Multimedia and Mass Storage: Understanding Devices, Backups, and Troubleshooting

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2. Chapter 10-Multimedia and Mass Storage • Multimedia devices like sound cards, digital cameras and MP3 players • Optical Storage-CD and DVD • How hardware devices are used for backups • Troubleshooting mass media Pg 411

3. Multimedia on a PC • Using sight, sounds and animations to make output real-world • But computers store digital information Pg 411

4. CPU Technologies • AMD and Intel dominate CPU market • Special codes or instructions on their chips • Intel • MMX • Pentium MMX and II • SSE (Streaming SIMD Extension) • Single Instruction Multiple Data • Pentium III • SSE2, SSE3, HT • Pentium 4 Pg 412

5. CPU Technologies • AMD and Intel dominate CPU market • Special codes or instructions on their chips • AMD • 3dNow • Graphics • HyperTranport • Increase bandwidth • PowerNow • Improve performance Pg 412

6. Sound Cards & Onboard Sound • Used to record and play back sounds • Input and Output ports as well • Surround Sound • Multiple channels that can play sound differently Pg 412

7. Sampling and Digitizing Sound • Digitizing sound • Convert from analog to digital • Compressed • Synthesized • Sampling rate • Number of samples per second (hertz) • Higher the rate, more accurate the sound • Compression reduces the quality Pg 414

8. Installing a sound card • Similar to other installations • Addition of audio connectors inside the case, usually for connection for playing audio straight from CDs • Physical installation • Drivers Pg 415

9. Digital Cameras and Flash Memory • Digital Cameras like scanners • Scans the field of image set by picture • Quickly • TWAIN is transfer standard • USB, Firewire, Serial, etc • Can also take out Solid State device • Use a card reader • Many kinds of memory • Generally need to use customized software that comes with Camera • Some cameras are now plug and play with video and photo software Pg 423

10. Web Cams and Microphones • Web cam provides live feed to internet • Connect with USB, Firewire, sometimes s-Video or composite • Generally need to install software first • Chat software can often detect as well Pg 426

11. MP3 players • MP3 is a compression system for audio files • MP3 player is hardware for playing these files • Sometimes refers to other codecs/formats • MPEG is a video compression codec • MPEG-1, -2, -4 Pg 428

12. MIDI Devices • Musical Instrument Digital Interface • Represent music in digital form • For playing instruments, not “music” • One instrument at a time • Many instruments have MIDI ports • 5 pin DIN port • Input and output ports needed • Connect to a mixer or PC Pg 431

13. TV and Video Capture • Turn your PC into a television • Usually has a Coax or composite connection Pg 432

14. Using CDs • Cs used for data, multimedia, music, files, etc • Manufactured CDs are write once • Pits and lands • CLV and CAV used to manage CD Spin speed • 150 KBps was original speed for reading audio CDs • Multiples for data transfer Pg 436

15. CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW • Different types of CDs can be bough • Different types of drives can read and write • CD-ROM can read CDs and most CD-Rs • CD-R drive can burn CD-R and CD-RW and read CD-R and CD-RW and CD • CD-RW can burn CD-R and rewrite CD-RW, but the CD-RW can’t be used in older players • CD-R and CD-RW are blue, black or other color • CD is silver Pg 437

16. Installing a CD Drive • Once installed, it appears as a drive letter • Usually Parallel ATA-EIDE • Set jumpers like the HD • If possible, put it on its own cable as master • If not, make it slave to HD • Don’t forget the audio cable Pg 439

17. Using DVDs • DVD designed for holding movie • 8.5 GB of Data or 17 GB if dual sided • Uses UDF format • DVD uses shorter wavelength laser than CD, thus more data storage • Also has two layers Pg 444

18. DVDs Pg 444

19. DVD Standards Pg 445

20. New Standards • HD-DVD • Didn’t make it! • Blu-Ray Pg 444

21. Installing A DVD • Installed like A CD drive • Power, Audio, Data connections • Jumper • Etc. Pg 446

22. Caring for Optical Drives and Disks • Wont work vertically • Watch out for dust, scratches and fingerprints • Hold on the edges • No heat or sunlight • Don’t bend or drop • Don’t push the tray on the player • Use the correct cleaner Pg 447

23. Hardware for Backups and Fault Tolerance • Data is worth more than hardware Pg 449

24. Hardware for Backups and Fault Tolerance • Keep Multiple copies • Maybe even offsite storage • Backup to • CD/DVD • External Drive • LAN connected PC • File Server • Web Based Service Pg 449

25. Tape Drives • Inexpensive Backup System • Traditional backup for corp. servers • Being replaced with network storage and optical drives • Sequential Access • Have to read whole tape in order to find data Pg 450

26. Tape Drives • Internal or external • SCSI, USB, ATA, etc • Similar physical connections to other drives • Tapes • Data and mini cartridges • Similar to Floppies • FAT keeps track of where files are • Must match taps to tape drive • Lots of standards • Careful of • Light, heat • Magnetic fields • Spills Pg 451

27. Removable Drives • Internal or external • Increase storage • Easy to move • Simple backups • Secure files physically • USB flash drives • External drive with USB or firewire connections • PCMCIA flash drives • ZIP, Optical, etc. Pg 455

28. Installing removable drives • Similar to other drives • Check connections • Some have special software • Check docs • Check jumpers if SCSI • See if it is recognized Pg 457

29. Fault Tolerance, Dynamic Volumes and RAID • Fault Tolerance • Elimination of a point of failure • Ability of PC to respond to a fault and not lose data • Redundant Array of Independent Drives (RAID) • Many Levels • Link drives together to appear as one • Hardware and Software Implementations Pg 458

30. Dynamic Volumes • Example of Software implementation of RAID • Types of Disks • Basic • Classic Drive-Divide up HD into partitions • Generally difficult to change partition sizes • Dynamic • Can allocate space as needed • Single drive letter may represent many physical and logical drives • Dynamic Volumes-XP and 2000 + Pg 458

31. Volume Types • Simple Volume • Like a traditional static partition • One area of HD represents on Drive letter • Spanned Volume • Single drive letter is made up of one or more spaces (partitions) on one or more HD • Fill the first partition and then the others • Striped Volume • Single drive letter is made up of one or more spaces on one or more HD • Write data to both spaces evenly. Fill both as it goes • Increases performance Pg 458

32. Volume Types • RAID 5 Volume • Striped across 3 or more devices • Uses parity checking • Extra information so it can rebuild data if part is lost Pg 458

33. Hardware RAID • Uses specialized HW • Either built into MB or bought as an expansion card • The drives that make are part of RAID are an Array • Best performance is from having drives of same size, speed, features • For servers, it is often useful to have hot swapping • Can switch out a drive without shutting down • RAID often part of Storage Area Networks (SAN) • Specialized network setup for storage Pg 460

34. Troubleshooting Multimedia • CD/DVDs • Burning CDs • Sound Problems • Installing Sound Card • Games without Sound • Tape Drives • Cartridge wont work • Data transfer is slow • Drive wont work • Fails intermittently Pg 462

35. CD/DVDs • Cables • Jumper Settings • BIOS • SCSI ID • Resources • Not on newer machines Pg 462

36. Burning CDs • HD needs space to buffer files to be written • Watch other programs that may interrupt process • CD brand troubles • Slow down burn rate Pg 462

37. Sound Problems • Speakers in right port • Internal Audio Cord from CD/DVD • Power • Volume control • Take a look • Check Device Manager • Use troubleshooting software if available Pg 463

38. Installing Sound Card • Drivers • Uninstall and reinstall • In Device Manager • Physically • Replace with one you know works Pg 464

39. Games without Sound • Drivers • Check special sound components in window • Direct Sounds, etc • Check utilities • Check sound card performance settings Pg 464

40. Cartridge • Check write protect tab • Remember these!!! • Proper insertion and type • Format? • Retension • Re-seat • How old is it Pg 465

41. Data transfer is slow • Check settings in software • Check hardware settings • Erase/reformat • New cartridge • Memory Pg 466

42. Drive wont work or Fails intermittently • Check cables • Check Device Manager • Old Tape • Clean Tape Head • Remember this from VCR? • Format • Tension • etc Pg 466