Latest Storage How-To Stories
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How-To
How to turn any SSD into a DIY external drive
Breathe new life into your old flash memory with an external USB enclosure.
How-To
Maximize your cloud storage with these 5 tools and tricks
Because storage space on OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive is limited, you should use convenient tools to clear out superfluous files.
Tip
Long live the hard drive: Why HDDs are still far from obsolete
Despite the impressive advantages of SSDs, classic hard disk drives (HDDs) still remain relevant today.
How-To
Benchmark your SSD: These free tools do it all
Fast SSDs have now almost completely replaced classic hard drives in PCs and notebooks. We tell you which SSD tips you should definitely know.
How-To
9 must-know Microsoft OneDrive tips: Get more from Windows cloud storage
Microsoft's cloud storage doesn't need to hide behind Dropbox, Google Drive, and others. OneDrive offers some surprising functions and backs up important data automatically.
How-To
How to set up a new SSD or hard drive in Windows
Use Disk Management to easily set up a new hard drive, SSD, or USB stick under Windows.
Tip
How long does data last on an SD card?
SD cards are faithful companions in cameras, mobile phones, and many other devices. They capture our most beautiful moments, store important documents and are thus almost indispensable. But how long can we actually rely on these little helpers?
Tip
Ultimate backup: Archival M-Discs store your data for 1000 years
Long-term storage of digital data is important, but also challenging. Archival CDs such as M-Discs offer a good solution with high durability.
How-To
How to securely erase your hard drive or SSD
Ensure that the data on your old drives is safe from prying eyes with this simple guide to securely wiping your hard drives.
How-To
SSD vs. HDD vs. hybrid: Which storage tech is right for you?
With SSDs, hard drives, and hybrid drives we are spoiled for choice when it comes to PC storage. Here's our advice on what to do.
How-To
How to install a hard drive in your computer
Don't be afraid of cracking open your desktop PC's case. Installing a new hard drive is a basic task anyone can accomplish.
Answer Line
How to partition a hard drive
Partitions allow you to segment a single drive for separating programs from files or installing a second OS.Answer Line
When a CD or DVD is stuck or the drive won’t open
Maybe the disc is stuck. Maybe the door is stuck. Try these things first to see if you can fix it.Answer Line
You can securely wipe your files, hard drive or SSD with one of these free utilities
You delete a file, then empty the recycle bin. But the contents of that file remains on your drive. Here's what to do about that.Answer Line
5 things you can do with a second internal drive
Sure, you could just store more stuff, but other options range from virtual machines to games.
How-To
Tip: WinDirStat can help you free up storage space for GTA V (or anything else) in a flash
This tried-and-true program just helped me free up over 100GB worth of drive space in mere minutes.Hassle-Free PC
3 tools for finding and eradicating duplicate files on your hard drive
Do you have more files than space on your PC? These three tools can help you eke out a little more free space by getting rid of duplicate files and folders on your hard drive.How-To
Supercharge your PC’s storage with a RAID setup: Everything you need to know
Configuring multiple drives in RAID can protect against disaster and provide face-meltingly fast transfer speeds.
Answer Line
When to buy a flash drive, an external hard drive, or an external SSD
What kind of external storage do you need? This guide will help you decide how best to spend your money.How-To
It’s cheap and easy to make your own portable hard drive from an old PC drive
An external enclosure is all you need to give your old storage a new lease on life.Answer Line
Save money by not buying a larger SSD than you need
By the gigabyte, an SSD is much more expensive than a conventional hard drive. You may be able to save money by buying one with a smaller capacity.
Answer Line
How to test the speed of your USB drives
How fast are your flash drives and external hard drives? Here's how to find out.Hassle-Free PC
Get tough on stubborn programs with Revo uninstaller
Sometimes you just can't get the job done with an app's built-in tools. That's when you may have to turn to a third-party uninstaller.Answer Line
What to do when a second hard drive bricks your PC
You install a second hard drive, plug in the power, and turn on the PC. But Windows doesn't boot. Run through this checklist to fix the problem.Answer Line
Don’t use the same external drive for backup and storage
External hard drives can provide both backup and storage. But don't use the same drive for both.How-To
How to upgrade an old PC: No-brainer improvements anyone can do
Is your computer running too slow? Breathe new life into that aging PC with a few tune-ups and upgrades to get it back up to speed.Hassle-Free PC
Windows 8.1 Update tip: Clean up that disk space now
Now that you're used to the new Windows 8.1 Update, it's time to clear up some space on that hard drive.Answer Line
How to upgrade to a larger hard drive
Your hard drive (or SSD) is overflowing. You’ve just bought a new one with a larger capacity. Now what do you do?Answer Line
My hard drive is making scary sounds
A noisy hard drive is probably a dying hard drive. Here's how to get the files off before time runs out.Answer Line
How to archive files so they’ll stay around for years
Daisky wants to store files in a way that will make them available to future generationsHow-To
Find the right backup drive for your storage needs
If coming up with a backup strategy is one of your New Year's resolutions, maybe a backup drive should be on your holiday shopping list. We can tell you what to look for.Answer Line
When your PC doesn’t recognize a 2nd drive
Creeds installed an old hard drive into a new machine as a second drive. He's having problems getting it to work.How-To
The absurdly simple guide to backing up your PC
Backing up isn't difficult, it's getting around to backing up that's the challenge for most users. Here are the backup basics made so easy you'll have no excuse for not creating a safety copy of your data.Answer Line
How to make room on your Windows partition
Acharya1987's C: drive is running out of space. I offer my suggestions, as does the Answer Line forum.Answer Line
Recover files from a dead external drive
Xolelwa Mzili's PC no longer sees her external hard drive. Can she recover the files?
How-To
Benchmarks don’t lie: SSD upgrades deliver huge performance gains
An SSD can breathe new life into an old PC, but exactly how much performance do you gain? PCWorld ran the tests. Here are the results.Answer Line
How to make good use of an old hard drive
Carol Hart has an extra hard drive hanging around. She asked me what she can do with it.Answer Line
How to change drive letters–even when the letter you want isn’t available
Jack McCabe wants Windows to identify his data drive as D:, but D: is already taken.Hassle-Free PC
How to add USB 3.0 to your desktop PC
The latest external hard drives offer USB 3.0 connectivity, but older desktops don't. Here's an easy and inexpensive remedy.Answer Line
How to safely remove a USB drive even when Windows says it isn’t safe to do so
Windows doesn't always allow you to safely remove a flash drive or external hard drive. Klaatu asked the Answer Line forum for advice.Answer Line
Add an external drive to your WMP or iTunes music collection
Kat Korsmo asked how to play music off an external hard in Windows Media Player library. (My answer covers iTunes, as well.)Updated
How to securely wipe sensitive files–or your entire hard drive
Rommel asked the Utilities forum for advice on cleaning files off a hard drive so that they can never be restoredHassle-Free PC
Add a hard drive-activity LED to a laptop that lacks one
Free utility Activity Indicator adds an HDD status light to your System Tray.Hassle-Free PC
With an SSD, backups are more important than ever
It's a lot harder to recover data from a dead solid-state drive, so plan accordingly.Hassle-Free PC
How to upgrade your external hard drive to USB 3.0
If your PC has USB 3.0 ports, you can get a big speed boost by relocating your external drive to a faster enclosure.Answer Line
Improve performance with a hard drive upgrade
Alloystory asked the Laptops forum about speeding up a PC by replacing the hard drive with something faster.How-To
The proper care and feeding of SSD storage
Treat a solid-state drive like its mechanical cousin and you could end up in a world of pain. Here's how to handle these exotic beasts.Hassle-Free PC
Why it’s a good idea to own a USB-to-SATA adapter
When the time comes to replace or upgrade your hard drive, you'll be glad to have one of these inexpensive tools.Answer Line
Should you leave a hard drive running when it’s not in use?
Mike Bell asked if he should shut down his hard drive when he doesn't need it. "Will that constant powering up [and down] add wear and tear…?"Answer Line