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A Hard (Drive) Reign’s Gonna Fall
How to beat those disk space blues
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Business New Haven
10/23/1995
By: John Ludtke
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While there may be no cure for the summertime blues, there are plenty of cures for disk-space blues. And if you don't have those blues yet, you probably will before long.
Remember when most computer programs came on a single floppy? Or when hard disks were not an affordable alternative? In the early 1980s, we did accounting totaling $10 million a year on a three-floppy-drive system. Those floppies held just 128K of data. Ah, those were simpler times, and the software was simpler. And smaller.
Today, typical office software such as Word or WordPerfect takes up 30 to 40 MB of disk space. Set up an office system with two or three programs that size, add 20 MB for a 16-bit operating system, and it's easy to see why today's computers are sold with huge hard disks. Win95, the new 32-bit Microsoft operating system, occupies approximately 75 MB of disk acreage - and that's before loading any applications software.
The good news? Salvation awaits. Hard disk prices are dropping weekly, and new technologies abound. A fast (less than 11 milliseconds) 500 MB IDE hard disk for a PC can be had for less than $250, while Macintosh drives are somewhat more expensive. They can replace the existing hard disk or be added as a second drive in most systems. For the technically adroit, they are easy to install or the dealer will install it for a nominal fee. If you decide to do it yourself, you may need a bracket to mount the disk, and there are three concepts you must understand.
The static from walking across a carpet can ruin a hard drive or even a computer. Some drive kits include a grounding strap that connects from your wrist to the computer, eliminating static buildup. Without one, it is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions and to discharge static buildup by regularly touching the computer's metal chassis.
While I think the designations ought to be “subject” and “object,” drive manufacturers use “master” to denote the primary drive, and “slave” for the secondary drive. The drives are configured by placing a small conducting jumper over a set of two pins, completing the circuit. The two drives cannot have the same setting, or neither will work.
The connecting cable from the drive to the computer's controller is marked with coloring on one edge. This must go from the No. 1 pin on the controller (no problem - it's already hooked up) to the No. 1 pin on the drive (usually nearest the power connector and always noted in the installation instructions).
Hard drives can be mounted either vertically or horizontally. Most recent systems accept any industry-standard drives, although older systems require a software driver to recognize large hard drives (included in most retail drive kits). The key factors in purchasing a hard drive are the access time and throughput rate, although the latter matters only for newer 32-bit controllers. An average access time of less than 12 milliseconds is considered good, with nine ms or less excellent.
An alternative to a permanently mounted hard disk is the removable hard disk. Generally slower than fixed drives, they nevertheless offer flexibility and portability. he market leaders are SyQuest Drives and IOmega Zip Drives. The former represents an established technology widely used for transferring large files; the latter is a new and exciting offshoot of the Bernoulli drive. Either can be had for slightly more than $200. BNH
John Ludtke is a Novell Certified NetWare Engineer and founder of Regency Network Services and AirCastle Multimedia Production. He may be reached on the Internet at jludtke@ibm.net or at 203-882-8890.
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