Storing Music

[MrsBlue]

<span style="color: #3333FF">What is the best way to store a large volume of music, 20-30gb, in a way that it can be accessed frequently? My current desktop is groaning under the weight. Added to that is the brats visiting game websites that use a lot of graphics and, I assume, a lot of RAM which makes the computer sound like it's breathing its last gasps.

I have a 250gb external hard drive that can more than hold the music, but just trying to access the drive causes the computer to hang.

I'd consider purchasing another computer with more memory but it seems that with regular use I'll wind up with the same problem soon.


</span>

[j-kid]

Re: Storing Music

I am assuming this is a desktop?

I would add a second internal just HD.

[MrsBlue]

Re: Storing Music

<span style="color: #3333FF">Thanks, JKid.

I'd considered that, is that something I can have done at Staples or Best Buy or a store like that? Will I have the same lag time accessing an internal hard drive as I do with the external?

Right now whenever a lot of programs are used or the brats use the internet, the fan comes on REALLY loud. I assume it's because the computer is using a lot of RAM, I don't know if that's correct. Would another hard drive help that or should I try to add more RAM, too?</span>

[Emperah]

Re: Storing Music

I just use a 100gb usb drive fi dat.

[j-kid]

Re: Storing Music

Don't know bout Staples, but BestBuy, Yes.

No, it should be faster. Extra memory will also help. Basically, whenever the CPU and RAM are processing info they generates heat, the harder they works the more heat. If the fan does not cool down the CPU, you will end up cooking it.

The problem with the USB is, everytime you disconnect it, the next time you re-connect it has to re-index and pull in all that information from the external HD, which gives you di initial delay, unless you leave it connected and turned on all the time.

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Which operating system yuh ah use?</span></span>

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dahJahPawtTwo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just use a 100gb usb drive fi dat. </div></div>The problem sh is experiencing may be due to the USB connection to the xternal HDD. she may improve it by removing the exernal Hd frpom thecase and fit it internally,then select it for down loads from ther. Increasing the ram is not usually that effective at correcting this because the bottleneck is usually at th eUSB. U doin't kno eif it is USB1.1 or a USB2. but the USB2 is 10 times faster than the ISB. that will improve the speed, it it is ybfraded to YSB2. The copmputer shoyld also be checked to see ho much more rams it can use. since the chip set and ,other board usually restrict the speed irrespective of how much ram is in it. Also if you are using Xp the maximum ram is 3GB and 30GB for XP64. On Vista the maximum ram is also restricted too.

[MrsBlue]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dahJahPawtTwo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just use a 100gb usb drive fi dat. </div></div> <span style="color: #3333FF">The drive that I have is 250 usb. It causes the computer to hang and I have to Ctrl Alt Del to close the drive. </span>

[MrsBlue]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J kid</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The problem with the USB is, everytime you disconnect it, the next time you re-connect it has to re-index and pull in all that information from the external HD, which gives you di initial delay, unless you leave it connected and turned on all the time.

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Which operating system yuh ah use?</span></span> </div></div> <span style="color: #3333FF">I didn't have this problem with the drive at first, but now when I connect it, it starts to read the drive and gets stuck. I'll try adding more hd memory and possibly more RAM. I'm using XP.

If the volume on the external hard drive is too much for the desktop to read, is there any point in using an external drive? </span>

[MrsBlue]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dahJahPawtTwo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just use a 100gb usb drive fi dat. </div></div>The problem sh is experiencing may be due to the USB connection to the xternal HDD. she may improve it by removing the exernal Hd frpom thecase and fit it internally,then select it for down loads from ther. Increasing the ram is not usually that effective at correcting this because the bottleneck is usually at th eUSB. U doin't kno eif it is USB1.1 or a USB2. but the USB2 is 10 times faster than the ISB. that will improve the speed, it it is ybfraded to YSB2. The copmputer shoyld also be checked to see ho much more rams it can use. since the chip set and ,other board usually restrict the speed irrespective of how much ram is in it. Also if you are using Xp the maximum ram is 3GB and 30GB for XP64. On Vista the maximum ram is also restricted too. </div></div> <span style="color: #3333FF">I thought the usb was 2.0 but I could be wrong. </span>

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J kid</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The problem with the USB is, everytime you disconnect it, the next time you re-connect it has to re-index and pull in all that information from the external HD, which gives you di initial delay, unless you leave it connected and turned on all the time.

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Which operating system yuh ah use?</span></span> </div></div> <span style="color: #3333FF">I didn't have this problem with the drive at first, but now when I connect it, it starts to read the drive and gets stuck. I'll try adding more hd memory and possibly more RAM. I'm using XP.

If the volume on the external hard drive is too much for the desktop to read, is there any point in using an external drive? </span> </div></div>

What isd the make and model of your machine?
That wil tell you the maximum ram it can use. Since you may install additional ram, but dies not benefit from increase speed.
Have youy tried defragmentung the external drive first?
I could have become fragmented.
wuth a lot of frrfeespace between files, causing it to take more time to read files.
this is a common uccurrence.

[j-kid]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I'll try adding more hd memory and possibly more RAM. I'm using XP.

If the volume on the external hard drive is too much for the desktop to read, is there any point in using an external drive? [/color] </div></div>

Adding a larger USB HD drive volume will not help unless the present drive is full, or you have a bad USB drive board. Doc-D did raise a good point, about USB-1 or USB-2.

Also, did you try using a different USB drive, and/or USB cord to see if those could be the problem?

Do you have anything else plugged into the USB ports at the same time, because you could be overloading the port?

Not all USB devices are created equal, some will actually load the port more than others, especially if they use the port voltage as power.

[MrsBlue]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What isd the make and model of your machine?
That wil tell you the maximum ram it can use. Since you may install additional ram, but dies not benefit from increase speed.
Have youy tried defragmentung the external drive first?
I could have become fragmented.
wuth a lot of frrfeespace between files, causing it to take more time to read files.
this is a common uccurrence. </div></div> <span style="color: #3333FF">It's a Dell, I don't know the model. I'll check when I get home. I haven't tried defragging the external drive, I hadn't thought of that. But the external drive isn't used much and it's my understanding that fragmentation happens when stuff is deleted and other stuff saved kind of in its place. Of the 250gb space, only about 50gb is being used.</span>

[MrsBlue]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J kid</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I'll try adding more hd memory and possibly more RAM. I'm using XP.

If the volume on the external hard drive is too much for the desktop to read, is there any point in using an external drive? [/color] </div></div>

Adding a larger USB HD drive volume will not help unless the present drive is full, or you have a bad USB drive board. Doc-D did raise a good point, about USB-1 or USB-2.

Also, did you try using a different USB drive, and/or USB cord to see if those could be the problem?

Do you have anything else plugged into the USB ports at the same time, because you could be overloading the port?

Not all USB devices are created equal, some will actually load the port more than others, especially if they use the port voltage as power. </div></div> <span style="color: #3333FF">I hadn't tried a different usb cord because I assumed that since it was able to detect the drive, there must be a working connection. Other usb items work fine, although there are plenty of other items plugged into the other usb ports.

I recall having similar problems with an external zip drive, and that was only about 100mb. When I would search a zip disk, the computer would sometimes hang. It didn't happen when I first got the drive, but with continued use it happened more frequently.

I'm going to check how much it would cost to add more hd memory and possibly RAM if that's an option. The poor computer is really overloaded and I'm afraid it's going to give up soon. </span>

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBlue</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What isd the make and model of your machine?
That wil tell you the maximum ram it can use. Since you may install additional ram, but dies not benefit from increase speed.
Have youy tried defragmentung the external drive first?
I could have become fragmented.
wuth a lot of frrfeespace between files, causing it to take more time to read files.
this is a common uccurrence. </div></div> <span style="color: #3333FF">It's a Dell, I don't know the model. I'll check when I get home. I haven't tried defragging the external drive, I hadn't thought of that. But the external drive isn't used much and it's my understanding that fragmentation happens when stuff is deleted and other stuff saved kind of in its place. Of the 250gb space, only about 50gb is being used.</span> </div></div> Every time you close down your system,all the files you use can become defragmented on preparation to close down. especially if you close the machine without first closing each program.
defragmets are reallt the misplacement if small parts of files.
this uaually happen in the process of refiling the files after use. Because the machine gas to search for thes elittle bits everytime ituses the files it slows the process. Just as if you javeto find a missing part ot a kut to use ut.

[MrsBlue]

Re: Storing Music

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> find a missing part ot a <span style="font-weight: bold">kut</span> to use ut. </div></div> <span style="color: #3333FF">I was with you right up until there.

I need you to look down at the keyboard sometimes.

Thanks. </span>