Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
ReadyBoost, but laptop internal card readers or USB card readers designed for use by high-
performance Compact Flash (CF) media are typically fast enough.
To learn more about ReadyBoost, see
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff356869.aspx
.
To
learn more about setting up Performance Monitor to display ReadyBoost Cache counters, see
7s-performance-monitor/2257
.
Note
For the purposes of data storage, USB flash memory drives that are too slow to support
ReadyBoost are still compatible with Windows. To enable ReadyBoost on a USB flash drive
or flash memory card, open the card's properties sheet and click the ReadyBoost tab. Windows
will test the device's performance and advise you whether the drive or card is fast enough to
support ReadyBoost. Click Use this device (Windows will select the recommended size of the
ReadyBoost cache on the drive). Click Apply, and then OK to begin using the drive or card for
ReadyBoost.
To disable ReadyBoost, select Do not use this device.
Cloud-Based Storage
Cloud-based storage (remote storage that is accessed by the Internet) has become a popular
alternative to flash-based or optical storage for data storage, exchange, and backup.
Although some earlier cloud-based storage services used proprietary interfaces, the trend is
increasingly in the direction of making cloud-based storage, sync, or backup look and act like another
drive folder.
Although cloud-based storage services mimic a local folder, they use powerful encryption
technologies to protect data from unauthorized users. The performance of cloud-based storage
depends primarily upon the speed of your Internet connection and the priority level of the service
running on your computer. Typically, automatic cloud-based backup services run at a low priority to
avoid slowing down users' normal experience of using their devices. However, the trade-off is that
restoration of lost data can take several days or longer.
Before choosing a cloud-based storage, sync, or backup service, look at capacity, prices, and
performance. Typically, lower-cost or free services have limits on capacity and run more slowly than
paid versions. If you are looking at cloud-based storage for a group of workers or family members,
be sure to compare the costs and features of a shared plan over multiple individual plans.
Floppy Disk Drives
Alan Shugart is generally credited with inventing the floppy disk drive in 1967 while working for
IBM. One of Shugart's senior engineers, David Noble, actually proposed the flexible medium (then 8
inches in diameter) and the protective jacket with the fabric lining. Shugart left IBM in 1969, and in
1976 his company, Shugart Associates, introduced the minifloppy (5 1/4-inch) disk drive. It, of
course, became the standard eventually used by personal computers, rapidly replacing the 8-inch
drives. Shugart also helped create the Shugart Associates System Interface (SASI), which was later
