Dead computer

[kamkar]

So it finally happned, the ssd drive that was my C drive have died on me.
Aside for the cost of a new drive i am not too bothered, this is the first time i had a harddrive die in my own machine.

Still and damn annoying as i cant use my pc to browse the net for a new drive, and doing that on this tablet is our of the question.

 

[Feitelijk]

and SSD's were supposed to be safer...

 

[Raptor1956]

I've had at more than a half dozen hard drives die on me though only one in the last 10 years or so and thus far none of the half dozen SSD's I've had have died.

So, take this as an opportunity to get a bigger and better one and do a clean install of the OS and aps -- might make the PC fun to use again...


Brian

 

[kamkar]

Well i am a little bummed out but this is a OCZ vertex 4 drive, and i read ppl had bad luck with those.
But mine have been working fine since i got it in 2012.

Seem like most of the brands have a 3 year warrenty.

Pray my luck turn 180 by friay as there is just about a half billion DKkr in the lotto, and i could do good with those.

 

[SawMaster]

I've lost too much stuff from dead HD's already to ever trust a computer again My next one will be with a SSD backup. Gotta do that soon, this laptop is already 2 years old and wasn't high-dollar when new.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

Back on a new SSD now come the big question of what i have lost and if i will miss it.

Already now i have found out that its been a while since i made a backup of my bookmarks

 

[sludgeguts]

The 1TB HDD on my ageing PC had just passed its 5th birthday when it failed - not bad really considering the PC worked day and night - I had some software testing cancer stuff when the PC was idle.

 

[kamkar]

I just read something about firefox killing SSDs due to it doing a lot of HDD activity, then again the SSD was 4 years old and the OCZ vertex 4 was plagued with issued for some at least.
So all in all im not too sad about it, only a few things i missed in the crash will be missed.

Folding should not really hurt hard drives.

I use to run seti@home, but that really hurt on the power bill with my amped up computer running 24/7

I "just" had a 250 Gb hard drive die while not in use and stored in a moving box, its just as used sibling ( a little ) work just fine.

I also have a 80 Gb drive from when that was a large drive, and it too also work fine but have not been in use lately.

 

[kamkar]

Just to add to insult the scroll wheel on my mouse just died
I wish my luck was as frequent as my spells of bad luck, but i cant see thats the case

Now i have to take my trusty old Razer mouse apart and fix it, or go buy a new mouse, i hope i can fix it cuz i cant afford to buy another expensive gaming mouse like this one.
Lucky im not gaming any more, so i can make do with a lesser mouse if need be.

 

[kamkar]

Okay got the mouse fixed with that universal stuff,,,,,, no not duct tape, but a dab of CA glue did the trick.

BTW lots of goob in there

 

[mike-k]

Heya,

coming from complete (!) dataloss myself **, I can only recommend following strategy acc. harddisks in Desktop-PC:
1. SSD as "System only"
2. use a conventional HDD for User- and all other Data.
3. use an external Harddisk (CONVENTIONAL, NOT SSD!!!) as Backup-Medium; make complete Images (with Programs designed for) of the System-SSD (easy-recovery), and regular backups of your data. IMPORTANT: when backups are not made or needed, unplug the harddisc. If the budget allowes it, backup the backup-disc now and then to an additional harddisc **
AND, THE VERY VERY IMPORTANT STEP:
4. the "VIP"-Stuff should be backuped on DVD, too. (M-Disc if available make it more safe). the "very very important stuff" should be DVDed twice, while one copy should be stored at another place than home...

** ...i learned it the hard way; don't make the same mistakes I did and relay on the "safety of harddiscs":
i backuped on a harddisc in my (own) NAS - but no DVD or "backup-harddisc".
both server and computer died after great Zeus decided to send his thunder and flashes to literally fry my devices... (breakes tipped, but it was too late)
...and the HDD died. no chance of recovering them...

BTW SSD are NOT made to be "safer" than normal HDD, in the matter of fact, they are known to be more unsecure, as the storage-chips have lower IOPs than a regular harddiscs, so one should defenetly not relay on them for storage-reasons...

 

[Lola]

I haven't heard anyone say anything about brand. I've had them all basically and nothing lives longer as Western Digital. I tried Segate once, 2 of them, their combined lifespan was just under 2 years, I'll never own another one!

 

[kamkar]

Yeah.

My problem is i am running out of storage space, and most important in this regard money.

My old 22" CRT can die at any time now, it do some times make funny sounds and the image get unstable so new monitor is also needed badly.

More HDD space on regular drives, cant house much inside my modified Lian li case, tho it is large midi tower the mod of it have taken up a lot of space inside it, but i can fit 1 SSD for OS and 2 regular harddrives for storage, and i have USB 3 ports on the back of the motherbord so i can do external harddrives too, even a NAS if need be as i have a surplus LAN port too.

But it all beach on lack of money, but hopeful my not having to pay 1400 DKkr for the union any more and i must also soon be done paying for the little red car, and that will free up another 1200 DKkr every month.

And i di hope i can find a part time job thats few enough hours every month that i can keep that beside my pension, and so make a little more every month.

 

[mike-k]

@Lola

yeah, they just make cheap-stuff nowadays; that's why i recommended two backup-harddiscs, some "safety-redundancy" is very much needed...

@kamkar1

...i hear you...
but on the other hand, a 3,5"-slot can house 2 2,5"-discs... but external drives might be the more sensible approach anyway (as they can be unplugged - what is a realy important safety-step as i had to find out ....)

 

[kamkar]

Yes but i am far too anal with how my computer look inside to have sata power and data cables in plain sight.

As the computer stand now you can see 12 CM of the ATX power cable - 12 Cm of GFX power cable and 5-6 CM of other cables ( and thats viewing from both sides of the computer, it not like i have a bird nest of cables hidden behind the motherbord plate.
But inside the stuff i have build up that house the water pump radiator and fans plus harddrives and a lot of the Cooling hose i have a little room, and BTW in there is also as good order in wires and hoses as you can in such a restricted area you cant really get at due to the way i build it.

 

[mike-k]

...sounds like a miniITX to me; did the same error with a streacom F1C (didn't want a big one anymore):

pretty cramped in there...the metal-grid can house either a slim-ODD or, if you use some adhessives (screws would stop the CPU-fan) a 2,5-HDD... The SSD is mounted right in the airflow of the CPU-fan on the right side (just next to the molex-connectors) (and the N9i is already the smallest fan/cooler i found to cool the i5 down)... oh and yes: if you actually mount an ODD or 2nd hdd, it completly blocks the airflow to the cpu-fan...

(well, the mainboard can house an m2-SSD below the board, but ... too cramped in their neither the less)

guess there is still nothing competing with a fractal design define midi-tower :-/ (maybe a bitfenix phoenix with very quiet components?) :-/

 

[Lola]

It's really hard to run out of disk space these days when you can get 2 to 4 TB hard drives, however it's still necessary to have the money.

KamKar1 I have a Lian Li case also (No radiator setup though) with 5 fans. The fan in the TOP of the case does more cooling than any 2 of the other fans.
The smartest and best computer accessory you can buy is a UPS. I used to occasionally have parts go bad, then one day I had a long talk with a system manager and he told me to get a UPS, I did (APC, American Power Conversion), haven't had a part break in over two years now! Electronic equipment cant stand rising and falling electricity (brownouts)!
The UPS stopped all that nonsense !

 

[mike-k]

important "add-on-recommendation" for the UPS:
get one with a flash-protection-thing, a lot of cheap crap on the market only with "battery" but not "flattening the electricity (brian - "den strom glätten" how to translate that?) and therefore protecting the connected equipment from brownouts...

 

[kamkar]

Just found a few pictures of my casemod projekt, but sadly only pics from when i was building on it

Just add flat black textured paint to all but the red metal, red UV active fluid in the tubes, and rel led light around the glass window in the side panel.

I do fear the pictures of the finished projekt is lost in cyberspace and i am not taking new pictures as most hardware have been changed and its really dusty now after 4 years of service.

 

[kamkar]