pacific Standard Time</TimeZone>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:l:/sources/install.wim#Windows 7 ULTIMATE" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>
This will still ask you which partition you'd like to install Windows on, which gives you the chance to do advanced formatting of your drives/partitions.
P.S. Thanks to http://www.manoli.net/csharpformat/ for the code formatting above.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
How to Copy an Audio CD
I don't like to put my original CDs in my car stereo, or even in my cd player downstairs. Too many chances for those CDs to become scratched and unplayable.
How to make a backup though? I don't actually want to rip the CD (see other posts for that) to MP3 or FLAC files on my disk.
Use ImgBurn to read the CD to a .bin image file. Then switch modes to write it to a blank CD. Total time is about 5 min for the whole operation.
The only difficult part is making sure you download the real ImgBurn program and not one of the ad-ware apps that have the big "Download" buttons on that web site.
How to make a backup though? I don't actually want to rip the CD (see other posts for that) to MP3 or FLAC files on my disk.
Use ImgBurn to read the CD to a .bin image file. Then switch modes to write it to a blank CD. Total time is about 5 min for the whole operation.
The only difficult part is making sure you download the real ImgBurn program and not one of the ad-ware apps that have the big "Download" buttons on that web site.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Chromium: Redux
Well, Chrome OS did not turn out to be all that and a bag of chips. Only one issue, but a big one: it couldn't see my wireless network. Now, the previous two builds I tried while booting from a USB stick did see my network. When I installed the latest and greatest (see last post) I had plugged into my hard wired network, just for ease.
Oops.
I'm fairly sure that it's not just my wireless network; I have no other wireless devices right now so I can't verify my Wi-Fi is actually working. However, I cannot see any of the other Wi-Fi's in my neighborhood and I can usually see five or six.
I have Chromium OS 0.8.71.2010_10_06_1056 - Developer build from Oct 6.
I can try plugging my USB sticks back in with the older builds and seeing if I can still see my Wi-Fi. I can also just try grabbing the latest and giving that a go.
I did try plugging the hard wire back in and from Chrome->About, there's a Check For Update button. No luck, that may be waiting for the day when there's an official release.
Oh, noes. Hexxeh's download page is down. Bandwidth exceeded. Fortunately someone is helping him host images, just not the latest ones. He has a verified one from Sept 21, 2010 that I'll try. It is an older one, but he does have a screen shot that shows it connected to a wireless network.
Ugh, a two hour download. That's a shame his bandwidth got slammed. Looks like the other host is a very slow one.
In the meantime, I'll boot using a USB stick and an older build (0.5.31.201002131622) I know worked. I think that's Hexxeh's "Flow" build.
Ok, booted in that build. Still no Wi-Fi. Maybe I do have a problem with my netbook; I know that used to work.
Sigh. A quick check in the BIOS setup and the WLAN hardware feature was disabled. Duh!
I can't believe for almost two months we haven't used the netbook because of one simple switch.
That's what comes from not having/taking the time to do some quick checks.
Remember, the first question you should always ask: Is it plugged in?
Oops.
I'm fairly sure that it's not just my wireless network; I have no other wireless devices right now so I can't verify my Wi-Fi is actually working. However, I cannot see any of the other Wi-Fi's in my neighborhood and I can usually see five or six.
I have Chromium OS 0.8.71.2010_10_06_1056 - Developer build from Oct 6.
I can try plugging my USB sticks back in with the older builds and seeing if I can still see my Wi-Fi. I can also just try grabbing the latest and giving that a go.
I did try plugging the hard wire back in and from Chrome->About, there's a Check For Update button. No luck, that may be waiting for the day when there's an official release.
Oh, noes. Hexxeh's download page is down. Bandwidth exceeded. Fortunately someone is helping him host images, just not the latest ones. He has a verified one from Sept 21, 2010 that I'll try. It is an older one, but he does have a screen shot that shows it connected to a wireless network.
Ugh, a two hour download. That's a shame his bandwidth got slammed. Looks like the other host is a very slow one.
In the meantime, I'll boot using a USB stick and an older build (0.5.31.201002131622) I know worked. I think that's Hexxeh's "Flow" build.
Ok, booted in that build. Still no Wi-Fi. Maybe I do have a problem with my netbook; I know that used to work.
Sigh. A quick check in the BIOS setup and the WLAN hardware feature was disabled. Duh!
I can't believe for almost two months we haven't used the netbook because of one simple switch.
That's what comes from not having/taking the time to do some quick checks.
Remember, the first question you should always ask: Is it plugged in?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Installing Chromium OS on my Netbook (Asus Eee PC)
I've currently got an Asus Eee PC 900a netbook I picked up refurbished that my wife and I use to surf while we watch TV. (btw: thank goodness they don't make 9" netbooks anymore; it's way too small for me; and also too damn slow.)
The OS that comes with it (Xandros?) is fine, nothing special. The one thing I can't do, however, is to update Firefox that comes with it (v2 something) to a recent version. This is becoming a problem. I almost feel like I'm running IE6; I can't access some websites now (though I'm still way more secure.)
Maybe I could spend some time figuring it out, but it seems that I can spend that same time figuring out how to put Google's Chrome OS on it. (Ack, looks like it's now called Chromium OS: http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os)
So, here goes.
First, this link makes it sound pretty easy:
http://gdgt.com/discuss/chromium-os-on-asus-eee-pc-via-5l7/
Follow those instructions (download image, stick image onto a USB drive; I used a 4GB), so far so good.
Next, was the hard part: getting the darn netbook to enter the bios or the boot screen so I can boot from the USB drive.
Naturally, there are a variety of posts that Google will turn up, but the hard part about it all is that the netbook is configured for a fast boot (Quick Boot, Quiet Boot & Boot Booster). So, hitting the correct key combination comes down to luck and timing.
Though one post, http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=973406, suggests to pull the power and battery pack to help. I didn't have to go that far, fortunately.
Now that I've gotten it, F2 will take you into setup. If you time it right. ESC will take you to the boot screen. (They call it BBS Popup, for whatever reason.)
So, boot from the USB drive and you're presented with a simple 'chromium os' login screen. Login as 'chronos' no password and you're into the OS. This is really just a browser window. From here you can setup your wireless passkey.
Everything works well. The browser/os is quick. The font is small and crisp (more room for content). The one problem. It's an old build. The About box shows v4.0.253.0 (32516) for the browser version. The login page shows v999.999.32409.000656 (Dev build Fri Nov 20, 2009). So, this is almost a year old.
I went to the Chromium OS page (see above) and looked into what'd it take to build it myself. Yikes. I am not that crazy. I'm a Windows developer with some old experience developing on various Unixes. While, I could probably get a build going it looks like it's just way too much crap to pull together, first to build the browser, and second to build the OS. http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/building-chromium-os
Fortunately, some young kid, Hexxeh, ("I'm a 17 year old") who has the time and the talent (and obviously no wife and no child; the best time sinks of all) has a more recent build. http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/
He has his own custom build, Flow, that I tried out (only 2GB). It's a bit too custom for me, but he's obviously spent a good deal of time and thought into a good customization of Chromium OS. It's also a bit out of date: v 6.0.321.0 (38366) for the browser and v0.5.31.201002131622 for the OS. So, that's Feb 13. Over half a year old. He mentions that he hasn't had a lot of time to keep up with the latest builds and still add his customizations. Understandable.
What he has done is set up a nightly build repository; I'd like to thank him whole heartedly for this. It's something all good build teams do and while I'm sure the Chromium OS team has one also, I couldn't find it on their website. Which either means I'm blind or it's internal only.
Nonetheless, head over to Hexeh's site (http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/vanilla.php) and grab the latest nightly builds of Chromium OS.
I grabbed the very latest at the time of writing (v0.8.71.rdb7d4e77 Oct 6, 2010) and following the instructions here: http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/wiki/doku.php?id=windows_instructions, used the Windows Image Writer to "burn" the OS to my USB drive. (Make sure to run as Admin in Win7.)
Well, to do the 'chromeos-install' I need to know the root password. I wonder what that is? Ah, it's 'facepunch', which is Hexeh's root password for his builds (this is in his FAQ).
The command completed successfully. Time to cross my fingers and reboot.
It worked. Very nice.
The OS that comes with it (Xandros?) is fine, nothing special. The one thing I can't do, however, is to update Firefox that comes with it (v2 something) to a recent version. This is becoming a problem. I almost feel like I'm running IE6; I can't access some websites now (though I'm still way more secure.)
Maybe I could spend some time figuring it out, but it seems that I can spend that same time figuring out how to put Google's Chrome OS on it. (Ack, looks like it's now called Chromium OS: http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os)
So, here goes.
First, this link makes it sound pretty easy:
http://gdgt.com/discuss/chromium-os-on-asus-eee-pc-via-5l7/
Follow those instructions (download image, stick image onto a USB drive; I used a 4GB), so far so good.
Next, was the hard part: getting the darn netbook to enter the bios or the boot screen so I can boot from the USB drive.
Naturally, there are a variety of posts that Google will turn up, but the hard part about it all is that the netbook is configured for a fast boot (Quick Boot, Quiet Boot & Boot Booster). So, hitting the correct key combination comes down to luck and timing.
Though one post, http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=973406, suggests to pull the power and battery pack to help. I didn't have to go that far, fortunately.
Now that I've gotten it, F2 will take you into setup. If you time it right. ESC will take you to the boot screen. (They call it BBS Popup, for whatever reason.)
So, boot from the USB drive and you're presented with a simple 'chromium os' login screen. Login as 'chronos' no password and you're into the OS. This is really just a browser window. From here you can setup your wireless passkey.
Everything works well. The browser/os is quick. The font is small and crisp (more room for content). The one problem. It's an old build. The About box shows v4.0.253.0 (32516) for the browser version. The login page shows v999.999.32409.000656 (Dev build Fri Nov 20, 2009). So, this is almost a year old.
I went to the Chromium OS page (see above) and looked into what'd it take to build it myself. Yikes. I am not that crazy. I'm a Windows developer with some old experience developing on various Unixes. While, I could probably get a build going it looks like it's just way too much crap to pull together, first to build the browser, and second to build the OS. http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/building-chromium-os
Fortunately, some young kid, Hexxeh, ("I'm a 17 year old") who has the time and the talent (and obviously no wife and no child; the best time sinks of all) has a more recent build. http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/
He has his own custom build, Flow, that I tried out (only 2GB). It's a bit too custom for me, but he's obviously spent a good deal of time and thought into a good customization of Chromium OS. It's also a bit out of date: v 6.0.321.0 (38366) for the browser and v0.5.31.201002131622 for the OS. So, that's Feb 13. Over half a year old. He mentions that he hasn't had a lot of time to keep up with the latest builds and still add his customizations. Understandable.
What he has done is set up a nightly build repository; I'd like to thank him whole heartedly for this. It's something all good build teams do and while I'm sure the Chromium OS team has one also, I couldn't find it on their website. Which either means I'm blind or it's internal only.
Nonetheless, head over to Hexeh's site (http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/vanilla.php) and grab the latest nightly builds of Chromium OS.
I grabbed the very latest at the time of writing (v0.8.71.rdb7d4e77 Oct 6, 2010) and following the instructions here: http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/wiki/doku.php?id=windows_instructions, used the Windows Image Writer to "burn" the OS to my USB drive. (Make sure to run as Admin in Win7.)
Now, reboot with the new build. Different login process now: I have to select language and network before the login screen. (Note: this is just the first login.) On the login screen I can skip logging in and just use their Incognito browser; nice! OS version is 0.8.71.2010_10_06_1056. Browser version is 7.0.547.0 (61590) Sweet.
I can "Exit Guest Mode" and get back to the login screen and login with my Google account. When I go to GMail, it still prompts me to sign in. That's good.
Oh, interesting. Once I sign out of the OS, I'm presented with the login screen, but it's got big chunky placeholders (for photos of yourself) that you can just click on. I like it. That'll be useful for my wife and I to each use our own IDs.
Now, can I write the OS to the internal SSD instead of using the USB drive to boot?
Yes! http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/wiki/doku.php?id=faq look for "Can I install this to my HDD/SSD?".
Hmm, when I open the terminal window I'm in a 'crosh' shell. Typing 'help' brings up a list of basic commands. One of them looks like it will install the OS to my SSD, but I can only see the description; the actual command has scrolled off the screen. Can't pipe to more either. Guess, I'll just try it via the FAQ above.
The command completed successfully. Time to cross my fingers and reboot.
It worked. Very nice.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
New OS - Updating Drivers - BIOS
So I finally updated my OS and it worked great. I have my \Users folder on my D: drive and my apps on my C: drive.
Gah, I totally forgot about all the drivers I need to update now.
I found out when I plugged my eSata drive back into my PC and a reboot wouldn't recognize it.
A quick Google and they basically all talk about updating drivers, BIOS and most likely the drive chip on the mobo.
I have an Asus P5B Deluxe motherboard from eons ago, so off to their web site I went looking for the latest drivers.
There's so many drivers just for the mobo, I may just go insane.
First up, let's update the BIOS driver. What's the worst that could happen? Oh, yeah I could brick the machine. I'm on v1101, which looks like I update the BIOS at least once a while ago since the release date is after I bought the mobo. They now have v1238; but it's a beta. Actually they all are since v1101. I figure they don't want to officially support this old board anymore, but were nice enough to update it for a while.
More Googling around and I found this web page which basically says not to use the bios updater program that comes from Asus; heck it wouldn't even run on Win7 x64.
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20070215223109668&board_id=1&model=P5B+Deluxe/WiFi-AP&SLanguage=en-us&page=1
It pretty much says, stick the BIOS rom on a USB stick and reboot and there's a built in BIOS tool (EZ Flash 2) that you can use to reboot from the file on the USB key. That's great.
First, I need to write down all my BIOS settings just in case... (I think I needed a higher voltage for my RAM)
(I wish I could screen shot the BIOS settings. Hmm... I could take pictures of the screens.)
Ok, bye, hope to see you soon.
[Insert cool Terminator rebooting effects here]
Back, with only a couple hiccups.
Gah, I totally forgot about all the drivers I need to update now.
I found out when I plugged my eSata drive back into my PC and a reboot wouldn't recognize it.
A quick Google and they basically all talk about updating drivers, BIOS and most likely the drive chip on the mobo.
I have an Asus P5B Deluxe motherboard from eons ago, so off to their web site I went looking for the latest drivers.
There's so many drivers just for the mobo, I may just go insane.
First up, let's update the BIOS driver. What's the worst that could happen? Oh, yeah I could brick the machine. I'm on v1101, which looks like I update the BIOS at least once a while ago since the release date is after I bought the mobo. They now have v1238; but it's a beta. Actually they all are since v1101. I figure they don't want to officially support this old board anymore, but were nice enough to update it for a while.
More Googling around and I found this web page which basically says not to use the bios updater program that comes from Asus; heck it wouldn't even run on Win7 x64.
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20070215223109668&board_id=1&model=P5B+Deluxe/WiFi-AP&SLanguage=en-us&page=1
It pretty much says, stick the BIOS rom on a USB stick and reboot and there's a built in BIOS tool (EZ Flash 2) that you can use to reboot from the file on the USB key. That's great.
First, I need to write down all my BIOS settings just in case... (I think I needed a higher voltage for my RAM)
(I wish I could screen shot the BIOS settings. Hmm... I could take pictures of the screens.)
Ok, bye, hope to see you soon.
[Insert cool Terminator rebooting effects here]
Back, with only a couple hiccups.
- Writing down all BIOS screens sucks. I got through about 4 screen, before I just said screw it and got the camera to take pictures of all the screens.
- Don't forget to perform the CPR step (unplug and let rest for a couple minutes). I just let the BIOS reboot after it flashed itself and suddenly my CMOS didn't checksum. Yikes.
- After CPR'ing, Windows did boot up, but using VGA. It immediately found the drivers for my video card (Radeon x1950) installed them and told me to reboot. Did that and all was fine.
So, BIOS checks out. I haven't bothered to tweak any of the settings. A few of the configuration screens are different from my last BIOS version. I don't think I did anything to the BIOS over the last few years anyway. I'll tackle the settings when I start trying to overclock.
That's it for tonight, more later...
That's it for tonight, more later...
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
External Drive
In preparation to upgrading to a new OS and needing to image my current drive, as well as serving as a new drive for my nightly backups (the current old PATA 80GB drive is getting too small) I'm looking to get a new external drive. An external also serves as the, my house is burning and I need to save my data, device; much easier than lugging the entire PC around.
I'm looking for a drive of 1TB. That should hold all my backups as well as serve as media storage.
This does preclude me from getting one of those snazzy flask size drives that you can stick in your shirt pocket. Those are based on a 2.5" laptop drive, but don't have the storage capacity I'm looking for. They also hook up with 2 USB cables (just 1 for the data transfer, 2 to get enough power to avoid an external power source), convenient, but I'm looking for the better transfer speed of eSATA.
So, 1TB, eSATA. That leaves just one big question: buy one straight off the shelf or build my own.
Off the shelf
Pros
Pros
Naturally, I chose to build my own.
While there is certainly a certain ease in just buying one off the shelf, I just wasn't comfortable not knowing anything about the HDD that came inside.
Given a $90 price point, presumably the enclosure costs some money. If it's sold to be at $30 (which does seem a bit inflated), they must be spending, say, $5 on it. That leaves $85 for the cost of the HDD and their profit. I'm guessing I'm going to be getting an older HDD, without much cache.
Now, for a little bit more money I can go ahead and specify the exact HDD I want, know what the RPM and cache will be. Toss in an enclosure and it should just plug right in without any problems.
Heck, I can buy any HDD and pair it with any mobo without worrying about compatibility. I'd assume enclosures are as worry free.
In the end I went with a Rosewill enclosure as I've purchased other accessories by them before with good luck. Wanting eSATA and 3.5" size drove the price up a bit from a cheap $8 to $30. A bit inflated I think, but I hope it has good reliability.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182179
For drive choice I went with a Caviar Black as it seems to be leading the 1TB pack right now in terms of performance.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=488
http://techreport.com/articles.x/17812
The parts have arrived and I've assembled them quickly and without any hassles. The enclosure is solid feeling and looks good. No complaints. The drive seems just fine. I'm not using this in any performance centric application at the moment (despite my reasoning based on performance when buying it) so I assume it's just fine.
Now it's time to point my backups to this drive and image my hard drive before I upgrade.
* Prices are for early March '10 when I was looking around. Now they're even cheaper.
I'm looking for a drive of 1TB. That should hold all my backups as well as serve as media storage.
This does preclude me from getting one of those snazzy flask size drives that you can stick in your shirt pocket. Those are based on a 2.5" laptop drive, but don't have the storage capacity I'm looking for. They also hook up with 2 USB cables (just 1 for the data transfer, 2 to get enough power to avoid an external power source), convenient, but I'm looking for the better transfer speed of eSATA.
So, 1TB, eSATA. That leaves just one big question: buy one straight off the shelf or build my own.
Off the shelf
Pros
- Cheaper - around $90*
- Presumably it has been tested to work reliably between the drive and enclosure.
- No idea what HDD you're getting.
Pros
- Can buy exactly the HDD you want. RPM and cache.
- More expensive. You have to buy a HDD (~$100) and an enclosure (~$30)
- May be some odd reliability/configuration issues between the two pieces.
Naturally, I chose to build my own.
While there is certainly a certain ease in just buying one off the shelf, I just wasn't comfortable not knowing anything about the HDD that came inside.
Given a $90 price point, presumably the enclosure costs some money. If it's sold to be at $30 (which does seem a bit inflated), they must be spending, say, $5 on it. That leaves $85 for the cost of the HDD and their profit. I'm guessing I'm going to be getting an older HDD, without much cache.
Now, for a little bit more money I can go ahead and specify the exact HDD I want, know what the RPM and cache will be. Toss in an enclosure and it should just plug right in without any problems.
Heck, I can buy any HDD and pair it with any mobo without worrying about compatibility. I'd assume enclosures are as worry free.
In the end I went with a Rosewill enclosure as I've purchased other accessories by them before with good luck. Wanting eSATA and 3.5" size drove the price up a bit from a cheap $8 to $30. A bit inflated I think, but I hope it has good reliability.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182179
For drive choice I went with a Caviar Black as it seems to be leading the 1TB pack right now in terms of performance.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=488
http://techreport.com/articles.x/17812
The parts have arrived and I've assembled them quickly and without any hassles. The enclosure is solid feeling and looks good. No complaints. The drive seems just fine. I'm not using this in any performance centric application at the moment (despite my reasoning based on performance when buying it) so I assume it's just fine.
Now it's time to point my backups to this drive and image my hard drive before I upgrade.
* Prices are for early March '10 when I was looking around. Now they're even cheaper.
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