S.M.A.R.T. which stands for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology is a fantastic tool for anticipating hardware errors on hard disk drives. The utility can test for bad sectors and some software can even test for temperature, core speed and system fan speed anomalies. When S.M.A.R.T. software indicates an imminent hard drive failure, the user is notified so that data can be backed up and data loss avoided. Diagnostic programs are widely used on mechanical hard disk drives and RAID, but how reliable are they on solid state drives SSDs?

Checks include electrical and mechanical performance and read/write error rates. Electrical tests include RAM and read/write circuitry. Mechanical tests seek servo information on data tracks, scanning for bad sectors across the entire disk surface. However solid state drives are constructed very differently, although flash media does develop errors over time -- normally bad flash blocks in the NAND memory chips. Just like traditional hard disk drives, the controller manages these bad blocks and re-maps them to ‘extra’ blocks. Eventually the drive will run out of ‘extra’ blocks and S.M.A.R.T. is quick to identify this.

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Portable external storage is hardly newsworthy nowadays. If you go on Amazon or Newegg, you will find countless products that should meet your needs. The problem, however, is that not all drives are created equally. There are differences in capacity, reliability, and durability. If you are putting important files on the drive, you want to stick to a reputable brand known for quality.

One such trustworthy company is Samsung, and today, it announces the new Portable SSD T3. This fast external SSD features USB 3.1 Type C, meaning it is compatible with the newest such connector. Don't have a Type C connector yet? Don't worry, you can totally leverage an adapter so it can work on an older machine too.

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A little-known Chinese manufacturer, Sage Microelectronics, has managed to out-gun its much bigger rivals (Kingston, Sandisk and Samsung to name a few) by bringing to market the world’s first 10TB 2.5-inch (9.5mm) SSD.

The drive was first demonstrated last month at the China Data Summit 2015 in Beijing and comes months ahead of its previous launch target. Samsung is the only big SSD vendor that has announced an SSD larger than 10TB.

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If you are still running your operating system from a traditional hard drive, I want you to slap yourself in the face. Why? You are doing your computing wrong. Sure, a mechanical hard drive is great for storage, but your OS will absolutely fly with a solid state drive. While they used to be expensive, the prices have dropped so dramatically in recent years, there is no excuse not to upgrade. It has become a cliché, but an SSD is the best upgrade you can make.

Recently, I have been testing the Toshiba Q300 SSD. The particular model I have been using is 480GB. Keep in mind, capacity can impact performance, so your mileage may vary based on the size you pick. This is a SATA variant, so performance won't be mind-blowing, but with that said, SATA will remain the most-used connection type for the near future, and for folks upgrading older machines. Is the Q300 a smart choice?

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The benefits provided by SSDs are not only appreciated by more-demanding consumers, but also by business users. Which is why, with its new premium SSD line called 950 Pro, Samsung is targeting both markets.

What makes Samsung's 950 Pro drives attention-worthy are, first and foremost, the insanely high transfer speeds, five-year warranty, and competitive price. The line has been designed with high-end laptops and PCs in mind, but, even so, the performance figures provided by Samsung seem surreal.

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If you are not happy with how your desktop PC or laptop performs, chances are it has a plain-old HDD inside. It is likely large enough to store all your files, but the old technology it is based on makes it extremely slow by modern standards -- apps and programs take a long time to load and transfer speeds are low. Basically, it is the reason why your device does not feel as fast as a new, high-end PC. Fortunately, you can give it a new lease on life.

The first upgrade that you should consider is an SSD. It is a huge improvement over virtually any HDD, as it will greatly improve load times and transfer speeds, making your device feel much more responsive, and reduce noise and power consumption. To show just big a difference it can make, I have tested an Emtec SSD Power Plus drive, in 120 GB trim, with an old HP Compaq 610 laptop.

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While many consumers are starting to embrace solid state drives, mechanical hard drives are still the most cost effective for data storage. Ideally, you will want to use an SSD for your operating system, while storing files on an HDD.

Today, Toshiba announces new solid state and hard disk drives that are available now. Some of the models are marketed towards gamers, but they will of course work fine for other uses too. Actually, the company has a diverse offering to meet the needs of many.

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Whether you have a laptop or desktop, switching to a solid state drive from a hard disk drive can be one of the best performance upgrades you can make. Your operating system should boot faster, and applications may open faster as well. Laptop users may experience improved battery life too.

Unfortunately, for many consumers, opening their computer for an upgrade can be a scary ordeal. If you have never done such a thing before, this is totally understandable. Luckily, SanDisk is aiming to make this easier for you. Today, the company announces its SSD Concierge Service, making an SSD upgrade far less scary.

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The hard disk is not going away any time soon, but make no mistake -- it is on death row. Solid state drives, or SSDs, are becoming more reliable, getting less expensive, and gaining larger storage capacities. It is only a matter of time before mechanical spinning drives get the heave-ho.

While consumers will be the first to shun hard drives, data centers will likely be the holdouts. Why? Cost and capacity. Right now, gigabyte per dollar is far less expensive compared to SSD. More importantly, however, SSDs just don't have comparable capacities -- yet. Today, Samsung announces the PM863 and SM863 data center SSDs. The latter features a top capacity of 1.9TB, while the former maxes out at a mind-blowing 3.8TB!

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Solid state drives are the bee's knees as far as I am concerned -- the best upgrade any PC user can make. Even as prices come down, however, there is still a big issue -- limited capacities. Understandably, a user might be hesitant to replace a 1 or 2TB hard drive with a much smaller SSD.

Well, today this changes. Samsung -- a very reputable company -- launches the massive 2TB 850 PRO and EVO SSDs. While this is certainly reason for celebration (and drooling), the price tags may shock consumers.

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In just ten years the percentage of virtualized workloads has grown from 2 percent to 75 percent. The rapid adoption of virtualization has created a disconnect in your data centre.

While your workloads are shifting to become virtual, your storage was built for a physical world. And so your storage is the source of growing costs, bottlenecks and frustration.

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The first quarter of this year saw a 165 percent increase in new ransomware driven largely by the new, hard-to-detect CTB-Locker ransomware family, a new ransomware family called Teslacrypt, and the emergence of new versions of CryptoWall, TorrentLocker and BandarChor.

This is the main finding of the latest McAfee Labs Threats Report released today by Intel Security. Among other highlights are a 317 percent increase in Adobe Flash malware samples and the emergence of new efforts to exploit hard drive and SSD firmware.

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If you are still running your operating system from a mechanical hard disk drive, you do not know what you are missing. Solid state drives have dropped dramatically in cost, while improving greatly in reliability; it is a shame that all computer users aren't using them. Unfortunately, even if the average user wanted to upgrade to a SSD, the process is probably too difficult -- both the physical aspect and copying data.

The best way to get users onto solid state drives is to have manufacturers stop making computers with HDD. This is easier said than done, however, as profit margins on these machines are often razor-thin. It can be impossible for OEMs to offer SSDs on low cost systems. Today, however, SanDisk announces the Z400s SSD. The company promises low costs for OEMs, which should translate to SSDs in lower-cost laptops. Can this finally displace the HDD?

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While enthusiasts move away from SATA-based solid state drives for faster (and more expensive) options, most consumers are perfectly fine with the standard option for now. In fact, it is a great time to be in the market for SATA SSDs, as larger capacity drives are becoming more affordable.

I just reviewed the SATA Samsung 850 EVO; a drive I like very much. While I appreciate Samsung's optional (and apparently, controversial) rapid mode and conservative design, there are people who are not fans of either. Kingston is a company known for quality, and its HyperX division is no exception. Today, that company releases the sexily-named Savage -- a traditional SATA SSD with an awe-inspiring and ostentatious design. If you like bling, the red aluminum will certainly get your motor running.

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The absolute best upgrade for any computer that's operating system is running from a hard disk drive, is a solid state drive. Why? The performance increase is significant, while SSD prices are decreasing. In other words, you can speed up your PC without hurting your wallet.

The problem, however, is deciding which SSD to buy. While affordability and speed are important qualities, I tend to put a premium on reliability. Of course I want the drive to be fast, but the contents of the drive -- important documents and family photos -- trump anything else. Luckily, Samung's offerings have proven to be both reliable and fast, while also being reasonably priced. Today, I am taking a look at the latest and greatest SATA variant; the 850 EVO.

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