Computers Made Plain Upgrading Hard Drive Need Not Be Hard
Investors Business Daily, Friday, October 24, 1997 at 12:50
Does your hard-disk drive have you feeling claustrophobic? It
could be time to upgrade to something with more breathing room.
These days, hard drives fill up fast. Everything from office
software to multimedia games is getting bigger and vying for space.
And then there's the Internet. Surfing the Web and downloading files
is a sure-fire way to run out of room.
Last year, filling up the space on an average new disk drive took
about a year, says Diana Braun, worldwide retail marketing manager at
Western Digital Corp., a drive maker in Irvine, Calif. This year,
that's down to about nine months, she says.
But there is good news. Upgrading your hard drive is relatively
cheap and easy.
First, answer a few questions. When is your current drive truly
full? Do you want to replace your current drive or add a second one?
How big should your new drive be?
And some users might pause at the prospect of opening their PC.
They worry about losing data or damaging components. Fortunately,
computer stores are happy to help.
Sales of after-market disk drives are booming. These are drives
other than those included with new computers. International Data
Corp. of Framingham, Mass., expects after-market drive shipments of
39 million in the U.S. this year. That's up from 25 million last
year.
By 2001, almost as many after-market drives will be sold as drives
with new PCs, says IDC analyst Crawford DelPrete. The largest drive
makers are Seagate Technology Inc. of Scotts Valley, Calif.; Quantum
Corp. of Milpitas, Calif.; Western Digital; Maxtor Corp., a Milpitas,
Calif.-based unit of Korea's Hyundai Electronics Industries Co.;
Japan's Fujitsu Ltd.; and International Business Machines Corp.
Here's the process experts say you should follow in expanding your
PC's storage:
* Determine how much space is left on your hard drive. Get rid of
software you don't need. The uninstaller feature of Windows 95 lets
you quickly scrap programs. A defragmentation utility also can
provide more space on your drive by neatly reorganizing your data.
If you decide you need a new drive, it's time to go shopping.
* First, consider whether a removable-storage device might better
fit your needs. Roy, Utah-based Iomega Corp.'s Jaz drive and
Fremont, Calif.based SyQuest Technology Inc.'s SyJet drive are
alternatives to hard drives. They use cartridges that hold one to
two gigabytes each.
The Jaz and SyJet give you more flexibility. Just buy another
cartridge when you need more room. There are drawbacks, however.
They're pricey. The latest version of Jaz, which should be available
later this quarter, will cost about $650 for an external model. A
three-pack of two-gigabyte cartridges sells for $149.
Performance - measured by how quickly the device accesses data -
also is lower with removable storage.
* If you do decide to get a new hard-disk drive, get more space
than you think you'll need. Look for drives with at least two or
three gigabytes. Prices start at less than $200 for a two-gigabyte
drive.
* Decide whether you want to ditch your old drive. If you have
enough bays to store both drives, you could use your old drive as a
place to store files. If it's ancient, though, it's probably not
worth it.
* Do the installation yourself, or get an expert to do it.
Consumers are installing more drives. Braun estimates that 90% of
customers that buy Western Digital's hard-drive kit do the upgrade
themselves.
"The physical installation can be scary," admitted Denise Lippert,
a Seagate product marketing manager. But manufacturers have tried to
simplify the job with easy, concise directions.
If you do the upgrade, follow instructions closely. And be sure
to back up your data beforehand.
After the drive is installed, run the software that came with it.
This should walk you through the formatting of your drive. With a
newer PC, there shouldn't be any compatibility problems. If you're
upgrading an older model, you may need some help.
Look for the installation process to get easier in the future.
The industry is developing technology that would allow users to
easily move components into and out of a computer.
When it's perfected, upgrading a drive will be akin to "stuffing a
video into your VCR," said Roger Reich, technical marketing manager
at Maxtor. "You'll never have to open up your PC again."
In the meantime, plenty of technicians are willing to help,
usually for a fee. Most computer stores have staff that can do the
upgrade for you. They'll replace your old drive, transfer the data
and make sure everything works properly. The average installation
cost is about $40 to $50. |
