Hard disk drives (HDD) commonly known as hard disks or hard drives are one of the worst computer components to break down. They can be a real pain when they fail for several reasons. Not only do you stand to lose all of your valuable data, your computer will be unable to operate without a primary hard disk installed.

Fortunately, a hard disk drive is one of the more simple computer components to change though it is important to select the correct type or you will struggle.

Firstly, there are three main forms of hard disk drives. This is an internal 3.5″ drive used on standard desktop computers, a 2.5″ hard disk that is used on notebook and laptop computers and external drives, usually connected by USB, and almost always not a primary drive.

I would suggest that should you be in the situation that your laptop or notebook drive has failed then you seek advice from the manufacturer as to which hard drives are compatible and how straight forward or difficult it may be to change.

Assuming you have a standard computer then you will need to select a 3.5″ drive but there are more options. On a standard computer you will need to ascertain which type of hard disk you have. The two main options are PATA (Parallel ATA) and SATA (Serial ATA). SATA is the newest type of hard drive about at the moment, so assuming your PC is a number of years old it is a pretty safe bet to assume you have PATA.

SATA can be identified in several ways but as you are removing the hard disk anyway you can easily tell by the type of connections to the hard drive. PATA has the typical 4 pin connection found on standard CD ROM drives and DVD ROM drives, likewise PATA uses an IDE cable which is about 2 inches in length and is the same type of cable that also connects standard CD ROM drives. SATA has two much smaller connections – about a third of the size.

Apart from the options I have mentioned you have further desicions to make,  these decisions will not stop it from working but increase or decrease preformance. These include hard disk speed – faster the better, and capacity, this is the amount of space you physically need as storage. Generally the average computer user will not even use 20% of the smallest capacity hard drives on the market today.

SIIG are manufacturers of connectivity products such as Firewire adapters, serial & Parallel ports along with several other computer controllers such as multimedia cards.

Siig have been around a while, since 1985 in fact,  but are still relatively unknown to the average computer user – certainly this is true here in the UK. As soon as you move up to any user needing quality devices SIIG computer components are hunted down.

Using only quality components SIIG have a reputation for manufacturing a quaility product made of high end components that is built to last. On top of this, the quality control is fantastic so the chances of your card arriving with, or,  delvepoing a problem is minimal.

As with anything in this life, you can buy a cheap Firewire adapter, for example or a very expensive Firewire adapter – both does the same job but one performs to a higher standard than the other. SIIG’s repuation as a higher quality manufactuer would lead you to assume that the price tag is going to be pretty hefty – much more than other leading manufcaturers.

Werll qquite refreshingly, this is not the case. SIIG’s prices seem to fit nicely amongst the budget cards perhaps only ever so slightly more expensive. This makes SIIG even more appealing.

Really and truly SIIG products should be a prominent brand in every store. I would guess the reason they aren’t is because they want to keep the manufacture to a minimal level to maintain the quality reputation they have as well as the quality product.

The internet is great, and now most people with a computer will use the Internet daily or at least have some experience in using it.

Using the internet comes with risks. There are plenty of people out there who work hard in trying to spread around malicious software that, if unprotected, can find itself onto your PC. This software could at best cause your computer to slow down and nt work as it once did but at worst it could allow someone access to your personal files, folders and data and even ruin your computer to make it totally unusable.

Fear not as there are ways to protect yourself and this doesn’t have to cost anything.

A Firewall, in my opinion, is one of the most important items of protection you can get. This stops programs or in fact anything accessing the internet without your authorisation. Without this kind of protection, any program can send information over the internet as it chooses. If this happens to be a malicious program the results can be devestating.

Once your firewall is installed it will require a little configuring although most are very user friendly. All you need to do is allow or deny any program that is attempting to access the internet. If it is a trusted program, for example msn messenger or outlook express then you can always allow them, this will stop the prompt from reappearing. If you are unsure what the program is that is trying to access the internet then it is best to deny any attempt. If any given program then fails to function you know that you blocked a trusted program. Next time the prompt pops up – allow it.

Once you have gone through this initial stage of setting up the prompts should become less and less.

Computer – aren’t they great? – they allow us to play our media, watch our favourite shows, write letters and stories and communicate easily to our friends and family. They keep us in touch with people that are far away and bring them to us as though they were only in the next room. The internet allows us to learn about any topic we choose, keep up to date with news and current affairs and increase our general understanding of any given subject. We can make cheap phone calls, sometimes even free and we can buy our shopping at great prices and have it delivered to our door.

This is all fantastic stuff and the reason why computers are now more popular than ever with almost every home having at least one machine and often several.

Problems however come about when computers go wrong. For the average computer user this can create problems as often getting a computer expert out costs a fortune and you know that the resolution is only a click away – but what to click!?

The purpose of these articles is to assist the average computer user with advice on computer components, computer problems and general computer issues that may arise for the average computer user.

If there is a topic you would like addressed or a problem you would like help with then please feel free to leave a comment.