Micron acquires flash memory maker Numonyx
Micron Technology has agreed to acquire flash memory maker Numonyx, adding NOR flash chips -- a memory type commonly found in mobile phones and MP3 players -- to its product lineup and expanding its manufacturing capacity Read more...

Seagate doubles capacity of data center hard drive

Intel preparing six-core chips for desktops, servers

Samsung first with lower cost, power saving 30nm DDR3 DRAM

Intel, Micron to announce world's densest flash memory

Intel and Micron first to 25nm with new flash memory chips

Samsung forecasts big year for 3D TV, memory chips

Review: Kingston's new USB drive offers public and encrypted partitions

Symantec touts NetBackup 7, Backup Exec 2010, 'de-duplication everywhere'

Fujifilm, IBM tech could yield 35TB magnetic tape drives

More Hardware Stories

The Liquid Data Center
Liquid cooling is coming sooner than you might think, says Robert L. Mitchell. Standards may have to come later.

Intel and Micron first to 25nm with new flash memory chips
Intel and Micron plan to unveil new 25-nanometer flash memory chips on Monday via their IM Flash Technologies joint venture, the first commercial chip products made using advanced 25nm manufacturing technology.

EU says OK to Oracle-Sun, Rambus-Samsung deal
The European Union gave the green light to Oracle's plan to buy Sun Microsystems. We expect one of next week's top story entries will be about Oracle's plans for Sun. Otherwise this week, Rambus and Samsung settled a legal dispute and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that her department will unveil initiatives to fight Internet censorship, which provoked ire from China. And, of course, there were more rumor rumblings and reports based on anonymous sources regarding Apple's tablet, which could well take top billing in next week's IT news.

Norton Ghost 15: Capable Imaging and Backup
Symantec's Norton Ghost 15 ($60 as of January 11, 2010) substantially improves one of the most capable disk-imaging programs on the market. Some of the new features are of interest only to business IT managers, while others will appeal to consumers. And all of the enhancements make this a powerful tool for anyone serious about backup and recovery.

CrystalDiskInfo is SMART About Hard Drives
CrystalDiskInfo (free) is a utility program which tells you just about everything about the hardware performance of your hard disk--including how likely it is to stop performing in the near future. It uses the S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) protocol, which is included in most hard disks likely to be found in recent systems, to tell you what's going on with your discs. This includes such details as current drive temperature, number of failed read or write attempts, how long the drive has been running and how often it's been started and stopped, and so on. As various factors approach thresholds of danger, CrystalDiskInfo will alert you, letting you know it's time to make backups while you still can. Generally, once a drive starts to die, it will tumble downhill fast, so if you begin seeing an uptick in failure rates, it's often best to assume the worst.

Reasons to Partition
Michael Crandall wants to know if dividing his hard drive into multiple, smaller partitions will improve its speed.

Free Up Hard-Drive Space, Fast
Your hard drive is full. Normally that isn't such a big deal, but what if you need to grab a coworker's files before she leaves for a vacation, or what if you want your massive overnight file download to go off without a hitch? Here are some short-term tips for clearing space on your hard drive until you have the time to do a proper cleanup.

SSDs and the MacBook Pro
In this week's video, I take you on a video follow-up to my article about adding an ExpressCard solid state drive to certain MacBook Pros.

Make A PC Hassle-Free, Part 4: Create a Drive Image
Now that you've created a system-repair disc, dumped the junkware, and taken steps to secure your new PC, it's time to perform what I consider to be the ultimate hassle-prevention step: imaging (a.k.a. cloning your hard drive).

How (and Why) to Partition Your Hard Drive
Disk partitioning--separating one physical hard drive into multiple independent volumes--can relieve all sorts of computer-related headaches, and thanks to the Disk Management tool included with Windows 7 and Vista, you can perform the task without expensive third-party software. Here's how to use Disk Management to make the most of your hard drive.

Editors' Picks

Watch the most compelling Super Bowl ads of years past from the likes of Intel, Iomega, EDS, Apple and Xerox, then vote for your favorite in our reader poll. As the technology used to create NAND flash memory continues to shrink, bit error rates and reliability issues are increasing, forcing solid-state memory makers to look for alternatives. You're ready to advance, but your manager is asleep at the switch. Here's how to get ahead without a boost from your boss. These applications can help you turn your raw video into a snazzy presentation.

IT Jobs

hot topics

Get the latest news, reviews and more about Microsoft's newest desktop operating system.

• Apple
• E-book readers
• Google
• iPhone
• Mac A to Z
• Microsoft

special report topics

General Mills, Genentech, San Diego Gas & Electric, University of Pennsylvania and Monsanto top the list.

An organization's business continuity plan helps keep critical functions running during an emergency—the power fails, a virus is unleashed on your network, a natural disaster has occurred. Even the slightest downtime or loss of data can cripple your operation. CDW can help you prevent disaster by implementing a well-planned recovery strategy. Disaster Preparedness: How to Develop a Business Continuity Plan Review a five-step process to develop a comprehensive business continuity plan. Trend Advisory Disaster Planning Pays Off NAS or SAN - is one better for Business Continuity? Top 10 Things to Know about Business Continuity View Entire Zone

"How would you like to never reboot again? That's what ksplice promises for Linux users...." Read more "This executive-floor user calls newbie pilot fish to complain that her monitor has mysteriously gone blank. Can fish help her..." Read more "Microsoft has concluded that..." Read more More Hardware Blogs See all Computerworld Blogs