Laptop Repair: Fix it or replace it?

Laptop Repair Can Be Costly, But Some Repairs Are Worth It.

When I made the switch from a desktop computer to a laptop, the idea that everything that previously took up my entire desk could now fit in such a small, portable device was revolutionary. However, the first time that my keyboard failed, I realized it wasn’t all wine and roses. With the smaller footprint comes the fact that parts and pieces often aren’t as easily interchangeable. I could no longer toss the old keyboard and plug in a new $30 generic version; this one was going to have to come from the manufacturer and was going to require a specifically skilled technician, in laptop repair, to replace. Before you resign yourself to the belief that any failure of a portable electronic device is going to warrant replacement, there are actually many things that are just as easy to fix on a laptop.

It’s no different to clean a virus or malware infection off a laptop than it is to repair a desktop. Software issues shouldn’t require that you spend any more than on a standard PC, or that you find a specialist. While laptop hard drives and RAM are different from the kinds found in desktop PCs, there are certain standard types and sizes, so you don’t have to get them through the manufacturer. This will allow any computer technician or even tech-savvy do-it-yourselfer to replace one. The power supply is actually external on a laptop (it’s the “brick” about half-way down the power cable), so replacing a dead power supply can be as easy as a Google search with the make and model number of your machine. However, if the connector where your cord plugs into your system has failed, that’s a different proposition that will require soldering and probably a specialist. While the card that gives newer laptops the ability to connect to a wireless network is often integrated into the motherboard, you can use an external adapter if your WiFi card fails. A wireless “dongle” plugs into a USB slot, and is about the size of a money clip.


Before you approve a laptop repair, be sure to ask if the parts will be new or refurbished, and what the warranty will be on the replaced part. It’s always best to have new parts, but sometimes older laptops no longer have new components available and require that replacements be from salvage. If your laptop is going to be shipped to a different facility, it’s best to make sure that you’ve backed up the data (if possible) before it leaves your hands. Many retailer-affiliated repair providers perform a system reformat and reinstall, effectively wiping your data, even if the repair doesn’t expressly require it. Some will even send you an entirely different machine to replace the one you sent in.

Drop me a note for more laptop repair tips if you’re still debating whether to get your portable device back up and running or check out our laptop repair services.

[transcript]
Hi, everybody. I'm Ryan from Nerds on Call. Today we're going to be talking about laptop repair. When I got my first laptop, I was shocked at how much stuff they could fit inside this little, tiny container. So a lot of times, when it comes to getting your laptop repaired, you're not quite sure what to do. When it comes to viruses and spy-ware and most software issues, there's no difference fixing a laptop and fixing a desktop, so you don't have to look for a specialty service. However, when the keyboard breaks, the hard drive fails, or you get a crack in the screen, that's when you've got to find a good solution provider, who can fix it and who's reputable.

Once you choose a company to repair your laptop, you're going to want to find out where is it going to be repaired? Are they going to repair it in the local shop, or are they going to send it somewhere? If they're going to send it somewhere, you want to make sure you get a backup copy of everything on your hard drive before it goes away. There's a technician in Kentucky somewhere who's not going to care about your pictures as much as you are.

You want to make sure that you ask the shop that you use what kind of parts they're going to use to fix your computer. Are they going to be refurbished parts, manufacturer approved parts, or generic parts? These are things you're going to want to know because you don't want to spend top dollar on a used part that's going into your brand new machine. I'm Ryan from Nerds on Call. Thanks for watching.
[/transcript]

Secret Benefits Of Video Games

Believe it or Not, Video Games Have Some Advantages

Anyone who has looked up from their computer to discover that they just lost two hours to Farmville or World of Warcraft would like to believe that there is some redeeming value to playing video games.

On August 3rd, PBS MediaShift published an article asserting that video games teach our kids a “new literacy”. Even though I am not personally a gamer, I would argue that there are plenty of secret benefits to playing video games.

"One benefit of Video Games is that they teach our kids a "new literacy".

While it’s not difficult to argue the merits of a game like BrainAge or Soduku, is anything gained from games like Halo or Call of Duty? One of the hidden benefits of multi-player gaming is that if you create a team and play together, it creates a need to learn to work together and cooperate to reach a common goal. “Massively Multi-Player Online” games like World of Warcraft, often make it impossible to reach certain goals or complete certain quests without working as a team. The dependence on others encourages gamers to learn to cooperate and communicate more effectively with different personalities. I think we can all agree that this is a necessary skill in real life.

Every gamer likely has a favorite genre, but I would argue that in order to gain the most benefit from your time spent playing video games it’s important to branch out. Different kinds of games foster different skills, so break out of your rut and try something new. A game like the Sims may teach interpersonal communication, economics, and social consequences. If you prefer, role playing games like Fable involve similar themes. Problem solving games like Portal or Soduku require logic, pattern recognition, and strategy. Action games (like shooters and fighting games) develop accuracy, reflexes and timing.

"In 2008, Fordham University released a study reporting that students in grades 5 through 7 improved their cognitive and perceptual skills after playing a new video game..."

In 2008, Fordham University released a study reporting that students in grades 5 through 7 improved their cognitive and perceptual skills after playing a new video game. However, just as no early reader could be handed a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird without some guidance, parents can help to ensure that their kids gain from their time spent gaming by getting involved. The PBS MediaShift article recommends that parents participate and play video games so they can communicate with their kids and highlight the beneficial parts of the game. Connect games to books, movies, TV, and real life experiences to encourage kids to link the skills they learn in-game with the outside world. Encourage kids to play with peers to learn how to cooperate and work together toward a common goal, and maybe even learn a different perspective or path to the goal than they’d have experienced alone.

Arguing the benefits of video games can be pretty controversial in some households. If you have an opinion you want to share with the world, join our debate on Facebook

[transcript]
Lisa: I know and I know I think a lot of parents kind of think "Oh, video games." It's gotten a lot of bad press recently. We brought our momma nerd in from Nerds On Call, Andrea Eldridge. First of all, how far along are you?

Andrea: I am due on Christmas time so right now it's crazy.

Lisa: It's so fun being in the hospital on Christmas. OK. So video games. Did you play when you were a kid?

Andrea: I did actually. Not nearly as much as my spouse but you know, I had my hours dedicated to Castlevanya as a kid.

Lisa: Did a lot of Mario Brothers and you do hear it can be good for hand- eye coordination.

But there actually a lot of things that maybe as parents we didn't think about that would be good for our kids with video games. Like, for example?

Andrea: There's actually a study that was released by PBS Media Shifts. It released a series of articles about our kids and media and how they're using them nowadays. And so what they talked about was what they call the new literacy. Which basically talks about, as you know, technology becomes more of a part of our day to day lives, interacting with video games whether it be on a console or on a computer does teach our kids not just familiarity with computers, but also some problem solving skills. You know that otherwise in a classroom setting, kids are over time they really learn to be afraid of failure. They learn to not answer because...

Lisa: It could be embarrassing when you fail in front of a bunch of other kids.

Andrea: It can. You have a whole class or a teacher that's telling you that you're on your wrong, probably not going to try our something new. So the ability to in a relatively safe environment try different ways to get the end results and it also teaches them that there are often multiple ways to get to the end solution, so that's really helpful too as a young adult that you learn to try things out and experiment.

Lisa: Safe place to fail.

Andrea: Yes. Absolutely. What else?

Andrea: Well, this one is a Warcraft demo so what I was interested in WarCraft that they talked about was team building and learning to work as a team. With a game like an online role playing game you have to get a team together in order to reach some of those more advanced objectives. So you have to learn to not be a jerk online, and how to have some interpersonal skills which as a young adult obviously can be beneficial. When it comes to your kids though, this is something that as adults we can get some benefit out of too. But obviously you still want to monitor what your kids are doing. You don't want to just fend them loose on an online chat line and go 'Good luck'.

Lisa: Do you recommend that parents somehow play these too? What is the other ones that you have?

Andrea: Well, this one's Fable. This one's a good example of a role playing game and there are so many different genres of games. And another thing that was interesting about this piece is that it talks about the benefits to really playing a variety of games because they can all teach you different things. So these types of games can teach you things like economy and obviously Sim's is...

Lisa: New fun.

Andrea: Sims is more like again an interpersonal skills kind of game but it will teach you the basics of economy, things about cause and effect and again the problem solving comes in over and over and over again.

Lisa: Very cool. This is like Webkins for grown up kids. All right. Andrea Eldridge. Thank you so much. She's our momma nerd from Nerds on Call. Going to stick around. Coming up we're talking about online tutoring, even some tutoring that's for free because maybe you're not that far into the school year and already you can't help your kids anymore with that. Maybe it's already above your head. That's coming up in the 9 o'clock hour so stick around. Back to you, guys.
[/transcript]

How to Remove a Virus

How to Remove a Virus: The Best Anti-Virus Software

Do you remember back when your computer was shiny and new, it likely came with pre-installed Norton or McAfee antivirus software. It would periodically pop up little notices that it had downloaded the latest updates, and you felt snug and secure when you surfed online.

Then that trial membership expired. You may not have even noticed the lapse in coverage, assuming that the icon in your toolbar was a sign that all was well -- or, like many, you may have been wary to spend your hard-earned cash to subscribe. This story is so common that it's one reason why Panda Security reported in January that approximately 50 percent of the world's computers are compromised by some form of malware.

While I fondly remember the days when viruses were primarily built to annoy their victims, today's viruses are far more dangerous. Infected computers attack other computers. Hackers use these vast networks of infected computers or "botnets" to send spam, break websites and infiltrate corporate networks to steal credit-card data and customer information. Before you decide to unplug your computer, rest assured that there are some easy ways to protect yourself.

The 4 Best Anti Virus Programs for removing a virus

#1 McAfee Anti-Virus:

If you're already running an anti-virus program and making sure that it is up to date, kudos! If you elected to shell out the dough to keep your Norton or McAfee running after the trial ended, keep in mind that these two programs dominate the consumer security space. This makes them the biggest targets for hackers and virus writers who study their code to find vulnerabilities. While I am not suggesting that you look for an unknown, untested antivirus for your computer's safety, there may be good reason to consider switching to one of the great free anti-virus options available.

McAfee Anti-Virus For Mac:

McAfee also has an antivirus solution for Mac Computers. I know people say that you can't get a virus on Macs and to a degree that is true. So far, Mac computers are not vulnerable to traditional viruses, however they can be targets of  malware, phishing scams, identity thieves and hackers. Anti virus software for Macs will help secure your data and keep malware off your computer. Another solution worth mentioning is Avira.  Avira anti-virus has a Mac virus protection program called MacKeeper.

#2 Microsoft Security Essentials:

One of my favorite anti-virus programs for the basic user is Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, easy to use, updated frequently and provides great protection from most Internet-born parasites. The fact that it's made by Microsoft, the company that makes Windows, is a great benefit. Who is better equipped to know which Windows vulnerabilities hackers are targeting? Programers can then integrate the fix seamlessly into Windows.

#3 Avast!:

If you just can't get past the idea of trusting Microsoft to protect your Windows PC, or if you are running an alternate operating system, consider Avast! free antivirus. Avast is one of the highest-rated antivirus programs, according to AV Comparatives, an independent antivirus program reviewer. Avast offers both a free and a paid version, and boasts one of the fastest virus scans on the market. It also uses fewer system resources when scanning, so you can continue to use your computer normally while the scan runs in the background. Anyone who has been held hostage by a seemingly endless scan that makes everything else on your system slow to a useless crawl can appreciate this benefit. Fun side note: You can select different voices to proclaim, "Ding! Avast's virus definitions have been updated." I am quite partial to Pirate.

#4 Sandboxie:

Finally, if compromised or lost data would devastate your productivity, check out Sandboxie. Sandboxie is an applications that allows you to run certain programs "virtually," like putting them in quarantine. Essentially, you open your web browser or email in a "sandbox," so an infected website or virus-laced email attachment won't compromise the rest of your system. When you close the program, you destroy the sandbox's contents, including any infections. However, cookies and temp files go, too, so if you like to auto-login to websites you frequent, this solution will likely annoy you.

Don't surf naked -- get some protection. If you're already suffering from and nned help to remove a virus or for more ways to be safe on the scary wide web, visit www.callnerds.com/andrea. 

[transcript]
Hi, everybody. I'm Ryan from Nerds on Call. Today we're going to be talking about how to remove a virus from your PC. Back in the day, when you first got your computer, it probably came pre-installed with something like Norton or McAfee. Those are great protection, but usually they expire after about a year. Then what do you do?

One of my favorite anti-virus is Microsoft Security Incentive. Just go to Microsoft.com and search for Microsoft Security Essentials, it's free, it's easy to use, it's frequently updated, and it's really fast. If you don't want to use the Microsoft product, you can always use a program called Avast, it's also a free anti-virus software. And one of the coolest parts of it is, when it's all done scanning your system, it will say "Hey, ding, we're all done looking for viruses." And you can change that voice to anything you want. So my favorite is "Pirate" It will go "Argh, no viruses found." Thanks for watching. I'm Ryan, from Nerds on Call.
[/transcript]

New MacBooks a $2,200 disposable computer?

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New MacBooks can't be upgraded

When it comes to portable electronics, bigger is not better. From the new line of UltraBooks announced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show to the highly anticipated MacBook Pro with Retina Display released by Apple this month, laptops are getting ever smaller and lighter to compete with the growing popularity of tablet PCs.

Yet with a smaller footprint comes limitations. When they’re impossible to upgrade and more costly to repair, is smaller truly superior?

If you are going to carry a device in your bag most everywhere you go, lightweight and durable is of paramount importance. To accommodate the increased demand for smaller, thinner, and lighter portable electronics, manufacturers are changing the way they construct laptops.

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display released to market this month by Apple has taken the trend to an extreme. To make it super thin and lightweight, most all of the components are built in to the machine making them either impossible or very expensive to replace. The RAM is soldered to the logic board. The battery is glued to the case. The display is fused to the glass.


Yet it’s important for consumers to understand the limitations these design changes impose on the ability to repair or upgrade their device. RAM is the hardware item most often upgraded after purchase to extend the usability of a computer. Attaching the RAM to the logic board makes it impossible to upgrade after purchase. If a RAM module fails (this is common), you’ll likely be shipping your laptop back to Apple for it to be rebuilt with a new chip. You’ll have to max out the RAM upon purchase (and therefore pay top dollar to Apple for the upgrade on the front end), since there’ll be no increasing your system memory in two years when it starts to feel sluggish.

Batteries in rechargeable electronics inevitably fail; luckily, most laptop batteries are easily replaced. Most major-manufacturer laptops have inexpensive, 3rd party batteries available that the average consumer can replace with a couple of turns of a screwdriver. When the battery is instead glued to the case, the average consumer will not be able to easily replace it. The new MacBook Pro’s battery is reported to last through 1,000 cycles of fully discharging and recharging. What happens when it inevitably dies? Replace your system, or mail it back to Apple for a new battery (estimated $200).

Cracked screens are another common laptop problem. By fusing the display to the glass, Apple is requiring that the entire (expensive) display assembly be replaced, instead of simply the LCD.

Before you shake your fist at Apple for selling a system that requires either regular replacement (a $2,200 “disposable” laptop?) or costly manufacturer repairs when components fail (as they inevitably do), it’s important to note that Apple is not alone in moving in this direction. Therefore it’s up to you, the consumer, to decide if it’s worth the trade off. Does size and weight reduction warrant cost-prohibitive repairs and upgrades?

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display starts at $2,199 so I am loath to treat it as expendable. If you’re in the market for this unquestionably beautiful, super lightweight machine, factor the true cost. Consider maxing out RAM and storage upon purchase and adding on extended Apple care to warranty against cost-prohibitive repairs.

Tips & Tricks: Simple tricks to edit a PDF

Edit a PDF like a Boss!

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a great tool when you want to send a document electronically that you don't want the recipient to edit. But what about when you're on the receiving end of a PDF that you need to change, such as an online form or application? Those blank gray fields stare back at you, mocking your attempts to click on them. Before you resort to printing the document and filling it in by hand, check out these great tools to outsmart the restrictions and edit a PDF and master those gray boxes once and for all.

Escape the frustration

For easy and quick edits, try PDFEscape.com. This handy online PDF editor lets you insert text notes, fill in forms and even create new forms boxes. Just click on "Click Here to Use PDFescape Now Free" and follow the steps to upload your PDF — you don't have to download any software onto your computer.

Choose the "Start using unregistered" option if you just have one document to edit, or register to save files and access them multiple times. Once you've uploaded the PDF from your computer, select the edit options on the top left side of your screen. Here you can add text, use correction fluid, add images or links, create a form field or add lines. When you're done, download and save or print your edited document.


After you download and install the program, you can elect to make it your default PDF viewer. If you do, simply click on any PDF file to open the program. If you decline to set it as your default PDF viewer, open the program and drag and drop a file into it, or right click a PDF, choose "Open With," and select PDF-Xchange Viewer.

Under "Tools" you'll see "Comment and Markup Tools." If you want to fill out a form, choose the typewriter tool and click anywhere on the PDF that you'd like to add text. From this menu you can highlight, add text boxes and annotate the document.

Gotta Pay? Go Nitro

With these programs you're still a bit limited. You're basically just writing on the document, but what if you want to edit the actual text in the PDF? I couldn't find a free product that allows this, but Nitro Pro is a full-featured program that lets you do just about anything to a PDF, including editing text or converting scanned documents into editable PDFs.

Start by downloading the trial version from nitropdf.com, and then open a PDF file. Click the giant edit button and double click the text you want to change. You can annotate, add images, add pages and manipulate the PDF in just about any way imaginable. You can even export the document to Microsoft Word or Excel for major revisions.

One of the coolest options in Nitro Pro is to scan a document (which creates a PDF file) and then use the program to convert it into an editable document. This Optical Character Recognition technology has a bevy of great uses. For example, if you need to make changes to a lengthy contract, you can now edit the text without requiring handwritten strikethrough. If you have a brochure with outdated information, you can change the portion you need without having to pay the creator to make you a new one.

All this functionality comes at a price: The full version of Nitro Pro is $120. However, Adobe charges over $400 for a comparable product.

Looking for that visual how to? Check out these simple steps with Andrea at the helm eHow: How to Edit a PDF file

[transcript]Hi. I'm Ryan from Nerds on Call, and today we're going to talk about how to edit a PDF.

Now, somebody sends me a PDF that needs to be filled out with my name and address,phone number, and all the other stuff. It's kind of a pain to have to print it out and write it out. It just doesn't look very professional.

So, what I like to use is a program called PDFescape.com. This handy online PDF editor lets you insert text notes, fill in forms, even create new form boxes. Just click on Click Here to Use PDFEscape Now Free and follow the steps to upload your PDF. You don't have to download any software to your computer.

The main drawback to PDFescape is you're basically uploading your PDF to somebody else's server, or if you want a little more privacy, I like to use PDF Exchange Viewer. You can download it from TrackerSoftware.com.

Both of these programs are great, but essentially you're just writing on top of a PDF. If you really want to get into the PDF and edit it, change text and even reformat it, I like to use Nitro PDF. The main drawback to Nitro PDF, unfortunately it's not free like the other two programs. It will run you about $120 but it's still cheaper than Adobe's option, which is over $400.[/transcript]

Can An iPad Replace A Laptop

iPad vs. Laptop: Can an iPad replace a laptop?

As the new school year approaches, the question I get asked most often is, "Should I buy a laptop or a tablet?" Apple's Steve Jobs has asserted that we are living in a "post-PC world". can an iPad replace a laptop?

To test the theory, I traveled to Florida with my 2-year old, bearing my iPad 2 but no laptop. When an article needed editing, I realized that while it would be possible for the iPad to do everything I needed, it wasn't going to work for me straight out of the box. It needed modification.

If you are considering ditching your laptop, whether it's for a trip or for good, here's my guide to making it possible.

Touch screen vs keyboard

Microsoft Word vs iWork
With or without a keyboard, creating or editing a document or spreadsheet on your iPad isn't going to be easy unless you make an aftermarket modification. Microsoft Office isn't available on the iPad, but Apple's iWork suite will give you most of its functionality at a fraction of the cost. Pages, Numbers and Keynote handily replace Word, Excel and PowerPoint , and cost $5 each through the Apple app store. All the content you create in these programs is cross compatible, so if you edit a Word document on your iPad using Pages, you can open and edit it later in Word with no difficulty.

As much as we'd all love to be paper-free, there are inevitably times when you need to print something. You can search the iPad for a USB port, but to no avail. Printing something off your iPad will require accessing a printer wirelessly. To make the process as painless as possible, look for a printer that is compatible with Airplay, Apple's proprietary wireless application.

Universal Acsess
Finally, sometimes I need a particular program that isn't compatible with the iPad, or I need to transfer content to another device. The lack of a USB port or disk drive can make this challenging. But with Logmein Ignition ($30 in the app store), you can remotely access your home or office computer via the Internet. Install the companion app on your laptop or desktop and leave it running while you are away. Now you can access everything on your home or office system from your iPad, from World of Warcraft to your accounting software.

What do you think? Can an iPad replace a laptop? If you're still nervous about unplugging from your laptop or desktop, share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.


[transcript]
Hi, I'm Ryan from Nerds On Call and today we're going to talk about whether you can replace your laptop with your iPad. There's nothing cooler than an iPad, but when you start using it, after a while you start to think do I really need both a laptop and an iPad? Well, one of the first things you're going to notice is when you start using an iPad there's no keyboard, you tap on the screen. Well, that can be fantastic for short emails or Tweets or Facebook updates, but let's say you have to do a long email or a very long document. You'll find that tapping on the screen can get kind of tiresome and correcting is really difficult, but if you buy a keyboard like the one from Zagg.com, you could connect it to your iPad with Bluetooth and it turns it into a laptop.

With or without a keyboard, editing a document on an iPad is kind of difficult. While you get the touch screen so you can move around your cursor and decide exactly what you want to edit. It's not as intuitive or easy to use if you're used to a mouse and a keyboard. Another thing to keep in mind about the iPad is if you're used to using Microsoft Office for Word and Excel, you don't get those on an iPad, but what you do get is Apple's version called Pages or Numbers. So you'll have to learn a new kind of software just to get some of the basic stuff done that you're already used to.

As much as I'd like to live in a paper-free world and have everything go digital, I still have to print things every now and then. Well, with a laptop it's relatively easy, I don't even have to think about it anymore. But with an iPad only AirPlay enabled printers will work. One of the saving graces for the iPad though is a little piece of software called LogMeIn. For $50 in the app store you can use your iPad to access your computer or your Mac and do everything that they can do. So can you replace your laptop with your iPad? Yeah, it can be done, but you're going to have a lot of compromise and if you're willing to take that step, it could be kind of cool.
[/transcript]

Computer Upgrades: Hard Drives, Part 2

Hybrid or Solid State Drives can be an easy computer upgrade.

The most vulnerable part of a hard drive is its moving parts. The disk spins, the spindle arm moves to read data, all the while creating heat, friction, and an opportunity to break when the moving stops. The next generation of hard drives - solid state drives and hybrid drives -attempt to rectify this by eliminating the spinning and swinging. However there are some tradeoffs: less storage and higher price. Is it worth upgrading?

Solid state drives (SSDs) are a flash storage device, meaning they work like a USB flash drive, just without the USB part. While from the outside, they look very similar to traditional hard drives, there is no spinning disk and herein lies a huge advantage.

A traditional drive is like a CD or record player. Data is written to a specific part of the drive, so opening an application or file requires that the disk spin to the right storage location and the read/write spindle access the data off the disk. Typically, opening a program requires your hard disk to be read in multiple places. SSDs access data faster, leading to faster system boot up and quicker load times for applications and games. This performance improvement is what leads many “power-users” to upgrade. However, the rest of us can benefit as well.

No moving parts make SSDs more durable and shock resistant. This can be a huge benefit in a laptop which gets jostled and banged around in transit. Since they don’t have to power a spinning disk, or a moving spindle, SSDs require less power consumption to access data. This may not seem like a big deal, but when you’re reliant on your laptop battery to make it through a flight, every little bit helps.


If you’re thinking, “sold!” its time I mention the drawbacks. SSDs are significantly more expensive and have lower storage capacities than traditional hard drives. While you can get a 1TB traditional hard drive for around $125 these days, the same amount of cash will buy only about 128GBs of solid state storage.

It’s really important to stick with reliable manufacturers – Crucial, OCZ and Intel produce strong contenders. Since the technology is still new, there are higher failure rates than would be expected, particularly with drives from less reputable companies. Also, performance and speed can degrade over time dependant on how data is stored. Look for manufacturers that integrate tools that evenly distribute how the drive writes data across the flash memory cells. Unfortunately, cheaper often equates to slower.

Some users have found that installing the operating system and applications on a SSD while storing data to a secondary, traditional hard drive gives them the best of both worlds: the responsiveness of an SSD with the capacity of a hard disk. However, running two drives can be complicated for basic users.

In an attempt to increase capacity and reduce price, some manufacturers have introduced “hybrid” drives. “Hybrids” fuse flash memory cells (to cache boot files and frequently accessed data) onto a traditional spinning drive. The hard disk offers the capacity for storing photos, videos and large packets of data while the flash cells improve speed and boot times. These can be a good alternative for laptop users where space is at a premium.

If you’re ready to upgrade to the speed and reliability of a SSD, contact me for my picks to get the most drive for your dollar.