1. Working with Removable Storage Devices
Removable storage devices can be formatted with NTFS, FAT, FAT32, and exFAT. You connect external
storage devices to a computer instead of installing them inside the
computer. This makes external storage devices easier and faster to
install than most fixed disk drives. Most external storage devices have
a USB, a FireWire
interface, or an eSATA interface. When working with USB and FireWire,
the transfer speed and overall performance of the device from a user’s
perspective depend primarily on the version supported.
Currently, several versions of USB and FireWire are used. USB 2.0 is
the industry standard while the world transitions to USB 3.0. USB 2.0
devices can be rated as either full speed (up to 12 Mbps) or high speed
(up to 480 Mbps). Although high-speed USB 2.0 supports data transfers
at a maximum rate of 480 megabits per second (Mbps), sustained data
transfer rates usually are from 10 to 30 Mbps. The actual sustainable
transfer rate depends on many factors, including the type of device,
the data that you are transferring, and the speed of the computer. Each
USB controller on a computer has a fixed amount of bandwidth that all
devices attached to the controller must share. The data transfer rates
will be significantly slower if a computer’s USB port is an earlier
version than the device you are using. For example, if you connect a
USB 2.0 device to a USB 1.0 port, or vice versa, the device operates at
the significantly reduced USB 1.0 transfer speed.
USB 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0 ports all look alike. However, most USB 3.0
ports I’ve seen have a special coloring to differentiate them. Still,
the best way to determine which type of USB ports a computer has is to
refer to the documentation that came with the computer. Newer monitors
have USB 2.0 ports to which you can connect devices as well. When you
have USB devices connected to a monitor, the monitor acts like a USB
hub device. As occurs with any USB hub device, all devices attached to
the hub share the same bandwidth, and the total available bandwidth is
determined by the speed of the USB input to which the hub is connected
on a computer.
FireWire (IEEE
1394) is a high-performance connection standard that uses a
peer-to-peer architecture in which peripherals negotiate bus conflicts
to determine which device can best control a data transfer. Several
versions of FireWire are currently used. FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) has
maximum sustained transfer rates of up to 400 Mbps. IEEE 1394b allows
400 Mbps (S400), 800 Mbps (S800) and 1,600 Mbps (S1600). As with USB
devices, if you connect a IEEE 1394b device to a IEEE 1394a port or
vice versa, the device operates at the significantly reduced FireWire
400 transfer speed.
As with USB ports, the sustained transfer rate for IEEE 1394a and
IEEE 1394b ports will be considerably less than the maximum rate
possible. IEEE 1394a and IEEE 1394b ports and cables have different
shapes, making it easier to tell the difference between them—if you
know what you’re looking for. With that said, FireWire 400 ports and
cables look exactly like early versions of FireWire that were
implemented prior to the finalization of the IEEE 1394a and IEEE 1394b
specifications. FireWire cables and ports that have four pins and four
connectors lack bus power. FireWire 400 cables and ports have six pins
and six connectors. FireWire 800 and FireWire 1600 cables and ports
have nine pins and nine connectors.
Network-ready devices may connect directly to your network via
Ethernet cable. Many of these devices are now rated at 1 gigabit per
second (gbps), which is the same as saying 1,000 Mbps. 10 gbps devices
are also becoming increasingly available.
Before you purchase an external
device for a computer, you should consider what interfaces your
computer supports and the interfaces the device uses. In some cases,
you might be able to get a device with a dual interface that supports
USB 2.0 and FireWire 400, or a triple interface that supports USB 2.0,
FireWire 400, and FireWire 800. A device with dual or triple interfaces
will give you more options.
In the Computer console or Disk Management, you can work with removable disks by pressing and holding or right-clicking a disk, and then using the following commands:
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Tap or click Open to examine the disk’s contents in File Explorer.
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Tap or click Format to format removable disks. Removable disks generally are formatted with a single partition.
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Tap or click Properties to view or set properties. On the General
tab of the Properties dialog box, you can set the volume label.
When you work with removable disks, you can customize disk and
folder views. To do this, press and hold or right-click the disk or
folder, and then tap or click the Customize tab. You can then specify
the default folder type to control the default details displayed. For
example, you can set the default folder type as Documents or Pictures
And Videos. You can also set folder pictures and folder icons.
Removable disks support network file and folder sharing. You
configure sharing on removable disks in the same way that you configure
standard file sharing. You can assign share permissions, configure
caching options for offline file use, and limit the number of
simultaneous users. You can share an entire removable disk, as well as
individual folders stored on the removable disk. You can also create
multiple share instances.
Removable disks differ from standard NTFS sharing in that
there isn’t necessarily an underlying security architecture. With
exFAT, FAT, or FAT32, folders and files stored do not have any security
permissions or features other than the basic read-only or hidden
attribute flags that you can set.
2. Working with Data Discs
CD and DVD disc images are often stored as ISO files, as are Blu-ray
discs. Windows 8 has built-in capabilities to recognize ISO images and
burn them to CD or DVD. Windows 8 also has built-in disc burning
features that you can use to create data discs. Before you burn data
discs, you should familiarize yourself with the disc types and disc
file system options that are available.
Disc Burning: The Essentials
By default, when you insert a blank disc, Windows 8 shows a Burn
button on the File Explorer toolbar. Tapping or clicking this button
starts the Burn A Disc Wizard, which you can use to create a data disc.
Keep in mind that computer disc players are different from players for
homes or cars. Typically, your computer disc player is designed to read
commercially produced discs, as well as computer-burned discs in
specific formats, but a home or car disc player won’t necessarily be
able to recognize a disc you create on a computer.
Most disc burners support multiple disc types. Windows 8 natively
supports burning data CDs to CD-R, CD+R, and CD-RW and burning data
DVDs to DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM. DVDs can be
single-sided and single-layered or single-sided and dual-layered.
Windows 8 also natively supports Blu-ray. If a computer has a Blu-ray
burner, you might also be able to burn Blu-ray discs.
Windows 8 supports two approaches to burning discs:
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Disc mastering
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Live file system
Most Windows programs create data
discs using a mastered approach, and discs are written in an
appropriate file system format automatically. With a mastered approach,
you select a collection of files that you want to copy to a disc and
then burn all the files at once. When you are burning large collections
of files, this is a convenient approach, with the added bonus of
compatibility with any computer or device that supports the type of
data disc you are using.
When you burn files to data discs using mastering, you burn files in
a session. In many disc burning programs, you have the option of
leaving a session open in order to add files later, and then you close
the session when you are done adding files. By closing the session, you
finalize the disc and allow it to be read on other computers and
devices. Otherwise, while a session is open, the disc can be read only
on a compatible computer.
In contrast, a data disc with a live file system works like any
other type of removable storage, such as a USB flash key or a removable
disk drive. You can add files to the disc without having to burn them
simply by copying and pasting files or by dragging and dropping files.
If the disc is re-recordable, you can remove files by selecting them
and deleting them. If you eject the disc, you can insert it into your
CD/DVD drive later and continue to use it like removable storage.
Data discs with a live file system are formatted using the Universal
Disc Format (UDF) rather than the standard CD File System (CDFS).
Generally, only computers can read UDF-formatted data discs. Windows 8
supports burning data discs in several UDF versions, including:
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UDF 1.5 A format
compatible with Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows. It might
not be compatible with Windows 98 or Apple computers.
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UDF 2.0 A format
compatible with Windows XP and later versions of Windows. It might not
be compatible with Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Apple computers.
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UDF 2.01 The
default format, which includes a major update that you’ll want to take
advantage of in most cases. This format is compatible with Windows XP
and later versions of Windows. It might not be compatible with Windows
98, Windows 2000, or Apple computers.
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UDF 2.5 A format optimized for Windows Vista and later. It might not be compatible with earlier versions of Windows or Apple computers.
You mount an ISO to create a virtual disc that you can work with
much like a physical disc. For example, if you mount an ISO for an
application, you can use the mounted ISO to install the application.
To mount an ISO image as a virtual disc, do one of the following:
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In File Explorer, press and hold or right-click the .iso file that you want to mount and then tap or click Mount.
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In File Explorer, tap or click the .iso file that you want to use to create a data disc. Next, press and hold or right-click the .iso file that you want to mount and then tap or click Mount.
Burning ISO Images to Disc
You burn an ISO image to create a physical disc. You can then use
the disc with disc drives in other computers. To burn an ISO image,
complete the following steps:
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Insert a blank disc into your disc burner. If the AutoPlay dialog
box is displayed, tap or click the Close button (the red button with
the X).
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In File Explorer, press and hold or right-click the .iso file that
you want to use to create a data disc and then tap or click Burn Disc
Image.
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In the Windows Disc Image Burner dialog box, shown in Figure 1, use the Disc Burner list to select the disc burner, and then tap or click Burn.
You can burn a mastered disc by completing the following steps:
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Insert a blank disc into your disc burner. Do one of the following:
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In the AutoPlay dialog box, tap when prompted and then select Burn Files To Disc–File Explorer.
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If the AutoPlay dialog box is not displayed, open the Computer
window. In the Computer window, press and hold or right-click the disc
burner, and then tap or click Open AutoPlay. In the AutoPlay dialog
box, select Burn Files To Disc–File Explorer.
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In the Burn A Disc Wizard, shown in Figure 2, type a disc title. To create a mastered disc, select With A CD/DVD Player. When you tap or click Next, the data disc is opened in File Explorer. The main pane displays an empty burn list. Don’t close this window.
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Using File Explorer, drag files to the burn list or select and copy
files to the burn list. Files in the burn list are copied from their
original location and written as temporary files to a temporary folder.
This temporary folder is created in the user’s personal profile. Copies
of these files are created to be sure that all the files are in one
place and that you have appropriate permissions to access the files
before trying to burn the disc.
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When you are ready to continue, press and hold or right-click an
empty area in the Files Ready To Be Written To The Disc panel and then
tap or click Burn To Disc. In the Burn To Disc Wizard, the disc title
is set using the title you provided previously, and the recording speed
is set to the maximum speed supported by the disc drive.
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When you tap or click Next, Windows 8 adds the files you selected to
a disc image and then writes the files to your data disc. When finished
burning the disc,
Windows 8 automatically ejects the disc by default. Also by default,
the temporary files are deleted, and you can then tap or click Finish
to exit the Burn To Disc Wizard. If you want to burn the same files to
another disc, select the Yes, Burn These Files To Another Disc check
box before tapping or clicking Finish.
If an error occurs while burning, you’ll see an error message.
You’ll have the option of trying again with a different disc, deleting
the temporary files that have not burned, or saving all the temporary
files and trying to burn them later. If you try again, make sure you
select a slower burn speed. Although your disc drive may be able to
burn at a high speed, the disc itself may not be rated for burning at
the speed you selected.
Generally, if you see a burn error, only a portion of your files
will have been written to the disc. If the burn session is still open,
you can try to burn to the disc again. Occasionally, you may find that
you have to use a new blank disc.
Burning Discs with Live File Systems
You can burn a data disc with a live file system by completing the following steps:
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Insert a blank disc into your disc burner. If the Burn
A Disc Wizard doesn’t start automatically, open the Computer window. In
the Computer window, double-tap or double-click the disc burner. Or if
the AutoPlay dialog box is displayed instead, select Burn Files To
Disc–File Explorer.
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In the Burn A Disc Wizard, type a disc title. To create a UDF disc
with a live file system, select Like A USB Flash Drive. When you tap or
click Next, Windows creates a live file system on the disc and then
opens the data disc in File Explorer.
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The Files Ready To Be Written To The Disc pane displays an empty burn list. Don’t close this window.
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Because you are working with a live disc, there is no burn list. You
can now add files to and remove files from the disc as you would with
any other disc device. With re-recordable discs, files are removed and
the space is freed for other files. With standard recordable discs, the
files are marked as deleted but actually still exist on the disc.
Because of this, the space used by the deleted files is still allocated
and cannot be used by other files.
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While the disc is inserted, Windows 8 maintains an open burn session
for the disc. If you eject the live data disc, Windows 8 closes the
burn session so that you can use the disc with other computers. From
then on, whenever you insert the disc, you can add or remove files
using File Explorer. Windows will open another burn session only if you
modify the disc’s contents. As before, you can close the session by
ejecting the disc. You can also close a burn session by pressing and
holding or right-clicking the disc drive in the Computer window and
then tapping or clicking Close Session.
Changing the Default Burning Options
You can change a computer’s default burning options by completing the following steps:
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Open the Computer window. In the Computer Window, press and hold or
right-click the disc drive, and then tap or click Properties.
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On the Recording tab, use the Disc Burning list to set the default burner on a computer with multiple disc burners.
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Use the options provided to specify where temporary files are stored.
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If you don’t want mastered discs to be ejected automatically after they are burned, clear the related check box.
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By default,
Windows closes discs with live file systems when you eject them. To
confirm or modify this behavior, tap or click Global Settings. In the
Global Settings dialog box, specify whether and when sessions are
closed using the options provided, and then tap or click OK.
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Tap or click OK to save your settings.
