Hard Drive Shipments Have Plummeted, But There’s Still an Audience

Consumer demand for hard disk drives (HDDs) has dropped by 35% year-on-year, according to an analysis from Trendfocus. This follows reports that Microsoft is encouraging — or strongarming — manufacturers to speed the industry-wide transition to solid-state drives (SSDs) By...
July 22, 2022

Microsoft Pushing Manufacturers to Drop HDDs as Boot Devices

Microsoft is pushing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to prioritize solid state drives (SSDs) as boot devices, according to an executive brief published by data storage analyst TrendFocus. Microsoft’s flagship OS, Windows 11, does not specifically require a solid-state drive as...
July 11, 2022

Dell, HP, and Lenovo Will No Longer Offer Laptops with Hard Drives

Are hard drives obsolete? Not by a long shot — but three major laptop manufacturers have taken steps to switch to SSD. Here's why.
June 15, 2022

Hard Drive Storage Capacities May Increase to 30TB in 2023

Japanese manufacturer Showa Denko has announced the shipment of 3.5-inch hard disk media with a storage capacity of 2.6 terabytes (TB) per platter — potentially allowing for hard drive capacities of 30TB or more by late 2023.  The Showa Denko...
June 2, 2022

Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording: The Future of Hard Drive Technology?

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HMAR) has been touted as the next great technology for increasing hard drive capacities without reducing other key performance metrics. How does HAMR work — and does it offer clear advantages over current tech? First, a quick...
May 19, 2022

Data Migration to the Cloud: Best Practices

Cloud migration enables enterprises to distribute workloads and improve scalability. For many modern organizations, the cloud is an essential tool for creating robust IT systems.  Even so, cloud systems aren’t ideal for every application or every type of workload. Some...
May 16, 2022

The 2TB Flash Drive Scam: Why “High-Capacity” Flash Drives Are Fakes

You’re browsing Amazon or eBay, and you see a great deal: A 2-terabyte (TB) USB thumb drive for about $40. Is it a great bargain — or a dangerous scam? If you’ve read the headline of this article, you know...
March 29, 2022

What Is An Advanced Format Hard Drive?

What is an advanced format hard drive? Here’s an explanation, along with guides for determining whether your hard drive uses an AF format.
January 14, 2022

How Do Solid State Drives Store Data?

Solid state drives (SSDs) store files electronically using non-volatile memory. Here’s an overview of how they provide reliable data storage.
December 3, 2021

Chinese Cryptocurrency Miners Selling Used SSDs, But There’s A Catch

The plunging price of the cryptocurrency Chia has flooded the international market with used hard drives and solid state drives, according to a recent report from VNExpress International. The article cites a Facebook group with more than 5,000 Chia traders....
October 4, 2021