external

Mon
27
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: Device I/O Error (and Recover Data)

Infopackets Reader Phoebe A. writes: " Dear Dennis, Today I tried to free up some space on my C drive by moving files over to my external hard drive, but Windows gave me an error message, stating that 'Error during copy: the request could not be ... performed because of an I/O device error'. I've also tried using 'TeraCopy' to copy files over, but it keeps freezing on the same files. Can you help? " My response: If you receive an error that says "the request could not be performed because of an I/O device error" when trying to copy or move a file, that usually (but not always) indicates bad ... (view more)

Fri
19
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Why you Should Not Rely on a Disk Clone as a Backup

Infopackets Reader 'Mike' writes: " Dear Dennis, [Regarding your post about the TorrentLocker Ransomware virus , I would like to hire you to help me set up a backup on my system to help keep me protected against such threats. As for my question, I ... have a Windows 7 Lenovo desktop with a 1 TB internal hard drive] ... I want to clone my internal hard drive to an external hard drive , maybe once a week. I then want to reverse clone the hard drives [in case I get hit with a virus like TorrentLocker] ... It seems intuitive that [when I clone the hard drive for backup, that] both hard drives should ... (view more)

Mon
03
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Build an External HD?

Infopackets Reader John R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a question regarding how to make a custom built external 2.5 inch USB hard drive (similar to the Western Digital My Passport drive). First, can you tell me: do external USB hard drives operate ... similar to 3.5 inch hard drives found in PCs? Also, are 2.5 inch hard drives just as reliable as the 3.5 inch desktop PC hard drives? Lastly, do you have any recommendations for external 2.5 inch hard drive enclosures? " My Response: For what it's worth, the Western Digital MyPasport hard drive is a solid unit (I own the 2TB model ), but it tends ... (view more)

Fri
28
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Windows 8: How to Move Files From a Windows 7 PC

This question recently came to us from several readers, including one in Colorado: "Hello Infopackets team, I recently purchased a Windows 8 PC and want to move my files from my old computer -- a Windows 7 machine -- to the new one. Since you seem ... to know so much about Windows, I thought I'd ask you for the best way to do that. Thanks very much, Mona S." My Response: When buying a new PC, transferring files from our old computer is one of the first things we think to do. Thankfully, the process has now become really straightforward. Using Windows Easy Transfer Begin by going to the desktop on ... (view more)

Tue
16
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Backup Tips: How to Prepare for a Win7 Install

Infopackets Reader 'Helen' writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding the discounted Acronis True Image 2011 which is currently offered through your website (and which will expire on Wednesday, November 17th, 2010 at 11:59PM EST) -- I am currently using a HP ... (Hewlett Packard) 'Pocket' external hard drive, and it holds 320 GB of information. In order to use Acronis True Image 2011 to backup my computer, do I need to erase everything on the hard drive and reformat? I use my PC only occasionally. Thanks for any help you can provide. " My response: The short answer is that you don't have to format your ... (view more)

Wed
03
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Acronis True Image 2011 Review

Since 2004, Infopackets.com has recommended Acronis True Image to its readers as -the- ultimate backup and disaster recovery solution for Microsoft Windows. There are many new exciting changes to discuss with True Image 2011, but first, let's start ... with the basics. What Exactly is Acronis True Image? To put it in simple terms, Acronis True Image is a backup program on steroids. In order to explain how it's different compared to other run-of-the-mill simple backup programs, let me explain what True Image does. With simple backup programs, you can only archive your files onto another ... (view more)

Fri
19
May
Dennis Faas's picture

How To Build Your Own External Hard Drive

An External Hard drive can come in handy for backing up files or freeing up some disk space on your PC. The only problem is they can be pretty expensive. An easy alternative is to buy a drive enclosure for about $20 and build your own using an ... internal hard drive. Building your own external hard drive enclosure can be done in as little as 5 to 10 minutes time, and without opening up your PC's case. Not only does assembling your own external hard drive save money, it provides flexibility in choosing the connections, capacity and style that fit your needs. It is also an excellent way to make ... (view more)

Fri
17
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Use External hard drive to boot Windows incase C drive crashes?

Infopackets Reader Steve T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have recently added a 120GB external hard drive to my Dell Dimension computer (via the USB port). Problem: whenever I turn my computer on (to start Windows), the external hard drive always tries ... to boot first. Inevitably I get an error message that 'operating system is not found' and I have to shut off the external unit and then reboot the machine in order to start Windows properly. For this reason, I am curious if my Windows XP crashes, would it be able to boot from the external hard drive? If so, how would I go about doing this? ... (view more)

Thu
17
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Backup Windows with External USB Hard Drive?

Infopackets Reader 'Holy Hal' writes: " Dear Dennis, I am at best an intermediate when it comes to computers -- and I certainly do appreciate all the effort you put into your newsletter! With that aside, my question for you today is in regard to ... backups. I have Windows 2000 Professional, and I would like to backup my entire Operating System (Windows). Would an external USB hard drive that has some backup software be appropriate for this type of application? Or would I still need to use a software program like Acronis True Image with my external unit? I feel that a software backup program ... (view more)

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