USB 2.0 Enclosure for IDE Drives - Western Digital, Seagate, LaCie, Maxtor, Iomega - Introduction
Thanks
to the continuing advancement of technology, the world has witnessed
the birth of new gadgets and gizmos that make life and communication a
little easier for everyone. But with the increase in indispensable
gizmos comes the responsibility of learning the jargon and other terms
pertaining to them. It’s not really a requisite to learn the little
nuances.
Consider it more of an advantage if you can
understand what these seemingly complicated and out-of-this-world terms
mean because you are spending good money when you purchase your
equipment in stores. Some are a little bit self-explanatory like the
external hard disk. Though if the term hard disk confuses you, then read
on to learn more about external hard disks and how you can build an
external hard drive from scratch.
Simply put, a hard disk
drive is a device that can store your digital data. It is encased
within a metal case and has one or more rigid platters that rotate on a
motorized spindle. On top of the platters are read/write heads that
magnetically encode your data. Capacity of a hard disk drive varies
depending on the number of heads, tracks and sectors. An external hard
disk is a particular type of hard disk drive that you can connect to
your computer via USB cable among other means.
A
brief history lesson on the external hard disk is also needed in order
to understand this device further. The first incarnations of the
external hard disk were originally bulky in size. They were literally
external hard disks because they couldn’t be stored inside the unit due
to their large size. Pretty soon, compact hard disks that could be
easily stored into the computer’s bays will be available to the market.
Apple Macintosh was a proponent of this early innovation. When USB and
Firewire interfaces became a staple in the design of PCs, the external
hard drive gained further popularity in the market.
Over
the last ten years, USB flash drives have dramatically altered the way
we store and transport important information. Starting with the first 8
MB commercial drives from IBM in 2000, it has been an arduous journey
all the way to the mammoth 128 GB keys available today from many leading
companies.
There has been a lot of flash drives advertised
for sale on eBay, seen in the Amazon Marketplace, and in Google ads of
many Chinese sites. In fact, during 2008 several well-known companies
released 64 GB USB flash drives and they continued to be the largest
available till middle of 2009. But lately many frontline manufacturers
have added 128GB drives to their products. Let us make a honest attempt
to see which makes are the most reliable and wise to buy.
The
Corsair Flash Voyager family of USB drives is indeed sturdy, stylish
and compact. More than all things else, the Corsair Flash USB drives are
reliable for transporting MP3s, digital images, presentations and a lot
more. Flash Voyager USB drives are simple Plug and Play with most
operating systems and are also backward compatible with USB 1.1. The
Sequential Read: 32.6 MB/s and Sequential Write: 28.8 MB/s are
formidable and the speed is comparable to many portable harddrives and
is more than 2.5 times faster when compared with other high-capacity USB
flash drives in the market.
The Corsair USB Flash Drives,
with capacities from 4GB to a large 128GB, offer a hassle-free way to
carry your data with you, wherever you go. Corsair USB drives are
designed to provide foolproof protection for your data, with features
like solid-state electronics, water-resistant or water-proof housings,
and even 256-bit encryption and access control. All Corsair Flash USB
solutions are compatible with the latest Microsoft Windows 7 Operating
System and carry a ten year warranty.
Kingston
have brought out their their Data Traveler USB drives, the 200 series
which includes 128GB USB Flash drive. The drive is password-protected
and the other features are read/write speeds of up to 20MB/sec and
10MB/sec. The password protection is by means of Password Traveler
software, which enables user to create and access a password-protected,
secure area of the drive called a "Privacy Zone.” The Data Traveler
works with Windows ReadyBoost. Like other Kingston USB flash drives, it
is plug and play.
The Kingston DataTraveler 200, in a sleek,
durable body, features a capless design to protect the USB connector
when not in use and is enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost. It is available
in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities and carries five-year warranty. The
biggest advantage is the DataTraveler 200 is backed by Kingston brand
image plus a five-year warranty and 24/7 tech support. There are no
negative user reviews except for the pricing. But because a large
numbers of fake 128GB USB flash drives are today available, both from
China and on eBay, it is critical to understand and buy the authentic
Kingston USB flash drives.
If
you've found yourself here, chances are you need to know how to
install software on a netbook. You may have purchased one of these
new, petite notebook computers and are faced with the fact that it
does not have a built-in optical drive such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM
drives. Before you consider installing software on a netbook, make
sure that it is something that can be usable and worthwhile on it.
Chances are you will not very much enjoy playing World of Warcraft on
your netbook PC. So, how do you go about installing programs on a
netbook?
There
are a few ways to go about getting your software onto your new
netbook computer. The first, and absolute easiest way is to download
it from the internet. If it is available for download online, then
all you have to do is point your web browser at the download link and
away you go. Once your netbook has finished downloading the
software, then you simply open the installer or unzip the file and
then open the installer.
Install Netbook Software Using an External Drive
Another
way is to purchase an external optical drive that will plug in to
your netbook, usually either with a USB or a firewire cable. USB is,
by far, the most common for this type of peripheral. These drives
can usually be had for not too much money, and a bonus is you can use
your netbook to play CD's or, in the case of a DVD-ROM your netbook
could double as a portable DVD player to take on those camping trips
where you're really going to be roughing it.
Netbook Software Install With a USB Drive
One
of the most popular methods of installing software on a netbook
requires having a second computer with an optical drive and a USB
flash drive. If you do not have a USB flash drive, and need to
purchase one, make sure it is at least 4 gigabytes (GB). This is
slightly less than what a full DVD-ROM holds, on average, but is 5
times what a CD holds, so it should be large enough for most
installations. A flash drive of 8 gigs or more should be able to
take care of any installation task.
Hardrive
data recovery in Macs, Windows or, Linux computer operating systems is
at some point, inevitable since, data loss can occur at any given time
while using a computer. Thus the only way to forstall this is to be
properly prepared by having on hand, essential tools and software.
This hub hopes to
introduce
you to 3 hard disk drive data recovery software (because I don't wan't
to bore you to death) and/or tools that I personally picked. They are,
free and like said,personally tested.
To ultimately, arm you
with suitable data recovery services that, are free to use and also as
good as any expensive or cheap data recovery services/software out
there.
Also in this hub will be, some educational videos
discussing reasons for hard drive crashes and how best to recover data
from them.
This hub will provide you with links to download this
software and links to some other useful hard drive data recovery
information.
Plus a cool ipod data recovery software that I just
discoovered (when I lost some of my music)... well just read on and
we'll get to it further down the hub.
But before I
proceed, let me quickly state that when none of these tools can be of
any help, then I would advice that you get a good professional hard
drive recovery service which, you can find listed in your local
directory services and online.
As a statement of fact, the best
defense against data loss is real-time backup of data. That said, we
must understand that sometimes data loss can occur when you least expect
it. Whether the long minutes of this quarter's meetings refused to show
up when you opened an email attachment on your computer or your game
loving son, accidentally deleting all your business account files for
the previous year, having ready, hard drive data recovery tools is
important to getting your data back before it's gone for good.
3 Basic Types Of Hard Drive Crashes And How To Recover Data
So what happens when data loss occurs before a needed data back-up?
Computer
or laptop hard drive recovery software tools are designed to recover
lost files including video, documents and archives from hard disks.
These tools are needed even when real-time data back-up is performed, it
has the downside of needing constant updates. This is where the data
recovery tools can also help to recover accidental data loss that occurs
before updating backed up data.
Need I say why you require these hard drive data recovery tools?
To
be blunt and sincere, you need these tools to try and recover any type
of data that you have lost (accidentally or not).Now there are different
types of hardrive data recovery software and tools out there, they also
run under various plataforms (windows, Mac, Linux, etc.). Find below 9
of the best free ones available. Some are as good as the ones that you
have to pay for, but do not take this hub as being biased towards free
stuff only. After all,your data is important, and whatever
you do or spend to recover it is a reflection of how important that lost
(or rather, almost lost) data is to you.
This
is a user-friendly Windows OS software tool. Made by Piriform, this
software comes from a stable of well known and highly praised software
(e.g Ccleaner). Running Recuva, you can redeem missing files by using
either the user friendly file recovery wizard or the
application's manual mode for professional user's who know what they are
doing. The file recovery wizard is user friendly because you can recover data
when you're not sure not quite sure where the data went or how to
recover it back. Through the wizard, you can narrow down your search
type to pictures, video, documents, music files, or any kind of specific
files and you can set the search location to everywhere or specific
areas on your computer, like removable media only (usb's, SD cards,
removable hard druves, etc.), in my documents folder, the recycle bin,
or a particular location.
Working in manual mode, you can
search directly where you know the lost file should be. Recuva uses an
easy to understand, green/yellow/red lighting system as indicators to
show the possibility of success, the recovery of your files will be, and
when it has been retrieved, it can provide previews of the image files
available for recovery. Recuva also has a tool (like some other hard
drive recovery software) to securely wipe files you decide you don't
need and that you need to clear up space on your hard drive to help your
hard disk recovery process, Recuva can be downloaded here:
TestDisk (For Windows/Mac/Linux/Sun OS) TestDisk
is a one of the prime examples that open-source software and tools are
worth their 'salt'. This powerful tool for hard disk data recovery is
not just a basic file recovery that undeletes accidentally deleted files
from NTFS, FAT (W£indows) and ext2, ext3, &ext4 (Linux) file
systems, but it comes with an army of additional functionality that cuts
across different operational systems. Wether the OS of your hard drive
is, Windows, MAC or, Linux, TestDisk you can recover your entire boot
sector from a backup, can rebuild your boot sector, repair your MFT,
fix FAT tables, locate the ext2/ext3 backup, copy deleted files from
partitions to any available recovery media, and locate lost partitions
in many different formats to aid the location of lost data. The
downside though is, It's a command line tool, that means no GUI (not too
friendly for noobies or novices to dos commands). But it has loads of
documentation in the wiki
(like most open source stuff) that should get you knowing the ropes
without much trouble. This software packs some serious sh__, so don't
mess with it unless you lnow what you are doing. You can also download
it with PhotoRec to recover your digital pictures and file recovery. I'm
not going into that here, but you can read more by going to Testdisk's
site
PS: For
Mac users who think that you canm only experience hard disk data loss
but can't have mac security issues, take a look here and get yourself
protected: MAC SECURITY SOFTWARE FOR OS X AND LEOPARD.
Time is a precious commodity, especially if you're a system
administrator. No other job pulls people in so many directions at once.
Users interrupt you constantly with requests, preventing you from
getting anything done. Your managers want you to get long-term projects
done but flood you with requests for quick-fixes that prevent you from
ever getting to those long-term projects. But the pressure is on you to
produce and it only increases with time. What do you do?
The answer is time management.
A nice theory i've found is the one that is behind the "Get things Done".
Getting Things Done
has been developed by David Allen, and the best definition of what
constitutes the GTD is given by himself. I limit myself to briefly
define it as a methodology to manage the assets that a person has to
perform, which has the aim to maximize productivity and reduce stress.
One of the cornerstones of the GTD
is that to be the most productive and creative, you must have a clear
mind, so you must move all the things we have to remember out of your
mind, to put them in a system (paper or software, at our option) for you
to be fast and easy to use.
The method is to collect all things (emails, telephone calls, fees,
books, faxes, etc.) in an "input" (inbox), picking them up and wondering
what we have to make with them:
1. if do NOT require an action now, you are facing three options:
1. trash can
2. stores it for future reference
3. action is premature, we leave the action incubate inside a special list (Sometimes / Maybe)
2. if it requires an action, we must distinguish whether:
1. is composed of more than one action, then creates a special project
2. consists of a single action:
1. takes less than 2 minutes to run it: DO IT!
2. Require more than 2 minutes:
1. delegated to someone else and put it in the list of feedback (Waiting for)
2. "Move it" temporarily on the list of things to
do next (Next steps) or add to the agenda if it is absolutely necessary
to run at a given time.
No action should return to the inbox, only in this way we can be sure
that everything is processed and once we decide what to do with every
thing. Having already decided what to do and be ready when the action
will be take in hand the thing, relieves a lot of stress, you do not
need to take once again a decision on what to do. In this way everything
is reduced in a systematic way to manage a series of lists (todo list)
and an agenda that helps us to remember, depending on context and
timing, which are actions to be undertaken.
Getting things gnome
Getting Things GNOME
To remember their commitments using some programs or sites that help
you manage a list of things to do with notes and even warnings. Getting Things GNOME! is a new to-do manager that allows you to manage your business.
It is written in PyGTK and it works well in Gnome to be a software so
young. You can organize everything according to labels and easily write
extensions with the choice of using Python.
The application is available for any variety of Linux with Gnome
installed, but Ubuntu users can simply download a .deb file and install
it easily. Once you've installed the application you can use the quick
add box to start typing in tasks, and then drag and drop to rearrange
them into a hierarchy. You'll have to open the to-do item to edit the
tags, but if you want to create a task under a tag, ju
... Read more »
I have tried
a few of the large "user friendly" Linux distros. Spent a few days or
weeks of my free time trying to make everything work, but couldn't. For me the
lack of drivers were the biggest problem also (connecting either my broadcom
wifi card or the mobile internet card to use the internet).
Most of the
people have other (better) things to do in life than mess around with their
computer all the time just to have a all round working operating system. While
I'm not debating that Linux as an OS is better than Windows, Windows is just
easier to use and with Plug-and-Play Microsoft really beats all its
competitors. In fact, that is exactly why Microsoft beat all its competitors in
the early 90s.
Below I
will list some reasons why Linux, as a primary operating system on computers
(of course you can partition your disk and install both, just to play around
with Linux), does not come close to Windows:
No, or Limited Drivers
For
example, there is no, or very limited wireless card drivers which means there
is no internet connection on your computer. Nowadays Internet is pretty much a
must have to have a really productive work experience. Of course, you can (and
should) work offline, but you need to check your emails, send your work to
other colleagues or the boss. Also for Linux, to make sure that everything does
work, you constantly need internet connection (for new updates and drivers).
Windows is not as Internet connection dependent.
Updating
With Linux
you can update ALL of your programs with a single click. In Windows, only the
operating system upgrades, not everything. Me personally, I don’t want the
operating system to know what programs are installed. In this respect Privacy
is better in windows.
Linux
advocates say that to have your updates take affect, you don’t need to reboot
your operating system. In Windows you don’t need to either. They just install
when you start windows the next time.
Softwares and Applications you can Download is Limited
Those of
you who have even looked at other operating system applications beside Windows
(this also applies to Max OS-es, although to a lesser extent) the available
programs, applications, softwares, drivers, plugins and who knows what else.
3D Desktop: Linux Compiz Fusion vs. Windows
The reason
why this isn’t an advantage is because for most people Windows computers are
just workstations, they don’t care much how it looks as long as they can get
their job done. Me personally, the way those windows came up just really
annoyed me (I know, I can turn it off, but that too requires some time and
effort, I can spend better).
Installing Software is More Difficult
You have to
type in commands, always type in your username and password. In Windows you
just press two of three icons with the automatic pop-up installation wizard.
Additional Programs Installed During Installation Process
When you
install Linux many additional programs are installed also, many of which you
will probably never use, like and instant messenger. During Windows installation
only those apps are installed that everyone uses, so no wasting of your hard
drive space. And they are not as easy in Linux to delete as in Windows. Same
goes for the package manager in Linux, although they are pretty much just
installer files, the average user doesn’t need most of it.
Limited Plug-And-Play
Hardware
drivers are not recognized and downloaded automatically in Linux distros. This
probably doesn’t need much explanation; you just plugin your new camera,
printer or whatever, and it just works with Windows
Wine
There is a
program called Wine for Linux, which runs Windows programs under Linux, however
many programs don’t work too well with Wine. Also when you have to use and
other program to run a program or application in your operating system is just
doesn’t feel rights (somewhat lame, should I say?).
Open Source
This would
be and advantage for Linux if most Windows users cared to mess around with the
coding of the operating system, but as most Windows owners are users, not
developers, this isn’t really an advantage of Linux.
No Official Online Place to Turn to When You Have a Technical Problem
I know there are commercial companies and
websites for Linux too, but the feeling is just not the same when you turn to a
company that has made ALL the components of its operating system from the first
to the last code letter. Also forums for support aren’t the ideal; when you
need to have a technical problem to be fixed right away, forum help process of
I get back.
No Standardization
Many packages
(Linux name for programs and applications) just don’t install in other distros,
or you need other packages (dependencies) to install, which might still need
another package.
Graphical User Interphase (GUI)
Its user
interface (GUI) is a lot different than that of Windows (The order of apps and
programs, and the subfolder system is different in a many ways).
Better Gaming Experience
Many say
that Linux is more powerful for playing RAM resource demanding games. Most
people do not play games on windows, maybe only simple games like solitaire or
minesweeper when they are bored. You don’t need Linux for that
Safer
With all
the anti-virus, -malware, -spyware, -Trojan Horse, and -keylogger programs out
there, these are not much of an issue. In my years of experience with Windows
these programs were pretty effective in finding and deleting them. Also with
all the system optimizing programs, Windows can be run smoothly.
More Stable
Many people
say that Linux is a lot more stable, and it doesn’t crash. I have used Windows
for as long as I can remember, and it never crashed on me. It even froze only a
few times, but when you save your work with CTRL+S often you don’t really loose
your work, in fact, when I am working in MS Word, I usually save my work after each
paragraph or so (again, it just takes two keys to press simultaneously to do
so, and no popup windows will disturb you about the location of saving).
Boot-up Speed
Windows
loads within one or two minutes too. Meanwhile it loads, I always do other things,
and by the time I finish those, Windows is up and running. Who should care if
an operating system loads within 1 minute or 2 minutes, this is an argument
only for those who want to bash windows in everyway possible
Regular Clean Installs
Every year
or so you should backup (save it at an external driver, pendrive, DVDs, etc)
your files, and documents, and clean install your OS just get rid of all the
custom settings, apps, softwares, etc that you have not used in a long time,
and don’t need anymore. With everything out of box in Windows, Installing and
setting everything up again is a snap.
Warranty
As there is
a central company behind the operating system, and you payed for it, they
provide a guarantee, that if the operating system in not working properly, they
will fix it, or replace it. In Microsoft’s case that is 30 days. Also many
r
... Read more »
This
tutorial is intended for people who have some to a lot of knowledge of
computers, partitions and OS's. If you plan on formating your computer
you might consider my other hub:
The total time to do this all in 1 go should be around 3+/- hours. I wont post links on where to get the DVD's. (Google).
//Ay Guys I just installed the latest Ubuntu 10.04 and it
works great with dualboot for those wanting to experiement or a too
nervous of going the whole way..yum :)
What You Will Need.......To Get Started
Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.
A copy of iATKOS, iPC, Kalyway DVD (Snow Leopard not supported yet)
Windows 7 RTM DVD
Ubuntu 9.10 (latest) DVD
A decent working computer/laptop
A second internet source (incase anything goes wrong)
Printed version of this guide (unless viewing off another machine)
Suggested Laptops are Dell Inspirons, Acer and HP.
.::Disclaimer::.
Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.
I do not take any responsibility for any problems you recieve from
following this tutorial. By following the tutorial you are agreeing to
enhance your laptop/computer machine under your own responsibility and
desire.
Lets Begin :^)
Step1: Install Windows 7
Installing Windows 7 is easy and should take between 15mins - 40mins (machine dependent).
First you'll need to boot up with a Windows 7 DVD you presumably have
burned already. I Prefer erasing a hard drive and "clean installing"
Windows on there. Upgrade if you want doesn't matter. Once installation
is complete, reboot and your machine should go straight into Windows.
Set up Windows to your likings and install drivers if needed.
If you want Windows 7, Ubuntu and Mac OSX (Triple Boot) go to step 2.
If you want Windows 7 and Mac OSX (Dual Boot) go to step 3.
Step 2: Install Ubuntu (not necessary)
There are 2 main ways to install Ubuntu. I'll be doing the way I find easiest and user friendly.
Log
into your Windows and insert the Ubuntu Disk. If the installer opens
automatically great. If not browse the disk and look for Wubi. Run Wubi
and the installer should appear. As a installation option select
"Install inside of Windows". This is the easiest way to install Ubuntu
for even the most novice of computer user. Select a drive (Use the same
as Windows), select a minimum of 7 gigs of space for Ubuntu. Enter your
username and password for your new account. Installation should take
around 30 minutes or less.
Reboot your machine and Ubuntu should
appear under Windows 7 highlight it with the arrow keys and press Enter
button. Ubuntu will start up now. Install any nessesary programs,
drivers and explore your new Ubuntu :^) . Shutdown you machine.
Congratulations thus far you should have Windows 7 and Ubuntu Successfully installed and working. Grad a drink and food now.
Proceed to step 3 to install Mac OSX
Step 3: Install Mac OSX
Boot
up into Windows 7. In the start menu search "computer management" (Here
is were we partition a drive for Mac). In the left panel select Disk
Management and partition 15GB or more for Mac OSX. The Partition should
be formated as Fat32. Insert the Mac OSX disk and reboot.
Boot
into the Mac OSX disk. When prompted to install in 'x' seconds type "-v"
without quotation marks. A bunch of writing should appear and stay on
the screen for a about 5 mins or less.
When prompted go to Disk
Utility at the top panel and select to erase the partition you plan on
installing Mac OSX on. Format the partition as Mac OS Journal. Close the
window and select install. Let it install, this should take around 20
minutes. Afterwards Mac OSX with boot up, you may notice you don't have
sound yet and your resolution is the greatest.
Step 3: Install Mac OSX - - continied - -
Now its up to you to install the drivers your new Hackintosh machine
will require. For Dell Inspiron Users I'll be putting together a package
for you to download to get the drivers. But till then do a little
googling.
Almost done, we're heading to the final steps. When you
reboot and select Windows you'll notice that your unable to. Reboot your
computer but insert the Windows 7 (or even Vista) and select "repair"
when its done loading. Select "Startup repair", this should take about a
minute or so. Reboot and you'll notice Mac OSX is missing. Boot into
Windows 7 and download a program called "EasyBCD". Open the program and
select to add entry (We're going to add the Mac OSX entry. From the drop
down box select Mac. Under Drive select "boot". Now reboot and there
you go.
FINISH
Last thing you need to do is update your programs and software on your OS's. You've officially completed the Tutorial.
Don't be shy to check out my other pages and comment and take a short
look at the poll below, thanx..... don't forget to comment if it works
wel
Every computer user
on the planet is different. We have different tastes and want different
things for our computers. When it comes to choosing an operating
system, there are many rivals. By far, majority choose Microsoft
Windows. Another handful will pick Linux and some may choose Mac OS. If you are a Windows user and would like to use Linux instead, read further.
First of all, ask yourself why would you like to move to Linux? Is it because you feel Linux is better than Windows or are you simply being anti-Windows? Many people do not consider this question as something serious. "Oh an operating system
is an operating system." Wrong. Windows suits most users needs. Those
who either like to be different or just get sick of security patches
move to other operating systems. Once you have assessed why you'd like
to change, the next step in migrating is deciding which Linux
distribution you'd like to use.
There is are many (over 40) different distributions of Linux. Not sure which one to choose? Many users use Ubuntu which, like all other Linux distro's, is free. I do suggest you do some research into the different Linux's available and make an informed decision.
Cost also plays a huge part. While Linux can be installed on many computers
with no restrictions and for free, Windows must be purchased for each
individual computer and licensed. Hence, the more computers you have,
the higher the cost. Linux = free.
Next on the list is
support. For both Windows and Linux, there is professional support
available but for a fee. But if you have an internet connection, most
problems are easily solved on a forum or someone's blog. Linux is
community based and everyone can lend a helping hand.
Another
point for those wanting to move to Linux is that while Linux users can
use a program called WINE to run Windows programs on Linux, this is not
guaranteed and the program may not work. A useful suggestion is to look
up the company that created WINE-HQ and search the site for whichever
program it is you'd like to use. This way one can be sure that the
program will work. It may not be perfect, but remember it was designed
for Windows.
The above mentioned items are merely things to
think about before migrating to Linux. Once you have decided on a Linux
distro, first try to browse the operating system before you install it
to be sure this is what you want.
Windows and Linux can run
side by side as long as the system requirements are met. The
installation can be done by a professional or by yourself as long as you
know what you are doing.
I use Windows for gaming purposes
but Ubuntu for everything else. As an Ubuntu user for almost a year, I
would recommend it to anyone looking at a Linux distro. The last comment
I have to make must be expressed in capital letters:
DO NOT EXPECT WINDOWS WHEN YOU HAVE LINUX. THAT IS WHY IS IS CALLED LINUX , NOT WINDOWS.
With the release of Windows 8 consumer preview, my thoughts turn to how quick and unpredictable Operating Systems
(OS) have been. I remember the fluke that was Windows Vista, which
prompted PC manufacturers to package their systems with an OS other than
Windows, giving Linux's Ubuntu a try. I recall Windows 7 being the
savior and fix for Vista, and how before Windows 7 most people reverted
back to XP.
I digress. Today the general public is more aware of their options
for an OS, and with that awareness consumers are able to choose an OS
that fits their needs, thus changing the market dynamics of OS's. Here
is an overview of the world's top PC operating systems.
Definition of an Operating System
To kick this off, let's start with a definition of what an operating system is and does.
An operating system, or OS as it is commonly called, is the main
software that manages the hardware and programs of a computer. It
provides the user with an interface to interact with the hardware and
programs or applications installed on your computer.
That is the simple explanation. If you would like more of an explanation, check out this google search OS definition.
Windows 7 Snap
Want
to compare two windows side by side but hate re-sizing windows to do
it? Yeah, we all do. That's why Window 7 gives us snap, to easily do
side by side windows. Ahhh, painless.
Windows 7 Jump Lists
The
jump lists are a new feature that allow you to right click taskbar pins
to generate a list of frequently used items or items that you pin. An
example is right clicking your web browser to get a list of the last
tabs you closed, most frequented web pages, and pinned websites. A great
resource for quickly locating your items.
Windows 7 Peek
Windows
7 gives you the ability to 'peek' at your desktop when you have
multiple windows open. It does it by turning all other open tasks
transparent, giving you a glimpse at the desktop. This is especially
nice if you utilize widgets.
Windows 7 Aero desktop
Though
not available for Windows 7 starter, and with limited functions for
Home Basic, the Aero desktop enhances the look and feel of Windows by
providing some 2.0 updates, giving it a slick and shiny feel.
Windows 7
Windows alone makes up 80% of OS usage, according to WS3's OS Statistics. (Please note that these statistics are gathered from PC's that have accessed the internet.)
Until August of 2011, Windows 7 was behind or tied with Windows XP in
terms of use percentage. As of January of 2012, Windows 7 now accounts
for 47.1%
Even within this operating system we see several variants, with
varying degrees of features available. It would take considerable time
to explain in detail all the differences, so instead I give you a list
of editions and a link to Microsoft
to better understand the differences. Note that some of these editions
may not be available in your country. Currently the following editions
are available for Windows 7:
Starter
Home Basic
Home Premium
Professional
Enterprise
Ultimate
Since I won't be going into detail about these variations, I
will point out a few of the features that make Windows 7 a unique and
worthy experience, found to the right.
The requirements for running Windows 7 are (taken from Microsoft's website):
1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
There
are some older programs that have difficulty running on Windows 7
machines, but work flawlessly on XP. Yes, there are editions of Windows 7
that provide compatibility for Windows XP, yet nothing can top XP
itself for being able to run programs. Why else would Windows 7 need an
XP mode? There have been occasions where I have been unable to run
programs due to compatibility issues.
Windows XP is Familiar and Safe
XP
was a good product to begin with. Not great, but good. Especially as a
redeemer from Windows ME. Being a good product at start and then having
over ten years to update, patch, and service the OS and you have a
pretty stable and reliable product, which is why the Vancouver winter Olympics committee chose Windows XP over Windows 7.
Windows XP Performance on Older Machines
This
one is bound to cause some controversy since it still has not been put
to rest. However, it is worth noting that some people swear that XP
outperforms Windows 7, especially when it comes to gaming. There has
been one occasion for myself where I had to run a game in XP for
stability and performance.
The big thing to take away here is that it really depends on your
system. Benchmark performances indicate newer machines run Windows 7
better, whereas those with antiquated equipment will have better success
with Windos XP.
Windows XP
Coming in at 31.4%
of OS usage is the ever faithful and stalwart, Windows XP. When Windows
Vista flopped, it was Windows XP that stepped in and saved the day.
Consumers missed the ease and abilities of XP that they either did not
upgrade, or if they did they were quick to replace it with XP. It wasn't
just individuals doing this either. Corporations, small businesses, and
schools were all reverting back.
Let's take a look to the right at why XP is still beloved though it was released back in 2001.
Now don't get me wrong. I love Windows XP, because it has been such a
large part of my life being the OS I have most widely used. But Windows
7 goes above and beyond and really answers some of the needs of users,
maki
... Read more »
A free easy to use operating system (OS) for netbooks.
I
don't use my netbook that often, only when I am travelling away from
home. Windodows XP was OK but I became tired of spending lots of time
doing all the windows updates and updating the virus program, the
firewall and all the other programs I use just to keep it running
properly and securely. I had tried linux before but found setting it up
and getting all the hardware running was too difficult. Then I found jolicoud,
I put it alongside windows xp to start with but soon decided it had
everything I need and I no longer required windows. It is very easy to
use, adding programs or apps is easy and updating everything is quick
and simple. It is based on a linux OS but they have worked hard to make
sure everything works on netbooks. The only problem I had with my
Compaq Mini 700 was getting the microphone to work but that was simple
to fix.
All the free applications I need from the cloud.
Jolicloud
uses lots of free alternative versions of programs that most of us will
of used. The gimp is a great photo editing program, quite similar to
photoshop. Open office is similar to microsoft office. They also have
most of the programs I use all the time with windows, like firefox,
thunderbird, skype and spotify. Putting these on to the computer was so
easy, I registered with them, logged in to "My Jolicloud" found the
apps in the directory and clicked "install". This is an interesting use
of the cloud, I can see other operating systems working like this in
the future.
Changing an OS is a big step, the new layout takes a
bit of getting used to. Everything has been optimized for a netbook but
I am getting used to it and haven't had any real problems adapting.
So
far, I couldn't be more pleased with jolicloud. If you want to try it
out, you can use it alongside your current OS. Just go to their site, download the software, put it on a USB stick and follow their instructions.
Linux Mint is back to being #1 for many reasons. After using Ubuntu
11.10 and Linux Mint 12 for awhile, I have come to realize that Ubuntu
lacks the out-of the-box support that comes with Linux mint. Also Linux
Mint is more configurable.
--------------------------------
Old ranking (rev.2)
1. Ubuntu 11.10
2. Pinguy OS
3. Linux Mint 12
4. Zorin OS
5. joli OS
----
----
Old Ranking:(rev.1)
1. Linux Mint
2. Ubuntu
3. Zorin OS
4. Pinguy OS
5. joli OS
There
are plenty of Linux Distros out there but there's only very few that is
truly for beginners. So I have picked 5 distros that suit the category.
You might be curious about the factors that I considered when picking
the Top 5. Well, out of the box support is very important in picking
beginner distros. Other factors include: User friendly UI, easy
installation and great online support. The Distros below are well-known
for excelling in those areas.
Linux
Mint is known as the second most popular linux distribution simply
because of its user friendliness. It comes with loads of software
carefully picked by the team, media codecs and drivers. The distro works
so well out of the box you will not be spending any time trouble
shooting. The Distro always focuses on what is best for its users and
provides what the mainstream linux users demand. For example: Linux Mint
11 was released with the classic Gnome 2.32 interface because Gnome 3
and Unity posed stability issues. Linux mint is based on Canonical's
Ubuntu. Even though Mint is a polished Distro its default wall paper and
artwork collection is not very impressive.
EDIT: Linux Mint 12 was released in November 2011.
Pinguy
OS is an Ubuntu based distribution that comes with A LOT of software
preinstalled. It is great for users who want to explore the extensive
software that Linux has to offer. It is also very convenient because it
includes almost all the software that a user may require. Pinguy OS is a
fairly new distro but it is gaining popularity quickly. Pinguy OS
includes a Dock by default and the overall look of the desktop leans
toward OS X.
Ubuntu
is the #1 and the most popular distro out there. Even though Linux Mint
appeals more to new users Ubuntu has a rigorous release cycle and tends
to have more features implemented in each release. Ubuntu does not come
with a load of software and codecs pre installed like Linux Mint. So
new users may have trouble playing certain media formats and may require
a few command line installations but due to the excellent community
support they can be sorted out within minutes. Unlike Mint (speaking of
Linux Mint 10 and earlier) Ubuntu comes with excellent wall papers and
artwork.
Zorin
OS is optimized for users who are transitioning From windows. It looks
quite similar to Windows 7 and comes with "zorin look changer" that can
make your desktop look similar to older Windows versions and Mac OS X.
Zorin OS also offers four premium versions (Ultimate, Business,
Multimedia, Gaming) which are available upon donating. There is also a
free version that does not come with as much software preinstalled.
Joli
OS is a one of a kind distro and it is a very interesting one at that.
Its interface is built from HTML5 and installing apps is a piece of
cake. Joli OS is a cloud based OS that encourages the use of Cloud
applications. You can browse your application launcher from any computer
using the web browser so you can access your cloud apps even if you
don't have the machine that has Joli OS installed. Its interface is very
interesting and appeals to a lot of new users.
Fixing the "BOOTMGR is missing" error isn't too hard; here's how.
The day before yesterday I was testing out a program with several
system utilities built in. One of its components left my computer in a
bit of a mess – no icons anywhere and other assorted woes. I had set a
system restore point before I ran the program, so I thought I’d do a
system restore. System restore gave me a message that it couldn’t
restore my files. I decided to restore a disc image I had made a short
while back. When I booted up the computer I got a message:
BOOTMGR is missing
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart
I stared at it the white letters on the black background for a few
minutes, while the cursor blinked back at me. After some searching (on
another computer) I had some solutions.
Barring any hardware errors, here’s how to fix that error:
Insert your Windows Vista or Windows 7 disk into your DVD player and restart your computer.
The next screen you see should have the Language, Time and Currency and Keyboard boxes.
In the lower left side there are two options: "What to know before installing Windows” and "Repair your computer.”
Click on "Repair your computer”
Windows will then try to find the installation directory for Vista or Windows 7, depending on what you have.
Next up is a screen with a box called Recovery Options. Click the first option, Startup Repair.
You’ll see a Startup Repair box with the message "Startup Repair is checking your system for problems…”
When it’s done, it will prompt you to reboot. If there is more than one problem it may reboot again to continue repairing.
At this point, you can remove the DVD, reboot and everything should be working.
Windows 7 is out. Ubuntu 9.10 is coming next week. Do you know what this means? It's time for a dual boot
tutorial. We have learned how to install Windows 7. We have learned how to
install Ubuntu.
Today, we will learn how to install Windows 7 AND Ubuntu, side by side on the same hard disk, in what is known
as a dual boot configuration. In the Ubuntu installation guide, I have promised you we would do this, so here
we are.
What are we going to do?
We are going to do what a typical Windows user would do:
We will install Ubuntu on a computer that already has Windows 7 installed. We will have to accommodate space
for our Ubuntu installation. To this end, we will use the GParted partitioning tool to resize (shrink) the
Windows installation and create new partitions for Ubuntu.
After Ubuntu is installed, we will have to deal with an error - a typical case of
unbootable Windows, a common problem that can occur when the Windows installation is changed. We will learn how
to deal with this problem simply and efficiently using the built-in tools, fixing the Windows boot issue. In
the end, we will have the two operating systems installed side by side in a dual boot configuration, both
working happily.
This tutorial is critical for any Windows user considering running Linux alongside his/her installation. Not
only will it teach the user how to interpret the hard disk layout and change it safely and smartly, it will
also expose the user to a seemingly catastrophic boot failure, which we will solve. This exercise in
dual-booting is as real as it can get.
Follow me.
Preliminary reading
To be able to fully enjoy this tutorial and follow all its minute details, you must invest some time in reading
older material, on which this guide is based. Lots of technical lingo in this tutorial references to detailed,
step-by-step instructions presented in the dedicated Windows 7 and Ubuntu installation guides, as well as
additional tutorials.
Please do not skip this section. While you can use this guide without any external help, you will greatly
benefit from studying the other articles. They will teach you the vital, fundamental basics in operating system
installations, disk management and boot loading procedure.
This is the classic case. A Windows user, who has already installed Windows on his/her machine would like to
try Linux. The user has heard of Ubuntu, which comes as no surprise, since
it is the most popular Linux distribution available. The user downloads the Ubuntu live CD image, burns it to
CD - and the fun begins.
Things to consider before trying Linux
Windows users need to consider carefully the pros and cons of testing a new operating system on their hardware.
Please go through the following list and see if any of the issues mentioned might be of concern for you.
There might be hardware issues
Linux distributions have good hardware support in general, but there's no such thing as perfect. You may be the
unlucky person whose hardware is incompatible with this or that edition of this or that Linux distribution.
This can cause problems in getting the operating system to boot or you might have to deal with missing drivers
after the installation.
The same holds true for Windows, but Windows usually comes preinstalled and you get a load of drivers when you
buy a new computer. Keep this in mind before venturing into uncharted territories.
Windows and Linux are different
Windows users have a notion of how things work based on their former experience with computers, mostly
revolving around one or more Windows releases. The Linux operating system is different. Mastering it takes time
and patience. Do not expect to become experts overnight or be able to solve all your problems early on. At all
times, you must remember that the two operating systems are different, they behave and act differently.
Data loss
Whenever you're about to change the existing installation, there's a risk of data loss, regardless of which
operating system you're about to install. It is important to make sure you have your critical data backed up to
external media. You should also verify that your backups are intact and that they can be restored.
Therefore, to install Windows and Linux together, you need to be confident your data is safely backed up and
you need to understand that there might be hardware issues with your installation. Likewise, the methodology to
solving the problems will differ from you're used to in Windows. As long as you keep these things in mind, your
dual-boot experience will be a pleasant one.
Boot into Ubuntu live CD session
Very fortunately, Ubuntu (as many other Linux distros) comes as a bootable live CD. This means you can boot
Ubuntu and test the hardware compatibility, without making any changes to your existing installations on the
hard disk. This is an excellent feature that lets you play with the operating system, get the first impression,
check different applications, and make sure all your hardware is properly detected.
This is what we will do. Boot into live CD, make sure everything works, then proceed with the installation.
Following the instructions in the Ubuntu installation guide should have you logged into the Ubuntu live session
in the matter of minutes:
Make sure your wired and Wireless network adapters are functioning, make sure your Bluetooth, Web camera, sound
card, and possibly the graphics card all work as expected. This is the first step to ensuring smooth and
painless installation and post-install experience. If you need guidance how to test all these, please refer to
any one of my Linux distro reviews, including Ubuntu 8.10 and Ubuntu 9.04 in particular. Once you're sure everything is ready, you can begin the
installation.
Truth to be told, you should NOT start the installation immediately, but we will do this anyway. I want to show
you how an average user might act and follow his/her train of thought.
Please note, it is okay to start the installation, but there is an ever better and smarter way to approach the
task. We will soon learn why and how. For now, let's double-click on the Install button.
This will begin the Ubuntu installation.
Prepare Disk Space (Partitioning)
The most important step of the installation is Step 4: Prepare Disk Space. In
technical terms, this is called partitioning.
Let us first examine the current situation:
Windows 7 is installed
Ubuntu wisely informs you that This computer has Windows Vista (loader) on it.
Good. This means that Ubuntu recognizes the existing installation.
Do not be confused about the Windows Vista terminology. Windows Vista and Windows 7 use the same bootloader,
hence the "erroneous" notation. This will definitely change in the coming version of Ubuntu.
Take a look at the existing layout. There's a small, 100MB Windows system partition present and another 13.6GB
partition in use, plus some free space. If you recall the Windows 7 installation, these are exactly the
partitions we created, both primary!
We now know that we should not touch or alert the small Windows system partition, but we might be able to
resize (shrink) the big NTFS partition in order to accommodate more space for Ubuntu. So far so good.
Let's see what else the installer offers us:
The default installation choice is to install Windows and Ubuntu side by side. Good. This is what we want.
Ubuntu even suggests its own recommended layout.
Windows 7 provides several options for conserving power when you are
not using your PC. These options include Sleep, Hibernate, and Hybrid
Sleep and are very useful if you are using a laptop. Here’s the
difference between them.
Note: this article is meant primarily for beginners.
Obviously ubergeeky readers will already know the difference between
power modes.
Sleep Mode
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that is similar to pausing a DVD
movie. All actions on the computer are stopped and any open documents
and applications are put in memory. You can quickly resume normal,
full-power operation within a few seconds. Sleep mode is basically the
same thing as "Standby” mode.
The Sleep mode is useful if you want to stop working for a short
period of time. The computer doesn’t use much power in Sleep mode.
Hibernate
The Hibernate mode saves your open documents and running applications
to your hard disk and shuts down the computer, which means once your
computer is in Hibernate mode, it uses zero power. Once the computer is
powered back on, it will resume everything where you left off.
Use this mode if you won’t be using the laptop for an extended period of time, and you don’t want to close your documents.
Hybrid Sleep
The Hybrid Sleep mode is a combination of the Sleep and Hibernate
modes meant for desktop computers. It puts any open documents and
applications both in memory and on your hard disk, and then puts your
computer into a low-power state, allowing you to quickly wake the
computer and resume your work. The Hybrid Sleep mode is enabled by
default in Windows on desktop computers and disabled on laptops. When
enabled, it automatically puts your computer into Hybrid Sleep mode when
you put it into Sleep mode.
Hybrid Sleep mode is useful for desktop computers in case of a power
outage. When power resumes, Windows can restore your work from the hard
disk, if the memory is not accessible.
Where are the options?
The Sleep and Hibernate options are accessed using the arrow button next to the Shut down button on the Start menu.
If you don’t see the Sleep option or the Hibernate option, it may be for one of the following reasons:
Your video card may not support the Sleep mode. Refer to the documentation for your video card. You can also update the driver.
If you don’t have administrative access on the computer, you may have to refer to the administrator to change the option.
The power-saving modes in Windows are turned on and off in your
computer’s BIOS (basic input/output system). To turn on these modes,
restart your computer and then enter the BIOS setup program. The key for
accessing BIOS differs for each computer manufacturer. Instructions for
accessing BIOS generally displays on the screen as the computer boots.
For more information, see your computer’s documentation or check the
website for your computer’s manufacturer.
If you don’t see the Hibernate option, the Hybrid Sleep option is
mostly likely enabled. We will explain how to enable and disable the
Hybrid Sleep mode later in this article.
How Do I Wake Up the Computer?
Most computers can be woken up by pressing the power button. However,
every computer is different. You might need to press a key on the
keyboard, click a mouse button, or lift the laptop’s lid. Refer to your
computer’s documentation or the manufacturer’s website for information
about waking it from a power-saving state.
How to Enable and Disable the Hybrid Sleep Option
To enable or disable the Hybrid Sleep Option, click Control Panel on the Start menu.
Click Power Options in the Control Panel window.
NOTE: If Power Options is not available, select Large icons or Small
icons from the View by drop-down list in the upper, right corner of the
Control Panel window. In the Category view, you can also click System
and Security and then click the Power Options heading.
On the Select a power plan screen, click the Change plan settings link next to the currently selected power plan.
NOTE: You can change the Hybrid Sleep option for either one or both of the power plans. The steps are the same for both.
On the Change settings for the plan screen, click the Change advanced power settings link.
On the Power Options dialog box, click the Change settings that are currently unavailable link.
Click the plus sign next to Sleep to expand the options, if they are
not already expanded. Click the plus sign next to Allow hybrid sleep.
Select Off from one or both of the drop-down lists under the Allow
hybrid sleep heading.
NOTE: You can also double-click on a heading to expand it.
By default, Windows requires a password to access the computer when
you wake it up from a power-saving state. You can use the Power Options
dialog box to turn this off. The first heading in the list box is the
name of the power plan chosen in the drop-down list above the list box.
Click the plus sign to expand the heading and select Off from one or
both of the drop-down lists under the heading.
Click OK to save your changes and then click the X button in the upper, right corner of the Control Panel window to close it.
How to Prevent Your Computer from Automatically Sleeping or Hibernating
However, if you are using a battery-powered laptop, be careful when
turning off the sleep or hibernate mode. If the battery dies when you’re
in the middle of working on the computer, you can lose data.
You can also change the amount of time before your computer goes into sleep or hibernate mode. Here’s how to do this.
Access Power Options in the Control Panel, and click the Change plan
settings link next to the currently selected power plan on the Select a
power plan screen, as we described earlier in this article.
On the Change settings for the plan screen, click the Change advanced power settings link.
NOTE: This article doesn’t work anymore. Please refer to this updated article instead forusing the windows key as start in ubuntu.
Ubuntu has a dropdown menu at the top of the screen to launch
applications, which is very similar to the way Windows has the start
menu at the bottom of the screen. If you are a windows user new to
Ubuntu, you may prefer to have the windows key launch the applications
menu. Thankfully this is an easy thing to do in Ubuntu.
Go to the System \ Preferences \ Keyboard Shortcuts menu item:
Scroll down till you see the "Show the panel menu” item. Click in
the Shortcut column, and when it changes to "New accelerator…”, hit the
Windows Key. Click the close button. You’re done!
Now when you hit the windows key, the application menu will pop up.
If you hit the right arrow key, you can go to the Places or System menu
as well.
Ubuntu has pretty good theming system, visual effects, and eye-candy
stuff, but you may love the elegance of Windows 7 Aero class,
transparency, or the Start Menu. Today we’ll show you how to transform
Ubuntu to look like Windows 7.
Of course, it won’t be an exact match, but it’s close enough that at
first glance a lot of people would think it’s Windows 7. Keep reading to
see how to do this.
Installing the Win7 Theme
Let’s start by entering some commands—just open up a terminal window and enter this:
This will download a script file that will be used later to tell your
computer what files to download to complete the Win7 theme packages
install. Once finished, a window will tell you that the installation
will start now so just press OK.
Another window will pop up asking if you want to continue, answer yes
for that window too. Now the terminal will begin downloading and
installing the theme. It may take some time depending on your Internet
speed. After that, a window like this will appear:
Press OK, then back in the terminal enter:
setup-win7-theme
This command will setup Win7 theme and your computer will start
transforming into windows style immediately. Wait for a few seconds and
you will see a window asking you to logout so logout and log in again
and this is what you will see:
Now your Ubuntu looks almost exactly like Windows. Congratulations!
Now you have WinBuntu! You can even right-click the start button and
choose "properties” to customize the start menu.
If you want, you can install Internet Explorer-like themes for
Firefox. You can also use Windows 7 wallpaper for you desktop to give it
a complete feel of Windows 7. The download links are down at the end of
the article.
Uninstalling the Win7 Theme
During the setup of Win7 theme script, a backup of the previous Gnome
settings got saved in your home folder, so if you ever get bored of
this theme, you can uninstall it and rollback to previous Gnome state.
The only downside though, is that there is no automatic uninstallation.
It’s not hard to do the uninstallation. Open your home folder there
should be a file named "win7-uninstall.tar.gz”, open it with your
archive manager and you’ll find your home folder, double-click it and
you’ll see your username, double-click it too. There should be a
".gconf” file, extract that file to your home folder.
Logout and log back in, that’s it. Your theme is back to normal gnome as if nothing has happened. Cool, isn’t it?
Forcefully uninstalling
In some cases when you try uninstalling the theme it won’t uninstall
completely, leaving some Windows 7 icons or desktop wallpaper. In cases
like this, you’ll have to remove the theme by deleting it’s files
manually but don’t worry, it is easier than you think. Just open up a
terminal window and type the following command followed by the enter
key.
rm -rf .gnome .gnome2 .gconf .gconfd .metacity
NOTE: This will restore your gnome appearance setting back to the default like when you first installed Ubuntu.
Boot Winpe & uVS, compiled on the basis of WAIK 3.1 for Windows 7
32bit ... designed to treat systems from winlock, butktitov, rootkits
and other trudno_udalyaemyh viruses. added to the assembly as far 2 portable, bootice, as well as a library with copies of the file STORE userinit.exe, taskmgr.exe for XP SP3, Vista SP2, Win 7 SP1 (library needed to restore the system files
that are overwritten Winlock-rum.) Summary load (which actually created
a bootable winPE a utility uVS (universal Virus Sniffer).
Features:
Consistent with the work of active, inactive, remote and virtual systems (image autorun).
Custom bases virus-tested, well-known, etc.
Customizable filtration system startup objects significantly simplifies the work.
Automatic extraction of signatures of executable files and a quick search for signatures.
JetClean - Easy to use, yet powerful enough to remove the software system "garbage", optimize and improve PC performance.
With it you can fix registry errors, remove all temporary data
accumulated, unused labels, traces of the web, the files remained after
uninstalling applications, and get rid of unnecessary programs.
Features:
Cleans up unnecessary files and registry entries in order to improve performance of your computer with one click.
Increase PC performance.
Reduces system errors and failures, increase system stability.
Helps to speed up your PC and launch applications. Shuts down the program, which can slow down your system.
When you plug in your pen drive or mp3 player you are unable to access it and suddenly your system stops responding .Then it is due to the bad sectors in your pen drive that is due to memory pool corruption.I can give you a simple step to recover your drive.
