Personal Computer Fundamentals
Using Media
In this lesson, you will learn:
Hard drives are internal and are maintenance free. They come in different sizes, measured in Megabytes (140 to 850) and Gigabytes, between 1 and 150. Hard drives between 10 to 80 Gigabytes are good sizes with lots of room. The size refers to the amount of data it can hold, not the size of the case. You cannot determine how much the disk will hold without looking at the label to see the specifications from the factory.
Floppy Drives use plastic 3.5-inch disks. The floppy disk is inside the plastic case and is protected by the case as well as the metal or plastic door. This slides open when the floppy is inserted. The main thing to remember is that they can be erased by strong magnetism. Do not store them near monitors, stereos, speakers, telephones or other sources of magnetism.
The new kid n the block are the USB Flash Drives. These are small, but hold a large amount of data. They can range from the small, pocket size drives, or MP3 players and cameras that can also serve as USB connected data storage. The drives are plugged into the USB Port on either the front or back of the computer. The Operating Systems from 2000 on should recognize the drive, and if drivers are needed, prompt the user that drivers are being installed. Operating systems older than 2000 may need a driver disk. Windows 95 does not support USB.
When disconnecting the drive, the older operating systems have a USB Icon on the right side of the Taskbar. Simply click on the icon, select the drive from the list and click "Disconnect". The prompt
CDs and DVDs store information in microscopic pores called pits, and smooth areas called lands. The pits and lands are equivalent to ones and zeros. The data area is actually on the top of the CD on the underside of the label, and the plastic carrier or disk is clear. When you look at the CD from underneath, the data area is actually protected by the plastic you are seeing through.
The media is inserted label side up, and if there is an auto run program, the program will start automatically. Sometimes the CD Rom will not start properly, so you will learn to use Explorer to open and navigate for the files that you need.
The single biggest failing in media care is leaving them lay around for dirt or moisture. Remember: Magnets will not hurt the CDs or DVDs, but scratches and dirt will destroy the CDs. Use Jewel Cases, Jackets, Sleeves or boxes.
Magnetism will destroy the Floppy Disks. Fingerprints and dust don't hurt Floppy Disks. If the door is removed or comes off of a floppy Disk the data is probably destroyed and inserting the floppy into the drive could damage or foul the read/write heads inside the drive.
Likewise, if the CD or DVD disk is dusty or has any oil or fingerprints, the data will be unreadable and inserting the dirty CD into the drive could damage or foul the read/write heads. The media will run and run inside the drive, and the system may seem to 'hang'.
Cleaning the drives is very important, especially in laptops. The CD or DVD Media disk itself can be cleaned with a soft lens cloth, moving the cloth from the center to the outside. Do not clean by wiping the CD in a circle. Wipe from the center to the outside in narrow strips. Then move to the next area, overlapping slightly. Hold to the light to check.
Disk drive cleaning supplies are available in kits. Following the directions should preserve your disk and CD\DVD drives. Cleaning them once every 6 months should be enough to ensure trouble free operation of your computer.
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