SSD Archives - Page 2 of 17 - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Will installing an SSD void my new laptop’s warranty?

Posted on December 29, 2024

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Question from Markus: Hi, Rick. I recently bought a new laptop that came with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty, but I paid extra for a 3 year extended warranty.

I’d really like to swap out its 1TB hard drive for an SSD (as you often recommend).

I have not read anything anywhere about potential consequences if one does this. Could this possibly be considered an “unauthorized” activity and therefore void either the laptop manufacturer’s warranty or the extended warranty that I purchased? [Read more…]

Q&A: If I remove a computer’s hard drive will any data be left behind?

Posted on July 13, 2024

Question from Karen: I have several old computers in my basement that I want to recycle.

I’ve always heard that you need to destroy a computer’s hard drive before you recycle it to prevent someone else from maybe getting your files.

My question is will removing the hard drive from a PC completely eliminate any possibility of someone finding my old files.

[Read more…]

Q&A: Why are SSDs much larger than SD cards of the same capacity?

Posted on July 6, 2024

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Question from Bobby: Per your suggestion, I recently bought a dirt-cheap 250GB SSD to replace the hard drive in an older Acer laptop.

And you were right – the speed increase is astounding! Thanks for the info!

As I was installing the SSD I noticed how much larger it is than the 256GB SD card that’s inside my phone.

Why is the SSD so much larger than the SD card when they both hold roughly the same amount of data?

[Read more…]

This is the best computer upgrade you can make for the money

Posted on April 3, 2024

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Every week I receive hundreds of questions for the Tech Q&A section of my blog, and one question I get asked on a regular basis is “What’s the best upgrade I can make to speed up my computer?”

In times past my answer was always the same: add more RAM!

But I’m afraid that’s no longer true in most situations…

[Read more…]

Q&A: Are SSDs just as reliable as hard drives?

Posted on February 26, 2024

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Question from Wesley: Hi, Rick. I hope you’re doing well.

I recently read your post about speeding up a computer by replacing the hard drive with a much faster solid state drive (SSD).

I’m leaning towards doing this but I have one concern that’s holding me back.

I’m worried that an SSD might not be as reliable as a hard drive, and I really can’t afford to lose my files if it were to crash on me.

What’s your opinion on this? Are SSDs as reliable as hard drives? [Read more…]