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Purpose and Perspective of the Module 5

The purpose of this module is to covers a variety of different hardware issues that
students may encounter when working on a computer. Cooling methods for
computer cases are also discussed and students will be introduced to factors that
influence power supply usage. Common solutions to typical issues are presented, as
well as some basic steps for troubleshooting regardless of the type of issue.

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Module 5 Objectives
The following objectives are addressed in this module:
1. Describe and contrast technologies used inside a hard drive and how a
computer communicates with a hard drive
2. Select and install a hard drive
3. Troubleshoot hard drives
4. Support optical drives, solid-state storage, and flash memory devices

HARD DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND INTERFACE STANDARDS

Describe what a hard disk drive (HDD) is and point out that it is rated by its physical
size, capacity, speed, technologies used inside the drive, and interface standards.

Technologies and Form Factors of Hard Drives

Magnetic Hard Drives

1. Describe how a magnetic hard drive works and note the parts that are
contained within a hard drive’s case, such as the actuator and read-write
heads.

2. Students should understand how data is organized into sectors and tracks on
a magnetic hard drive’s platters.

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Solid-State Drives

1. Introduce the concept of a solid-state drive (SSD) or solid-state device, which

has no moving parts and makes use of NAND flash memory.

2. Discuss the potential benefits of using a SSD, such as an extended lifespan in

comparison to magnetic hard drives with moving parts.

3. Review the four popular form factors used by SSDs:

a. 2.5” SSD
b. M.2 SSD card
c. mSATA SSD card
d. PCI Express SSD expansion card

Hard Drive Performance

1. Discuss the three primary measurements for hard drive performance and
how they can be used when making a selection.

Logical Block Addressing and Capacity

1. Define what a low-level format is and explain how it differs from a high-level
format.

2. Point out that the size of each block and the total number of blocks on the
drive determine the drive capacity.

S.M.A.R.T.

Provide information on the use of S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting

Technology), which can give insights into the health of a solid state or magnetic
drive.

Interface Standards Used by a Hard Drive

1. Cover the four interface standards used by hard drives:

a. IDE (outdated)
b. SCSI (also outdated)
c. SATA (the most popular current standard)
d. NVMe (the latest and fastest standard)

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IDE

1. Introduce students to the IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) standards that

allow for one or two IDE connectors on a motherboard. Discuss the types of
cables that are used with IDE.

SCSI

1. Explain to students that the SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)

standard can support up to 7 or 15 SCSI-compliant devices in a system.

SATA

1. Point out that most hard drives in today’s PCs use the SATA interface
standards. Discuss the performance benefits provided by SATA.

2. List the SATA standards and discuss how each of the standards improves
upon the performance of its predecessor.

3. Describe how hot-swapping, also known as hot-plugging, allows a SATA drive

to be pulled from a running system without damaging hardware.

4. Discuss the SATA Express technology, which supports speeds up to 3 times

faster than that of SATA 3.0.

5. External SATA (eSATA) should be explained as a way to connect an external

SATA drive to a motherboard and achieve the same speeds as internal drives.

NVMe

1. Introduce students to the newer NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express or NVM

Express) interface standard. Point out that NVMe is used only by SSDs.

2. Compare the performance of the SATA interface standard vs. the NVMe
interface standard. Discuss the three ways the NVMe interface might be
used:
a. PCIe expansion card
b. U.2 slot or U.3 slot
c. M.2 port

Teaching Tip

Direct students to the following website where they can learn more
about SATA, as well as older hard drive standards such as IDE and
PATA:

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http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/50811/sata

HOW TO SELECT AND INSTALL HARD DRIVES

Selecting a Hard Drive

1. Stress to students the importance of ensuring that the motherboard and the
hard drive support the same interface standard.

2. Review the options for compatibility between the motherboard and the drive
interface.

3. Discuss what factors to consider when purchasing a hard drive, such as:
a. Technology
b. Form factor
c. Capacity
d. Data transfer rate as determined by the drive interface
e. Spindle speed (for magnetic hard drives)

4. Use Table 5-1 to list some of the more popular hard drive manufacturers and
show some of the drives offered by each brand.

Steps to Install a SATA Drive

1. Review Figure 5-21 and describe what connections exist on the back of a
SATA drive. Students should be able to identify the SATA data cable
connector, Molex power connector, and the SATA power connector. You
should note the jumper banks available on SATA drives, and describe what
settings are configured by these jumpers.

2. Explain that SATA drives have two power connectors, the SATA power
connector (which is preferred) and the legacy 4-pin Molex connector. Stress
that installing two power cords to the drive at the same time could damage
the drive

Step 1: As Best You Can, Protect the User’s Data

1. Remind students that before you work on solving any computer problem,
every effort should be made to preserve the user’s data.

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Step 2: Know Your Starting Point

1. Explain to students that before you begin installing a hard drive, you should
investigate and verify which of your system’s devices are working before any
new installations. It is also important to keep good notes on changes made
during the process.

Step 3: Read the Documentation and Prepare Your Work Area

1. Emphasize the importance of checking documentation for both the hard drive
and the motherboard.

2. List some precautions to take when handling a hard drive. Students should
know not to touch the exposed circuitry, and to properly ground themselves
to avoid static discharge.

Step 4: Install the Drive

Provide steps for installing a hard drive into a system and demonstrate the hard
drive installation process and show how drives should be mounted.

Installing a Drive in a Removable Bay

1. Use Figures 5-30 and 5-31 to discuss the installation of a hard drive in a
removable bay.

Installing a Small Drive in a Wide Bay

1. Explain that most bays are designed for 3.5" drives and that a universal bay
kit can be used to securely fit a smaller drive into the bay. Note that SSDs
typically require a bay kit for installation in normal hard drive bays.

Installing an M.2 SSD Card

1. Review the steps to follow to install an M.2 SSD card. Point out that if the M.2
slot is used and the SSD card uses the SATA interface standard, it might
disable a SATA Express or SATA connector on the board.

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Installing a Hard Drive in a Laptop

1. Discuss what issues to consider when replacing a hard drive in a laptop, such
as how to move data across from the old hard drive to the new drive.

2. Explain to students that hard drives used in notebooks are 2.5 inches wide,
while hard drives used in desktops are 3.5 inches wide.

3. Demonstrate how to remove the hard drive from a laptop computer, then
show how to reinstall the drive.

Teaching Tip

Many popular laptops will have disassembly videos on YouTube.

Always check online resources first if you can’t find a service
manual for working inside the laptop.

Setting up Hardware RAID

1. Define RAID (Redundant array of inexpensive disks, or redundant array of

independent disks) as a way to configure multiple drives to work together,
either for the purpose of fault tolerance or improved performance.

Types of RAID

1. Review Figures 5-37 and 5-38 while discussing the different types of RAID,
and elaborate on how each type differs:
a. Spanning (JBOD)
b. RAID0
c. RAID1
d. RAID5
e. RAID10 or RAID1+0

2. Students should understand the differences between a striped volume,

mirrored volume, and a spanned volume. They should know which RAID types
use striped or mirrored volumes.

3. Educate students on the differences between a software defined RAID and a

hardware defined RAID. Describe the benefits of using one method over the
other.

4. Demonstrate how to set up both types of RAID.

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How to Implement Hardware RAID

1. Note that in any RAID system, all hard drives in an array should be identical
in brand, size, speed, and other features.

2. Review the directions for installing three hard drives in a RAID 5 array. Note
that Windows has built-in hardware RAID drivers and therefore automatically
“sees” the RAID array as a single 500 GB hard drive.

TROUBLESHOOTING HARD DRIVES

1. Explain that problems caused by the hard drive during the boot can be
caused by the hard drive subsystem, by the file system on the drive, or by
files required by Windows when it begins to load.

2. Review the symptoms of hard drive problems and how to determine the
meaning of color coding or blinking patterns that warn of problems.

3. Point out that when trying to solve a problem with the boot, students need to
decide if the problem is caused by hardware or software.

Slow Performance

1. Point out that the most common computer complaint is performance issues
and general slowness. This could be a result of disconnected fragments on
the drive, so a quick fix would be to run the defragmentation tool on the hard
drive. Explain that systems slow down when they have a high amount of data
saved and that they generally slow down over time.

2. Explain to students that the DISKSPD hard drive speed test utility can be used
to diagnose an issue with hard drive performance.

Windows Automatically Optimizes a Drive

1. Examine the causes of performance issues in magnetic drives and SSDs as

well as options for optimizing each.

2. Educate students about how files on magnetic drives are written in

contiguous sectors that are disconnected over time as changes are made to
the drive causing slowness. To improve performance, Windows automatically
defragments the drive weekly.

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3. Illustrate to students the way in which data is organized in SSDs. Explain that
the actual data in the file is not erased when files are deleted, causing slower
SSD performance. To improve performance, Windows sends the trim
command to an SSD weekly.

4. Review the Windows Defrag and Optimization tool (dfrgui.exe) utility that
defragments files in magnetic drive and trims files in an SSD. Demonstrate
how this utility can be run manually.

Drive Manufacturer Utilities

1. Show students the free utilities you can download and use to update drive
firmware and optimize and troubleshoot a drive.

Migrating Data to a New SSD in a Laptop

1. Provide instruction on how to migrate data to a new SSD and the reasons this
may be done. Review the required features to look for in an SSD being
purchased for the purpose of data migration on a laptop.

2. Review the steps taken when performing a migration. Review the software
and equipment that are useful in this task.

Hard Drive Problems During the Boot

1. Instruct students on the symptoms to look for that indicate hard drive
problems. Note that hard drive problems can cause the hard drive to be
inaccessible, or the BIOS/UEFI not to be able to access the drive.

2. Describe a typical error message received at boot due to an issue with

connected hard drives.

3. List the possible reasons for a BIOS/UEFI not being able to access the drive as
well as things to look for prior to opening the computer case.

4. Discuss the steps to take when RAID management software is used to rebuild
the RAID volume, but problems still persist.

5. Explain how to use the Startup Repair and chkdsk options available on the
Windows setup DVD.

6. Discuss the following tasks as possible solutions to a hard drive problem:

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a. Repair the BCD (Boot Configuration Data)
b. Repair the boot sector
c. Repair the MBR

7. Explain that if efforts to recover the file system fail, an alternative to

replacing the drive could be cleaning it instead. Review the options to clean
the drive:
a. Format a hard drive volume
b. Use the diskpart command to erase hard drive partitions

8. Describe possible signs of hard drive failure, such as strange noises that
occur during initial startup, and explain how to respond to a failing hard
drive.

SUPPORTING OTHER TYPES OF STORAGE DEVICES

File Systems Used by Storage Devices

1. Define a file system as a way for the operating system to store data in a
structured format on a hard drive.

2. Formatting can be explained as the process that removes all data from a
device and creates a new file system.

3. Briefly discuss the NTFS, exFAT, FAT32 and FAT, CDFS, and UDF file systems
along with which devices are more likely to use each of these file systems.

4. Inform students of the two different file systems available for CDs: the
Compact Disc File System (CDFS) and the Universal Disk Format (UDF)
system.

Standards Used by Optical Drives and Discs

1. Compare the various optical storage technologies available and discuss

benefits in terms of storage capacity and the ability to write or re-write to the
media. Familiarize students with the following technologies:
a. Compact Disc (CD)
b. Digital versatile disc or digital video disc (DVD)
c. Blu-ray disc (BD)

Optical Discs

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1. Compare the way in which data is written on CDs opposed to the methods
used to write files to DVDs or Blu-Ray discs.

Optical Drives and Burners

1. Explain that optical technologies can be connected with SATA, eSATA, or USB
connections.
2. Use Table 5-2 to discuss popular CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc standards.

Teaching Tip

Blu-ray discs can be very useful for archival backups in homes and
small businesses, but for larger backups and enterprises, tapes are
still the primary choice.

Installing an Optical Drive

1. Discuss the installation procedure for an optical drive and note how this
procedure changes depending on the interface used. Students must know
that an optical drive with an IDE connection must still be set to either master
or slave.

2. Explain that drivers don’t have to be manually downloaded with optical

technology because Windows supports the use of embedded drivers on the
devices themselves. Students should use Device Manager to verify the drive
installed with no errors.

Solid-State Storage

1. Elaborate on the use of solid-state storage, either as solid-state drives or as

USB flash drives and memory cards. List some typical capacities of each
technology.

2. Discuss how to make sure data written to a flash drive is properly saved
before removing the flash drive from the PC.

3. Mention that the most popular memory cards are Secure Digital (SD) cards
and that there are three standards used by SD cards (1.x, 2.x, 3.x, and 7.x).
Further mention that these cards also come in three physical sizes: full-size,
MiniSD, and MicroSD.

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4. Review the flash memory cards that follow the SD association standards
Table 5-3. Use Table 5-4 to discuss other flash memory cards.

Key Terms
BCD (Boot Configuration Data): a small database that holds parameters
Windows needs for a successful boot
BD (Blu-ray disc): laser optical storage technologies
bootrec: command to rebuild the BCD (Boot Configuration Data)
CD (compact disc): laser optical storage technologies
CDFS (Compact Disc File System): the file system is used by CDs
CFexpress card: Flash memory cards that offer faster data transfer because they
are designed using the PCIe 3.0 interface standard
chkdsk: a command to search for bad sectors on drive C: and recover data
CompactFlash (CF) card: Flash memory cards with relatively lower capacity that
come in two types - Type I and Type II
Defrag and Optimization tool (dfrgui.exe): a utility to optimize drives by
defragmenting a magnetic drive or trimming an SSD
disk cloning: recreating the system configuration onto the new hard drive
diskpart: command used to erase the hard drive partitions when formatting fail
DVD (digital versatile disc or digital video disc): laser optical storage
technologies
fault tolerance: a computer’s ability to respond to a fault or catastrophe so data is
not lost
file system: the overall structure the operating system uses to name, store, and
organize files on a drive
formatting: using Windows to install a new file system on a device or logical drive
in a process that erases all data on the device or drive
hot-swapping: you can connect and disconnect a drive while the system is
running
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics): connection to a motherboard using Parallel
ATA (PATA) standards
IOPS (input/output operations per second): measurement of the amount of
read or write operations performed in one second

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latency: measurement of the time required to process a data request or
transaction
low-level formatting: the process of writing sector markings on a magnetic drive
before it leaves the factory
magnetic hard drive: a permanent storage device in a computer that has multiple
platters, or disks, that stack together and spin in unison inside a sealed metal
housing
mirrored volume: the name Windows gives RAID 1
NAND flash memory: the memory used in a solid-state drive
NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express or NVM Express): an interface standard
used only by solid-state drive
RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of
independent disks): technology that configures two or more hard drives to work
together as an array of drives
RAID 0: a type of mirroring that uses two or more physical disks to increase the
disk space available for a single volume
RAID 1: a type of mirroring that duplicates data on one drive to another drive and
is used for fault tolerance
RAID 5: a type of mirroring that stripes data and parity information across three or
more drives and uses parity checking, so if one drive fails, the other drives can
recreate the data stored on the failed drive by using the parity information
RAID 5 volume: the name Windows gives RAID 5
RAID 10 or RAID 1+0: the combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0, made up of at least
four disks with data being mirrored across pairs of disks
read/write head: a hard disk component that reads data from and writes data to
the disk
SATA Express: technology that uses a new SATA connector that allows for PCIe
and SATA to work together
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface): a set of standards for physically
connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices
SD (Secure Digital) card: memory cards which follow the standards of the SD
Association
Spanning: the method of using two hard drives to hold a single Windows volume,
and when it is full, the data continues to be written to the second
SSD (solid-state drive or solid-state device): a memory drive with no moving
parts flash memory is stored on chips on a circuit board inside the drive housing

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striped volume: the name Windows gives RAID 0
throughput: the amount of data that flows through a point in the data path over
one second’s time
UDF (Universal Disk Format): the file system is used by CDs, as well as DVDs
and BDs (Blu-ray discs) in newer versions.
Volume: a new logical drive in the system, it determines which file system the
drive is using, assigns it a drive letter
wear leveling: a technique which assures that the logical block addressing does
not always address the same physical blocks in order to distribute write operations
more evenly across the device
XQD card: Flash memory cards using the PCIe 2.0 standard as the interface

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Additional Resources

Internet Resources
 How SSDs Work: https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/210492-
extremetech-explains-how-do-ssds-work

 Hard Drive Interface Comparison: https://www.hdd-tool.com/hdd-basic/hard-

drive-introduction-and-comparison.html

 How Does S.M.A.R.T. Function of Hard Disks Work?:

http://www.hdsentinel.com/smart/index.php

 Installing an SSD in a Desktop: https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/store-ssd-

install-desktop

 How to See If Your Hard Drive Is Dying with S.M.A.R.T.:

https://www.howtogeek.com/134735/how-to-see-if-your-hard-drive-is-dying/

 Buying a New Hard Drive? 7 Things You Must Know:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-things-need-consider-buying-hard-drive/

 How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive (stuck heads: buzzing, clicking, etc):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Y7BniaRXg

 How to Upgrade and Install a New Hard Drive or SSD in Your PC:
https://www.howtogeek.com/345988/how-to-upgrade-and-install-a-new-hard-
drive-or-ssd-in-your-pc/

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