FireWire

Editors' note: This post is part of an ongoing series. For the other parts, check out the related stories.

Now that you have some ideas about internal storage vs. memory after reading Part 1, here in Part 2 I'll talk about the two main types of external storage devices: direct-attached storage (DAS) and network-attached storage (NAS).

DAS and NAS share a few things in common. They both use one or more internal drives (hard drives or SSDs) on the inside, and they utilize the same methods to combine drives' storage space (when multiple drives are used). But before we … Read more

After more than  a month's wait, Apple has released the Thuderbolt-based FireWire adapters that it announced at WWDC 2012 along with its latest portable systems.

In Apple's latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina Display, the company is saving space in its compact designs by doing away with a number of the less-used I/O options, including optical drives and some ports like Ethernet and FireWire. Instead of building them into the systems, Apple is promoting the use of its new high-throughput Thunderbolt technology by offering optional Thunderbolt adapters for the missing I/O ports that … Read more

Part of Apple's keynote address at WWDC this morning was a demonstration of its new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro systems, which have not only done away with optical drives but have also streamlined other I/O offerings. In order to save space in its systems, Apple has combined USB 2.0 and 3.0 connections, but has also fallen to relying on its Thunderbolt connections to provide the I/O connectivity from older Mac systems.

As the MacBook line has evolved over the years, Apple has attempted to remove legacy ports from the systems, including the Ethernet port … Read more

On Apple computers, Target Disk Mode is a special boot option that allows the system's hard drives to be accessed with a FireWire cable (also with a Thunderbolt connection for newer systems). This mode can be enabled by restarting the system with the T key held down, until you see the FireWire symbol displayed on the screen. At this point you can connect the system to another Mac (or even a PC) and have its hard drives mount locally on the second system for quick access. This mode is exceptionally useful for troubleshooting, migrating accounts and data to a … Read more

Apple's last major connectivity advancement was in the late '90s with FireWire, which was used as a replacement for the SCSI bus on Mac systems; however, the licensing and complexity of the port made it a less attractive option than alternatives like USB for many device manufacturers, especially given the ease of implementation and eventual speed of USB 2.0. While FireWire has extended beyond its initial 400Mbps speeds to offer 800Mbps, and potentially up to 3,200Mbps, in the face of current alternatives the technology does not seem to be advancing much beyond its current implementations.

Given the … Read more

External hard drives are exceptionally popular peripheral devices, and it is exceptionally likely that you have one attached to your system given the recommendation to use Time Machine or some similar form of full-system backup. If you have a laptop, then it is additionally likely that these external drives you use will be the smaller 2.5-inch laptop drives that can be powered off the computer's USB or FireWire bus. While convenient, sometimes these drives can end up getting exceptionally hot with use, to the point where it may hurt or even burn if you hold the drive for … Read more

Scary things lurk in the closets and attics of laptop fans everywhere.

With an average lifespan of three to five years, old obsolete models can gather dust for a long time, and can be as hard to get rid of as the annoying bloatware that probably came preloaded on those very same laptops.

While spring cleaning, your two intrepid laptop reviewers dug up a pile of old laptops from circa 2001-2006--a motley collection straight out of Al Component's Vault. Fortunately, there are several good ways to recycle outdated electronics, from Best Buy's in-store drop-off program to periodic free … Read more

Western Digital has launched a new external drive that offers 6 terabytes of storage.

Unveiled today, the latest edition to the company's My Book Studio Edition II product line upgrades the storage space of 4TB and 2TB offered by earlier models. But by housing two hard disks internally, the new version maintains the same dimensions, shape, and weight as its lower-capacity cousins.

Selling for $549.99, the new My Book Studio Edition II 6TB drive is being geared more toward the Mac than Windows. Western Digital is targeting it specifically to creative pros and businesses that need to store … Read more

Two billion FireWire ports have been shipped worldwide since the technology's inception, the 1394 Trade Association announced this week.

In addition, the organization says FireWire has been made available on more than 1.2 billion "consumer and computer products."

FireWire has come a long way since Apple set the technology in motion in 1986. FireWire, which is actually Apple's name for IEEE 1394 High Speed Serial Bus, allows for the transfer of data from one device to another. It's used commonly in Apple computers, as well as in many other devices.

1394 Trade Association Chairman … Read more