Computer Cables Overview

1. External Drives Cables:
USB, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, eSATA, Powered eSATA

a) USB Cable
USB is the most common connection type for external devices, whether external hard drive, thumb drives, flash drives, printers, cameras, all kinds of other devices.  It is extremely easy to use. Whether the computer is powered on or powered off, simply connect the cable to your device and it should be ready to be used less than 30 seconds later (depending on your computer’s speed).

The USB cable has two ends – one to connect into the drive, and one to connect into the computer. Sometimes these ports are found both on the front and the rear of your computer.

USB Cable

b) FireWire 400 and 800 Cable
FireWire is a similar connection to USB, in that it is plug-and-play.  Simply connect your device to the computer and it will usually be ready to be used within 30 seconds.  FireWire is much more common in Mac computers than in Windows computers.

FireWire comes in two speeds at this time – FireWire 400 and FireWire 800.  FireWire 400 (also known as 1394a) usually gives performance similar to USB.  FireWire 800 (1394b) is significantly faster, giving performance similar to an internal Serial ATA drive, but is less common than FireWire 400, and is almost exclusively available in Mac computers.

FireWire 400 and 800 Cable

c) eSATA Cable
eSATA (external Serial ATA) is a high-performance interface most commonly found in Windows PCs, but is fairly rare.

The eSATA cable’s connector and the port look similar to that of a normal Serial ATA connector and port, but they are not intercompatible due to small physical differences.

eSATA Cable

 

d) Powered eSATA Cable
Powered eSATA provides high performance like eSATA, but like USB 2.0 it also provides electrical power to operate a drive without needing to use a separate power cable for the drive. This interface is even more rare than eSATA.

2. Internal Drives Cables:
Serial ATA (SATA), (Parallel) ATA (PATA)

a) Serial ATA (SATA) Cable
Serial ATA is the most common connection for internal drives in modern PCs and Macs (including all G5s).  There can be multiple SATA ports on any one motherboard or controller card.  One cable connects one hard drive to one port on the motherboard (as opposed to Parallel ATA).

SATA drives include a small power adapter that plugs in to the normal power cable inside your PC or Mac so that it will fit the SATA drive.

Serial ATA (SATA) Cable

b) (Parallel) ATA Cable
ATA is a very common connection for internal drives in older PCs and older desktop Macs (before G5), and for devices like CD and DVD drives in modern PCs and Macs.  It is a connector about 2 inches (5 cm) wide and has 40 small gold pins that will fit into the corresponding 40 small holes on its corresponding connector. There can be two or four ATA ports on any one motherboard.  One cable can connect to two devices at the same time.

(Parallel) ATA Cable

Blue connector – always connects to the motherboard.
Grey (middle) connector – is used for slave devices on the cable.
Black connector – is used for master device connection.

Note: An ATA hard drive will also have different jumper settings depending on whether it is connected as slave or master. An ATA hard drive that is connected to the same cable as a CD or DVD drive must be connected to the master position, with the CD or DVD drive in the slave position.

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Students how to protect against laptop data disasters?

Many students will be packing laptop computers in addition to the usual school supplies. It’s clear that laptop computers are quickly becoming a vital part of the scholastic experience, however with more laptops in use comes more danger for data loss.

Laptop computers are an excellent way for today’s students to manage their workload, but protecting the data on those computers isn’t as simple as securing a notebook in a locker. Students need to be careful with their laptops to avoid both physical damage and other problems that could affect the integrity of their data. If problems do occur, it’s also important they know that data recovery is always an option.

To help students protect against laptop data disasters, there are some tips:

Laptops are not as rugged as many like to think. When laptops are being docked, moved or transported, the greatest of care should be taken to prevent unnecessary shock or impact. Set up your computer in a dry, cool, controlled environment that is clean and dust-free. Placing your computer in a low-traffic area will protect your system and storage media from harmful jarring or bumping.

Use a sturdy, well padded laptop bag – Using just a back-pack or brief-case may not provide the protection a laptop needs during transportation. Make sure your laptop has plenty of built-in padding for protection.

Backup your data regularly – Creating regular backups is one of the most effective ways to protect you from losing data. Back up data at least once a week on a reliable medium (CD, DVD, USB flash drives or Internet backup), always verifying that the correct data is backed up.

Run a virus scan and update it regularly – Computer viruses are one of the worst enemies to your computer. Good anti-virus software tests your system for sequences of code unique to each known computer virus and eliminates the infecting invader. Also beware of spyware, a common problem brought about by Web surfing and downloads that can cause complications with your computer’s efficiency. There are several programs available on the internet that can assist with the removal of most spyware programs.

Be aware of strange noises – If you hear a strange noise or grinding sound, turn off your computer immediately and call an expert. Further operation may damage your hard drive beyond repair.

Do not use file recovery software if you suspect an electrical or mechanical failure – Using file recovery software on a faulty hard drive may destroy what was otherwise recoverable data or worsen the physical failure.

Use Auto-Save features – Most software applications have Auto-Save features that will save the project or document you have open at a preset intervals. For laptop users, a good time interval to use is every 5 minutes.

Be battery-level aware – If you are going to be using the laptop for long hours, be sure to try and find an electrical outlet to plug into. Some laptops will shut down quickly when a specific low battery level is reached and important documents may be lost.

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Symptoms of HDD PCB Failure & HDD Firmware Corrupted

Most people can’t distinguish the HDD problems cause by HDD PCB failure and HDD firmware corrupted. Now we offer some advice as below, please refer:

HDD PCB Failure Symptoms:

When a hard drive fails due to PCB failure, the drive usually cannot boot up or there may be an inaccurate display in the BIOS of the hard drive’s information. Also power may not get to the hard drive and as a result it will not spin up.

HDD Firmware Corrupted Symptoms:

  • The drive will power up normally (no ticking noises, errors etc) but will not be recognized by the computer.
  • The drive will power up normally and be recognized correctly but will report a size of 0 bytes
  • The drive will power up but report SMART errors on boot

Article by Hard Drive PCB Sales: HDDZone.com

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16G camera card deleted by mistake and recovered successfully

Case:16G camera card, camera card inserted into the computer, and the deletion operation was performed Solution:The engineer connected the camera card to the safe data recovery platform through the device, accessing the hard disk through a disk editor, and found the information you needed through the deleted file directory index information;Complete acceptance of recovered data.

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The head is damaged and the 2T Seagate hard drive has abnormal sound. The computer blue screen is restored successfully.

Case:The operating system is Windows, the file system is NTFS/FAT, using 2T Seagate hard disk.The hard disk emits a click sound. The computer appears blue screen. After detection, the magnetic head is damaged. Solution:The engineer evaluates the degree of damage to the mobile hard disk.According to the requirements of the magnetic head, select the appropriate…

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Computer Forensic Tool: EnCase Forensic

Computer Forensic Tool: EnCase ForensicEnCase Forensic is for forensic practitioners who need to conduct efficient, forensically sounds data collection and investigations using a repeatable and defensible process. EnCase Forensic lets examiners acquire data from a wide variety of devices, unearth potential evidence with disk level forensic analysis, and craft comprehensive reports on their findings, all while maintaining the integrity of their evidence.

How EnCase® Forensic Works:

1) Obtain Forensically Sound Acquisitions
EnCase® Forensic produces an exact binary duplicate of the original drive or media, then verifies it by generating MD5 hash values for related image files and assigning CRC values to the data. These checks and balances reveal when evidence has been tampered with or altered, helping to keep all digital evidence forensically sound for use in court proceedings.

2) Save Valuable Time with Advanced Productivity Features
Examiners can preview data while drives or other media are being acquired. Once the image files are created, examiners can search and analyze multiple drives or other media simultaneously. EnCase Forensic also features a case indexer. This powerful tool builds a complete index in multiple languages, allowing for fast and easy queries. Indices can also be chained together to find keywords common to other investigations. This Unicode-supported index contains personal documents, deleted files, file system artifacts, file slack, swap files, unallocated space, emails and web pages. In addition, EnCase has extensive file system support, giving organizations the ability to analyze all types of data.

3) Customize EnCase® Forensic with EnScript® Programming
EnCase forensic features EnScript® programming capabilities. EnScript, an object-oriented
programming language similar to Java or C++, allows users create to custom programs to help
them automate time-consuming investigative tasks, such as searching and analyzing specific
document types or other labor-intensive processes and procedures. This power can be harnessed by any level of investigator by using one of Forensics tools, such as the “Case Developer” or one of the numerous built-in filters and conditions.

4) Provide Actionable Data, Report on it, and Move on to the Next Case
Once investigators have bookmarked relevant data, they can create a report suitable for
presentation in court, to management or to another legal authority. Data can also be exported in multiple file formats for review.

EnCase Forensic is trusted by corporations, law enforcement, and government. EnCase Forensic is fast, powerful, forensically sound, and proven in courts worldwide.

EnCase Forensic Related Links:

Website: http://www.guidancesoftware.com/forensic.htm
Resource: EnCase® Forensic for Law Enforcement (PDF)

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