USB hard drives aren’t just good for storing computer files

USB hard drives aren’t just good for storing computer files

Recently, other providers such as Kodak, Google or Dropbox have already made free cloud offers for storing photos at relatively short notice. In principle, the product testers recommend that you regularly save photos on a normal external hard drive. Sources used: dpa news agency–>

USB hard drives aren’t just good for storing computer files. You can also record films and series from TV on it. There is, however, something to consider. 

External hard drives in 2.5-inch format usually draw enough power from the USB port for operation. The emphasis is on normally. If you connect such hard drives to your television for recording without an additional power supply (USB recording), you risk interrupted recording if the television’s USB socket does not provide enough power for operation. –

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To be on the safe side, it is therefore worth choosing a hard drive with a power supply connection for USB recording, which can be used to secure the power supply if necessary.

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In all cases, you should also pay attention to whether the TV manufacturer specifies upper limits for the storage capacity of the hard drive.

Sources used: dpa news agency–>

Berlin (dpa) – With a new invention, British researchers want to make data storage faster and more durable. The new carriers would also consume significantly less energy than conventional technologies, writes the journal "Scientific Reports".

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Conventional storage technologies such as DRAM and the flash memory used, for example, in USB sticks could be replaced by the new development because the invention combines the strengths of both, the journal quotes a participating scientist from Lancaster University in Great Britain.

In addition, the new storage system would reduce energy consumption by a fifth at maximum performance in a data center. The development is already patented.

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Computers equipped with the new technology would no longer have to start up and could switch to sleep mode unnoticed in order to save energy.central idea of to kill a mockingbird In addition, the devices are predicted to have a storage time that exceeds the age of the universe, said the researcher.

Up to now, the slower flash chips have been used for long-term storage of data, and the faster DRAM chips have been used for working memory – for example in computer operating systems.

PC without a network connection, files too large, internet transmission too insecure: if it is difficult to transfer data, the USB stick is used. Handy as it is, it is ideally suited for data transport. The patented memory stick has so much more to offer: With our selection of free tools, you can transform your memory stick into a mobile office or into a data saver that you can use to restore accidentally deleted photos.

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The best free programs for the USB stick
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It’s practical when you always have your favorite programs with all your personal settings at hand, regardless of which PC you are currently using. Many tools are now available in portable editions that can be conveniently used from a USB stick. The mobile editions of programs such as the OpenOffice office suite or the Caliber Portable book software are particularly compact, but still fully functional.

The advantage of portable software is that the applications do not have to be installed. A double click is all it takes to start the software on a Windows PC. It does not leave any entries in the Windows registry and can therefore also be executed on systems with restricted user rights. You can even save money with portable programs.

Data Recovery – Get back deleted files and pictures

Data recovery
Get back deleted files and pictures

Accidentally deleted photos and music? We show what to do. to the video

Watch film DVDs on your Windows PC

The new Windows operating systems do not play audio CDs and video DVDs in the standard edition. If you want to enjoy music and films, you need the Pro version of Windows 8. With Windows 10, Microsoft completely removes DVD support and refers you to it on purchase programs. But you can save the money.

With the VLC media player Portable you can transform your USB stick into a media center – for free. The computer and the Windows version are irrelevant. The player plays all common file formats and has a lot of extra functions.

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Get back deleted photos

The USB stick shows its strength when it comes to rescuing data. With the freeware Recuva Portable, for example, you can easily retrieve files that have been deleted from your computer. This includes data from the recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been removed from the memory of the digital camera or the microSD card due to an operating error. Our video shows how to use the data saver.

With Windows it is relatively easy to prepare software for portable use. If a program is not particularly system-dependent, it is okay to copy the program directory to a USB stick. Others, such as the OpenOffice office suite, must first be installed on the USB stick. If you want your favorite program for image editing on the stick, the freeware Cameyo can help. The software packs this into an executable file.

Take away operating system

If you want to take your entire system with you and not just a few programs, you should save a Linux live system on your USB stick. Once plugged in, you can start your own operating system plus programs directly from the stick. The different versions of Ubuntu, which differ mainly in their different user interfaces, are particularly popular. These so-called live systems are typically provided as iso files. You can get it on the USB stick with the free Unetbootin tool.

You can get an overview of all USB devices connected to the PC with the freeware USBDeview for computers with 32- or 64-bit Windows. The system software not only shows what is currently on the computer, but all devices that have ever been connected to the PC via USB. You can also test the writing and reading speed of a USB stick.

USB stick as virus scanner

If you suspect a virus may have lodged on your PC, we recommend that you perform a security check with the Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. The free virus hunter starts from the memory stick and scans the operating system for malware. Detected pests are removed immediately.

One disadvantage of portable software is that it doesn’t update itself by default. It may also start and work a little slower than programs that are installed directly on the computer. The virus hunter, for example, should be used daily and swapped for a new version the next time it is used.

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You can find more exciting digital topics here.

Fifteen years ago, Apple worked with the US government to develop an iPod with a secret function. Former Apple engineer David Shayer is now talking about it for the first time.

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The software developer David Shayer was the second programmer who was hired for the then unnamed Apple project, which later went under the name "iPod" should turn the music industry inside out.

Shayer developed many software components for Apple’s music player – but one of the most memorable episodes of his working life had nothing to do with music – but it was top secret. Shayer has this incident publicly for the first time on the Apple portal "Tidbits.com" written down – and it starts like an agent story.

"A special assignment"

On one "gray day late in 2005" he was sitting at his desk and programming software for the upcoming iPod when the door to his office flew open and the boss of his boss said to him: "I have a special assignment for you, your boss doesn’t know anything about it. You’re going to help two engineers from the Department of Energy build a special iPod – you just report to me".

In his text, Shayer continues to report how he met two – quite normal-looking – programmers the following day and learned what it was about: The two worked for the defense branch of a large company and were supposed to build special hardware into an iPod. The data thus obtained had to be stored on the hard drive of the iPod in such a way that it could not be easily ascertained. In addition, the iPod should continue to function normally and play music.

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The actual development should be done by the two men from the Department of Energy, Shayer’s job was only to support them with problems. Only three Apple managers and Shayer himself were privy to what the two men at Apple were doing. And since they did not receive any Apple access cards, the software engineer had to register them as guests every day and bring them to their work place with his key card. 

Work in secret

What exactly was hidden in the iPod and what data should be recorded inconspicuously, Shayer could not elicit from his guests – he did not see the built-in parts during the months when this special iPod was being worked on in secret.

But he describes how he helped the men to put the alleged data on a hidden partition on the iPod hard drive. In addition, the government iPod received an ominous entry, hidden deep in the settings menu. This should be able to control the function that is not described in detail.

Was there a stealth Geiger counter hidden in the iPod?

After a few months, work on the secret iPod was finished. The two men Shayer met as Paul and Matthew packed up their computers and special hardware and said goodbye. Shayer never saw her again.

While puzzling over what the Department of Energy had secretly developed, the Apple programmer came across a paragraph in the Department of Energy’s budget. It says there that "$ nine billion for defense duties" are estimated. The money will be used for, among other things "Maintenance of nuclear deterrence obligations" and "aggressive strategies to mitigate a threat from weapons of mass destruction" needed.

It is therefore most likely that Paul and Matthew have hidden something like a camouflage Geiger counter in the iPod, Shayer concludes. This would enable employees of the Ministry of Energy to search for traces of radioactivity – released from stolen uranium or a dirty bomb, for example – without the public or the press being aware of the delicate undertaking. But he doesn’t know for sure.

Ex-Apple employee confirms history

According to Shayer, none of the people involved in the project still work at Apple. One of them, Tony Fadell, has now confirmed the story on Tiwtter. Fadell names the case "surreal drama and an exciting story"that happened back then. Fadell was then the deputy boss of the iPod department at Apple.

Absolutely spot on David Shayer… This project was real w / o a doubt.There was whole surreal drama & interesting story about how this project was kicked off & then kept secret.The Case of the Top Secret iPodhttps: //t.co/jgZqcvKIsV

– Tony Fadell (@tfadell) August 18, 2020" , ‘Twitter’); }) (); ->

In further tweets, Fadell indicates that he knows more about the background of the project: "Crazy, super cool technology that the government was working on back then", he writes. Apparently Shayer’s assumption about the Geiger counter does not seem wrong, because to a tweet in which a user comments that it is an unbelievable effort to operate a Geiger counter secretly, Fadell replies: "You have to understand WHY they wanted to do it – and then it all makes sense. That was actually pretty clever."

There were many people on the iPod team who had no idea what & why those 2 engineers were doing in our offices. Unless you understand the whole picture I’m sure people will have doubts. Those secrets are going to stay safe … https://t.co/hzbId2pfxs

– Tony Fadell (@tfadell) August 19, 2020" , ‘Twitter’); }) (); -> New Apple rumors: When the iPhone 12 should appear After the App Store expulsion: Epic Games applies for an injunction against Apple Now available: What iOS 14 can do – and who gets it

But Fadell apparently does not want to reveal the secret: "There were many members of the iPod team at the time who had no idea what the two programmers were doing in our offices.