Hard drives

1. Hard Drives Manshu Sharma Client Tech Support Sr. Associate

2. OUTLINE • Introduction to Hard Disk Drives • Hard Drive Interface(s) • Components in Hard DISK Drives • Solid State Drive(SSD) • Advantages and Disadvantages of SSDs • mSATA • Intel Smart Response Technology • Intel Rapid Start Technology? • Intel Smart Connect Technology?

3. Hard Disk Drive(HDD) • Hard disk drive is a storage device used for storing and retrieving information • Hard drives are non-volatile • The two most common form factors are 3.5-inch & 2.5-inch

4. Hard Drive Interface(s) Hard disk drive interface can be defined as the way the hard drive is connected to system board. 1. (A)dvanced (T)echnology (A)ttachment (Also known as IDE, ATAPI and Parallel ATA) It is the least expensive of the interfaces. 2. (S)erial ATA SATA is basically an advancement of ATA. Faster transfer rates compared to ATA. 3. (S)mall (C)omputer (S)ystem (I)nterface SCSI is commonly used in servers, and more in industrial applications than home uses.

5. Components in hard disk drive Hard disk drive consist of various components 1. Spindle: It that holds the platter(flat circular disk) 2. Platter: It is the component in which the recorded data is stored 3. Two electric motors i) Spindle motor that spins the disks ii) Actuator motor that positions the read/write head 4. Connecters i) IDE Connector ii) Power Connector 5. Read/Write head

6. Solid State Drive(SSD) • SSD is a PC storage device that uses Solid State Memory to store information • SSD uses non volatile NAND flash Memory • Shape of an SSD can be virtually anything because it is not limited to the shape of rotating media drives • SSD shipment has increased from 11 million units in 2009 to 39 million units in 2012

7. Advantages of SSDs • Faster access • Faster Application Launch Time • More Energy efficient • More Reliable(endure extreme shock, vibration and high temperature) • More robust under extreme conditions • Silent Operation Disadvantages of SSDs • Expensive • Currently offer less storage space than traditional hard drives

8. mSATA • Mini-SATA (mSATA) is a relatively new format for ultra-small Solid-State Disks (SSDs) • mSATA drives are used in Dell systems to benefit consumers with Intel Smart Response, Intel Rapid Start and Intel Smart Connect technology

9. Intel Smart Response Technology It dynamically monitors file, data, and application use, and stores frequently used content on a special partition on a small SSD device for faster access. Requirements • System must be equipped with an SSD with 18.6 GB of available storage • System must have Intel Rapid Storage driver and application installed in the OS • System must have an Intel® Core processor installed

10. What is Intel Rapid Start Technology? Rapid Start is a feature that provides power savings. It can be combined with Smart Response on some systems to enhance overall system performance. • System must be equipped with an SSD with 8 GB of available storage space • System must have an Intel® Core processor installed • Rapid Start may be combined with Smart Response and the technologies can share same SSD space

11. What is Intel Smart Connect Technology? Smart Connect is feature that periodically wakes the system from the Windows sleep state to refresh email or social networking applications. • Smart Connect Software can only be ordered on systems ordered with an SSD • Application support validated on Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Live Mail, Sobees, Seesmic • VPN support for restoring VPN credentials validated on Cisco AnyConnect and Check Point VPN

12. Common Hard drive ePSA Error Codes • 2000-0141(no drive detected) • 2000-0142(self test unsuccessful) • 2000-0143(self test unsuccessful) • 2000-0144(self test unsuccessful) • 2000-0145(self test did not complete) • 2000-0150(No drive detected) • 2000-0151(incorrect status)

13. Hard Drive Diagnostics • 90-90 test This test was used on older IDE hard drives. This is a quick test that can only be run on hard drives upto 90GB and takes around 90 seconds to complete. • ePSA Diagnostics Dell Enhanced Pre-Boot System Diagnostics (ePSA) are diagnostics that are built into the hardware of your system. • Dell PC Diagnostics This test is available on Dell Support website where consumer has the option to perform custom test based on symptom, hardware as well as software.