Now get your caps on SATA

[David]

Now stop watching that weddding and see if you cant answer this I still have not sorted out my storage issue and want to get them off the pc now my new pc has  a SATA plug on the top of it now can I purchace a HD witha  SATA  connection which might still look as good as my new pc ?

[Steve]

There are a variety of external HDDs available with a SATA interface, however unless thing have changed they are not hot pluggable i.e needs a machine restart,need a cable not sometimes supplied. IMO not much use over USB for intermittent backups.

[David]

Thanks Steve ,you know me thick as .... wonder why they put it there ?
My machine is an Advent a huge thing with a big light on the front 

[Simon]

That light's all important you know, David. 

[Steve]

I think the eSATA drives are very useful if you wish to access or transfer largish amounts of data when the time taken is important. So for instance you could work on photo's stored on an eSATA drive without having to copy them across to the main machine first.

[David]

That makes sense thanks Steve for all this machines flash exterior no manual with it at all nothing just how to plu g it in would you believe .Im wondering if I could use my other machine for photos in theory this would work

[Rik]

It would, but your network speed is going to be a limiting factor.

[David]

Best keep it like me then ....nice and simple, well ok then simple  

I have just remembered I have a spare Lacie doing nothing its only 250 but would take some of them

[Rik]

 

Get USB3, David, that will give you the best of all worlds.

[David]

usb3  ? time to Google I think 

I have so many photos I need to delete or store but off this HD I am wondering if my machine is running correctly though its what I thought was fairly good spec

[Rik]

Running correctly in what way, David?

[David]

Its a bit slow for what I paid for and there isnt anything on here really ok some photo,s but not millions... I never had to set it up as I thought I would just make the back up discs which I did but its not as fast as I thought and its supposed to be a gaming machine ,which I doubt but then agian I dont game so

[Rik]

How much RAM do you have?

[David]

4 GB

[Rik]

Should be fine, then. If you hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete, on the performance tab, how much memory do you have available, and how many processes are running?

[David]

359 of 457 but dont give yourself grey hairs , this is a 64 bit os with a AMD Phenom 11x2 545 processor 3GHZ

So it should have been faster than my old Dell but not sure it is to be honest,running windows 7

[Odos]

I would suspect that is whats slowing down your machine. I'm running Win 7 64bit and just checked, I have 40 of 40 processes running so I just wonder what all those 359 processes you have are doing

[David]

God knows  I just switched the thing on and that was it oops

[Odos]

God knows  I just switched the thing on and that was it oops

I would suggest using control panel and removing all programs that you do not intend to use. Usually a bought machine is stuffed full of trial software that is of no use and just uses system resources. If you get rid of the garbage it usually makes the thing boot up and shut down quicker too 

[David]

Thanks for this as long as it wont effect the os im fine with it I use very little stuff on here to be honest 

[Rik]

Run MSCONFIG, David, and de-select all the services you don't recognise and all the programs you don't need, then re-boot and check that figure again. You shouldn't need more than 40-60, depending on configuration.

[David]

  appreciated that really do 

[Rik]

It's easier to reverse than deletion, David. Once you're sure you don't need something, then delete it.

[David]

Yes that really helps the old confidence I thougt by unchecking if somethings not right after it is reversible so not fearful any more

[Rik]

 

[Ray]

Run MSCONFIG, David, and de-select all the services you don't recognise and all the programs you don't need, then re-boot and check that figure again. You shouldn't need more than 40-60, depending on configuration.

I agree, I've just checked my Win 7 64bit machine with 4GB ram and an Intel core 2 E8400 CPU which is probably a slightly slower processor than yours, David, and I've  got 112 processes running, which is more than a lot of people will have, and the machine is still very quick.

[David]

Thanks Ray I have been looking and reading I see Acronis and a few other things some state "Stopped" its a little more daunting but its an experience and after having a read up I dont think I can cause any problems to the system only to some of the applications but as I understand its reversible I was hoping for clear cut things like I dont know branded names that Im familiar with but some look odd like bing bar but Im actually googling to be on the safe side.

[Rik]

That can go, David.

[Steve]

Perhaps it worth looking at what's currently hogging the cpu during 'slow' times.

[David]

I have been running all the health checks and going to places I would never had dared not so long ago I have got 5 things which are slowing the system down 2 are WUD sd card readers and 1 Acronis and 3 ATI

whats to lose ? in we go again
There were 341 events in the log most yellow triangles with an exclaimation mark on the others red with critical written ,still not phased its very interesting if nothing else

[Steve]

ATI's the graphics card  so you'll need that may be worth checking the drivers uptodate

[David]

Thanks Steve will check that out I have been on this a little while now and apart from that last check would you believe I have with your help got some speed in this machine and I have not taken that much out but I have cleared out all the old files moved all the photo.s to 2 external HD then ran the CC then carried out a defrag did a full healthcheck and its running a lot better now will check out the drivers and slowly (not tonight ) go through the rest of the things which can come off 

[David]

Thank  RIk and all the drivers are all up to date......and I didnt have to ask how ,for once 

[Rik]

That was Steve.

[David]

Team effort but thank you Steve and Ray and Rik.....did I not menion Steve in the one before your post   

[Rik]

No.

[David]

Thanks Steve will check that out I have been on this a little while now and apart from that last check would you believe I have with your help got some speed in this machine and I have not taken that much out but I have cleared out all the old files moved all the photo.s to 2 external HD then ran the CC then carried out a defrag did a full healthcheck and its running a lot better now will check out the drivers and slowly (not tonight ) go through the rest of the things which can come off 

I mixed it up with this one ,its this new medication 

[Rik]

 

[Niall]

For what it's worth, my system is a hex core AMD (the top end one don't ya know ) with 8gb ram and an older Nvidia x260 card. The programs I have running are a couple of motherboard monitors (as you can overclock or tell the CPU to run as quad/dual core - not actually tried it yet), O&O defrag, Avast, super antispyware, PSI. There are the standard system icons there too. With those and normal system ones, I have 75 processes running, including messenger and itunes.

CPU use is at 4%
2.46gb ram is being used (30%)

[David]

Thanks Niall Im having the day off now and going to find a windmill 

[David]

http://www.maplin.co.uk/1tb-freeagent-goflex-desk-external-drive-396163

Would this solve my storage issues I have already got 2 250 Seagate but they fill up fairly quickly and cant I back up my system with this as well as store media like music and photo,e ?

I know Im a pain but there you go 

[Steve]

Certainly price wise they look ok the ITB is good value compared to the larger ones, and with the other 2 you'll then have 1.5Gb which should keep you going for a while

[David]

Thanks Steve I think I should maybe have thought bigger in the first place although the other hard drives one I was going to take with me when I do photohtaphy and using the laptop will have lots of storage if that makes sense so hopefully it worked 

[Rik]

A terrabyte or so is easily filled once you start snapping, David. You'll still fill it and need another in due course.

[David]

They do a 3 terrabyte not sure what is meant by upgradeable thuough ?

[Steve]

Is not the interface ie usb3 and firewire

[David]

No its usb 2 Steve which is upgradable 

Dont ask me 

[Simon]

Not to be overly pessimistic, but just bear in mind, the bigger the hard drive, the more there is to lose if it suddenly fails. 

[Rik]

Couldn't agree more, Simon, I prefer multiple smaller drives - or a backup of the backup.