Apple vs. Flash

Let me start by saying that I find Apple's refusal to support Adobe Flash on the iPhone and iPad mildly amusing. This wasn't always the case though, as I was initially frustrated when I bought my first iPhone. However, over time I learned to live without it on my mobile device, and simply went to my laptop anytime I needed flash. We all know the true reason for the lack of flash support, so let's move on to the iPad, which I find a little toy-like simply because:

1. No USB ports
2. Limited external video sources
3. No Multi-tasking
4. Locked down to the App store

Quite frankly, I have been able to live without various items on that list at one time or another, but why should I?

But I digress, let's get back to the point of my rant (Flash). This morning I received an email from Apple addressed to the account I used to purchase my iPhone. Does anything seem strange in the attached screenshot?

Like I said, I can live without Flash on my Apple devices... but can Apple? I find it hypocritical that the mighty Apple determines the specific technologies they will or won't support, but then chooses to not live by those same decisions.

I have been an Apple fan for some time now, but this type of controlling behavior is making me much less so. Like I said earlier, I can live with the quirky decisions Apple makes with their technology, but I just can't live with Apple the company.

Bootsage: Installing Win7 from a USB Flash Drive

Last year I detailed the steps required for creating a bootable, USB flash drive designed for installing Windows 7. To be honest, I didn't realize the pain everyone was feeling at the time, but I quickly realized what a sore spot I hit with my blog.

Anyway, I have been using a couple of the utilities I found to help simplify this process, the problem... they only work on Windows Vista or Windows 7. In my endless search to streamline and simplify my life, I ran across another app this morning which professed to be able to create a bootable Windows 7 flash drive installer. And it claims to work under Windows XP!

Needless to say, I have tested it on every flash drive I own, and I can say it worked perfectly each and every time. If you like having a toolbelt with the most useful, up-to-date utilities, you will want to add Bootsage to your collection.

http://firesage.com/bootsage

Windows 7: Installing from a USB Flash Drive

How many of you don't have a DVD player in at least one of your machines? If you are like me, you probably have a few such systems, which normally isn't a big deal since I normally rip the DVD to an ISO then stream across my network. This works fine for normal installations, but many of my adventurous friends are wondering how I install the (very large) Windows 7 without a DVD player. It's quite simple, just use a USB flash drive.

If you do your research, you will find that there are a couple of different methods for making a bootable USB drive that will install Windows 7. The decision of which tools to use will be made almost strictly based on the main operating system you are using.

With that said, most Microsoft people I know are still using Windows XP, so let's jump to the best method under XP.

[ Note ] As I was writing this, I ran across a site that describes the process better than I can, and even provides screeenshots and step-by-step directions. In fact, it even includes directions for both XP and Vista! So, rather than plagiarize a well detailed process, I will simply link you there instead (see below).

Before I let you go, it appears that the site below no longer links to the Windows 7 iso file, so make sure you download the release candidate 1 here, as well as MBRWizard, which is used to set the flash drive bootable. Best of luck with the entire process, and with Windows 7 as well!

How To Boot And Install Windows 7 From USB Flash Drive


[ Update 6/23/2009 ] I just located another very good blog detailing the steps to install Windows 7 from a USB Flash disk. Check out Installing the New Windows 7 RC.

Chain Rxn, or... KISS

We are taking a little detour from disk technology today, so hang on to your bloomers while we go for a (ramblin') ride of a different type.

Maybe you have heard of the Facebook game Chain Rxn, or maybe you haven't... either way it turns out to be an extremely addicting game that has distracted me from the world of technology! Finally, something to drag me away from my geek aways, and lead me into other geek ways.

Anyway, Chain Rxn is a simple game that involves trying to set off the biggest chain reaction. It start with small balls floating around the screen, you drop a single blob onto the screen which the balls can run into, which creates another blob, which other balls can run into, which creates more blobs, which... I think you get the picture. Each collision creates a soothing ping sound, and becomes addicting very quickly! Each level requires a certain number of balls to be exploded, but the good news is you can start the level over if you don't reach the goal!

So, why am I writing about a simple, stupid game? Because I am always surprised when something so basic overshadows the ever superior, complex technology out there now. Maybe surprised isn't the right word, but many friends seem to jump from Guitar Hero to the latest XBox games (Halo, for example), only to come back to Guitar Hero a few weeks later. Is bigger, wilder, fancier really better?

You have probably heard of KISS (keep it simple, stupid), which simply means that a simple approach to a problem is generally the better solution. BTW, I have always viewed KISS as a command to someone not willing to listen, such as Keep it simple... STUPID!!! ;)

So, to continue the rambling, I think Kiss applies to everything, including manufacturing, engineering, and especially hardware and software design. There is definitely too much of a good thing, but we're used to it... and probably even demand it.

Anyway, while I tend to get as excited as the next guy about the next big technology release, I find that I typically come back to the simple things, Chain Rxn, iPhone Poker, etc. Which may explain my MacBook Pro, it may not have all of the bells and whistles that Microsoft is touting, but it's simple stupid, and just works. Plus... it plays Chain Rxn better than any of my Windows machines. ;)

The elusive MBR

Welcome back to Disk Tech! I get many, many questions about the Master Boot Record (MBR), so I thought I would spend a few minutes detailing the history, purpose, and layout of this elusive section of a hard disk. This isn't the most exciting topic, so try to bear through the technical details while looking for the parts you may find interesting.

In a nutshell, the MBR is nothing more than the data stored in the first sector (512 bytes) of your hard disk. While small, these 512 bytes contain enough information to define the size and location of the partitions, store the disk signature, and hand over the boot process to the operating system. This sure seems like a lot of information for such a small space, let's break it down.

It is difficult to identify one section of the MBR as more important than others, but my personal favorite is the partition table. As you may know, a disk partition is simply a logical division of the disk into smaller chunks, frequently used to separate operating systems and/or data. The partition table simply identifies the location and size of each partition, as well as additional information such as the type of filesystem and whether the partition is bootable. While a single partition may provide access to the entire disk, and is sufficient for normal operation, many folks prefer to create multiple, smaller partitions in order to test various operating systems such as Linux or new versions of Microsoft Windows. This methodology enables each partition to operate independently of each other, preventing corruption in one partition from extending to others. The MBR standard allows for a maximum of four primary partitions.

Each MBR requires the last two bytes of the sector to contain AA55, which officially determines a valid MBR. While seemingly insignificant, the MBR will be considered corrupt, or even nonexistent without this indicator. You will frequently find these two bytes referred to as the Magic Number.

The disk signature is simply a unique identifier for the disk, and was added to the MBR a few years ago by Microsoft. It was originally introduced so Windows could remember information about the disk between reboots, but is also frequently used by other operating systems as well. Each time a new partition is recognized by Windows, it records the partition location and disk signature in the registry, along with the assigned drive letter. The next time Windows is booted, it makes certain that both the disk signature and partition details match, enabling the correct drive letter to be reassigned. The disk signature is located at byte 440 in the MBR.

Last but not least we are left with the first 446 bytes of the MBR, commonly referred to as the boot loader section. The boot loader is actually a small computer program, and consists of instructions that tell the computer what to do as it starts. Once the boot process turns control over to the boot loader, the partition table is scanned in order to identify the active (bootable) partition, and control is turned over to the correct partition boot record in order to start the operating system.

Although small, the MBR may be the most important sector on the entire disk. If the MBR becomes damaged or destroyed all partition information will be lost, meaning... all files/folder/data on the disk will be inaccessible (gone!) In order to prevent data loss, please, please, please make sure you take a few minutes to backup the MBR. There are several utilities available to backup/restore/repair the MBR, but I find MBRWizard the easiest to use. Check out http://mbrwizard.com.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, this isn't the most exciting topic, but it does provide a good overview of the purpose and structure of the MBR. Hopefully you have learned something new, and feel impelled to backup your MBR right now, before anything terrible happens to it!

WTF is MTBF? (or, when is my hard disk going to crash)

How long do you expect your hard drives to last? How long are they made to last? How long does the average HDD actually last? These are normal questions that inquiring minds want to know, so let's hit the streets.

Unfortunately there is no quick and easy answer to disk longevity. Looking up some of the manufacturers specifications, you can find number such as 500,000 hours MTBF, or Mean Time Between Failure. This number represents the mean operating lifetime of a disk. But wait, 500,000 hours is long time... approximately 57 years! Good luck finding a manufacturer that will warranty their disk any longer than 1/10th of that time.

As with most numbers, there are many variables that play into the longevity a disk. For example, most manufacturers assume an average of 2400 POH (Power on Hours) per year, meaning they expect that your computer will be turned on less than 8 hours per day. Furthermore, heat is a real killer with most electronic components, but especially hard disks. Increasing the temperature of a disk from 45 F to 125 F drastically reduces the MTBF, sometimes as much as 90%. But even in the worst case scenario, operating a 500,000 MTBF hard disk 24x7 at high temps should still give you 5+ years of service.

But wait, there's more. Duty cycles play a big role in disk longevity as well. A hard disk sitting in an XBox console may only get light, intermittent use, while a disk handling video conversions will take a pounding. With that in mind, the harder a disk works, the higher the operating temp, resulting in a shorter lifetime.

And none of this takes into account manufacturing problems. There can be hardware problems which cause a disk to fail, but fortunately most hardware related disk problems show up within the first year. The manufacturer understand this, and provides the warranty just in case this happens, but it also provides them with confidence to provide a longer warranty. In other words, if the disk makes it through a year, it should survive another 4 or 5.

So, how long will your disk last? Like I said in an earlier post, I have disks that have failed within an hour of installing them, but I have an old Seagate disk that has been running reliably for the past 10 years. I tend to lean towards Seagate disks simply because they provide a solid 5 year warranty, rather than kicking myself when the 3 year warranty disk fails after 3 years and 2 months. Longer is definitely better.

Unfortunately there is no way to tell when a disk is going to fail. If you start hearing a clunk, or whine, or other warning signal... well, it's probably too late. In this situation I typically shut it down, boot to my favorite disk imaging CD, and pray that I can create a full backup of the disk before it fails completely. But of course, in worst case scenarios you can always revert to the backup captured the night before, right???

Disks will fail. If there is anything you should know about computers, it's that disks will fail. Some will fail faster than others, maybe because you stuck it in hot, unventilated computer, or abused it other ways, but know that it will eventually fail. Please, please, please don't learn the hard way like most people. A disk may be rated for 50 unrealistic years of use, but don't bank on it. Make sure you have a plan, and back everything up regularly!

Backup is for fools!

Who needs backup? Who really cares if everything they have been working on for years crashes, burns, and is gone forever? Who needs those pictures, home videos, tax forms, and bank statements? Wouldn't it be nice to wipe the slate clean and simply start over?

As lame as that may sound, this is what most people seem to think... or at least this is how most people act. Scary.

All disks will fail. Expect it. I have disks that have gone south in as little as a couple of months (thank goodness for warranties.) On the other hand, I have a disk in a small network device that has been running nonstop in my basement for 10 years now. Just know that all disks will fail... but we never know when.

From my experience, it seems that most people don't take backup seriously, that is until they lose something of value. Pick a backup scheme, any backup scheme. I don't care which backup methodology you choose, just pick one and run with it!

On that note, there are a ton of backup strategies out there! I have my favorites, and they work well for me, let's see if you can tell from the following methods which one I choose:

• Disk Image Backup: This provides a complete backup of your entire disk, including data, operating system, configuration, etc. In case of total disk failure you can simply restore the image to a new disk and voila, you are back up and running! Quick and Easy! My favorite product for this method is StorageCraft ShadowProtect, but Symantec and Acronis also offer similar products.
• File Level Backup: Provides quick backup of specific files and folders on the disk (think pictures, tax forms, etc.) While generally faster to backup, and results in smaller backup files, a total disk failure will force you to find that Windows/Mac/Linux cd, and start the install from scratch. A fresh install isn't necessarily a bad thing, and generally speeds up your system like it's new, but this isn't the best of use time when you just want to get your system back up and running. There are literally tens to hundreds of products on the market that can help you keep individual data files backed up.
  
• Mirror/Replication: Mirroring and replication are completely different animals, but they both provide the same functionality... making sure everything is saved in two places. This means that every time you save a file, that file will also be written to a second disk or system, which is always ready to take command if needed. While replication is utilized most often in large business, mirroring is found everywhere. The main downside to this strategy is that if you delete or corrupt something on your disk, that change will be replicated... Uggg!
  

There are other strategies you may want to consider, as well as recovery methods, and places to store all that data, but I will discuss those at a later time. Like I said earlier, I don't care which backup method you choose, just make sure you get everything backed up. Remember, there are only three sure things in this world... Death, Taxes, and Disk Failure, and you want to be prepared for all of them!