The typical hard drive is basically not much different than an old fashioned tape recorder.
There are magnetic heads which record data to your hard drive platters then read them back as information is needed. I won't get into how this data is stored right now, since what you really need to know is how to repair, maintain and recover your own hard drive.
Remember, a hard drive is not memory or ram (Random Access Memory).
If your program tells you there is not enough ram available to run an application, it isn't telling you that your hard drive has run short on space, but that your memory (ram) is not large enough to handle the program. You can also increase Virtual memory by using an area of the hard drive
to mimic Ram which will allow the program to run.
Whether you have a Serial ATA (AT Attachment) or standard IDE (also known as EIDE or PATA) drive, the mechanics are pretty much the same.
HDDs record data by magnetizing ferromagnetic material directionally, to represent either a 0 or a 1 binary digit. They read the data back by detecting the magnetization of the material. A typical HDD design consists of a spindle that holds one or more flat circular disks called platters, onto which the data are recorded. The platters are made from a non-magnetic material, usually aluminum alloy or glass, and are coated with a thin layer of magnetic material.
But the real important thing we want to address here is just How they get damaged in that sealed environment, and how to avoid it.
The best way to manage a failing hard drive is to use the software that originally came packaged with it. A lot of times you will discover a smart drive error has occurred and sometimes this error is false, but usually cannot be undone.
When a failure is anticipated by S.M.A.R.T., the drive is typically replaced and returned to the manufacturer, who uses these dead drives to discover where faults lie and how to prevent them from reoccurring on the next generation of hard disk drives. None of which help you right now.
A word of warning here about care, handling and maintenance.
Never cover that little breathing hole on your hard drive with tape. It is even better to make sure it is face down to prevent dust collecting on the hole.
Due to the extremely close spacing between the heads and the disk surface, any contamination of the read-write heads or platters can lead to a head crash, (a failure of the disk in which the head scrapes across the platter surface), often grinding away the thin magnetic film and causing
data loss. Head crashes can be caused by electronic failure, a sudden power failure, physical shock, wear and tear, corrosion, or poorly manufactured platters and heads.
Very high humidity for extended periods can also corrode the heads and platters.
So what we want to do here is first save the drive, second test the drive for errors and third try a data read and write to be sure the hard drive can do what it was designed for, Store Data.
All of this can be done with the CD that came with your hard drive. For those who are testing and fixing a drive that came with their PC, a disk may be obtained by finding the manufacturers site who made your drive and downloading the apropriate Drive Manager software for your Hard drive.--------------------------------------------
For further details click this link below:-- -------------
Daunting as it may seem, washing machine repair, for the most part is not all that difficult. I refer mainly to the Whirlpool, Kenmore, Estate, and Crosley brands. These direct drive wonders use so few parts to get your clothes clean that they should be listed in the Guinness book of world records as Most Efficient Machine of the Decade.
Other brands use such methods as Tub suspension and Electric pumps and belts to accomplish the same task, with less positive results.
If there were a leader of the pack ratings system for Washing machine failures, the leader would most definitely be Frigidaire.
This applies to both their Washing Machines and their Dryers. What compounds this problem is the fact that most of these failures are catastrophic, expensive, and a major parts replacement headache.
Nobody wants to buy a Washer or Dryer that has an average lifespan of 6 months to 2 years, and that is what most of us end up with these days.
This isn't entirely the manufacturers fault however. In an effort to please their customers, many manufacturers try to add innovative features and advancements which make your appliance more user friendly. The competition is often tough and heated with the end result that the manufacturer is often rushed, to market a machine that competes equally with it's name brand rivals.
The case for Front Loading Washing Machines
If you own one, or have owned one in the past, I won't surprise you with the statement that these are the most problematic and troublesome machines in this field. Front Loaders are prone to leak from their silicone aprons, burn out their rear bearings, slip off of their suspension brackets and kill their own motors and brains. That's why I Dub these the Suicide Machines.
When it comes to repairing these I take the, (Why Bother) approach.
After all, I can be virtually guaranteed that whatever work I have done it will come back to haunt me, and in the long run, damage my reputation.
The customer is reluctant to blame the maker of the machine, and only too happy to insult the technician, no matter how hard he has worked to make their pride and Joy function again.
By now I hope you grasp the fact that this article will not be your saving grace for that ailing Frigidaire, or that nasty leaking front loader with the glaring FF failure light.
This article applies only to those machines that earn the right to be called true Direct Drive Washing Machines.
Now On With The Show !
Direct Drive Washing Machines consist of 4 distinct parts.
The pump, the motor, the coupling and the transmission.
All of which can be disassembled and replaced by the least educated among us with very little difficulty.
Basically, if you can change the oil and filter in your car, fill your own dishwasher or de-lime your Mr. Coffee, you have all the skills you need to fix your OWN Direct Drive Washing Machine.
Tools required
1. A standard Flathead Screw Driver (Motor and Water Pump Retention Clips)
2. Water Pump Pliers for hoses (Channel Lock Pliers will also work)
3. A 1/4 inch socket and Handle, or 1/4 inch nut driver.(Motor Nuts)
4. A 9/16 to 5/8 inch socket and 3/8 inch ratchet (Transmission)
5. A 3/8 Socket and 3/8-8 inch extension plus 3/8 ratchet (Agitator)
6. Phillips Screw Driver
Symptoms and Cures
1. Symptom: Leaking water from the front of the washer
Cure: Tighten the Water hoses(Tools #2) to your machine or Replace your water pump (Tools, #1, #2 ) Remove the retention clips that hold your pump to the motor. Squeeze and slide your water pump clamps away from the water pump and remove the hoses, then replace the pump.
2. Symptom: Washer drains the water, but fails to spin or agitate.
Cure: Replace the Lid Switch (Tools #6)
or Replace the motor coupling located directly in front of and attached to the motor by removing the water pump (Tools, #1, #2 ), hoses, then the water pump Retention clips (Tools #1) then the nuts holding the motor clips down (Tools #3).and finally the clips holding the motor (Tools #1).
Pry the plastic tripod shaped plastic piece from both the motor and the transmission (Tools #1) and throw them away along with the Rubber cushion between them. Replace the Tripods with the new coupling partsexactly as they were before removal. The plastic tripods will be tight so you can tap them down flush to the motor shaft and transmission to seat them in place. Replace the rubber dampener on the transmission taking care to match the motor tripod to the empty teardrop shaped holes and seat the motor back in place then clip it all back together. I never replace the screws since they make no difference at all when locking the motor down. The clips are more than enough to keep this all together.
3. Symptom: Washer fills with water, but doesn't spin, agitate or drain, and no motor noise is heard
Cure: Again this may be a lid switch depending on the year and model (Tools #6) or it is the Start upcapacitor (Tools #3 or #5). The capacitor is usually a long 4 to 5 inch black to brown cylinder with 2 electric leads recessed into the head. It is located in one of 3 places. In the head and timer area, Mounted to the back inside wall of the machine or Screwed directly on the motor with a circular bracket. You can usually remove the capacitor easily if it's mounted to the inside wall or the motor. The head/timer area will require you to remove 2 Phillips head screws (Tools #6) slide the head forward and unhook it from the base of the machine.
The capacitor may either be mounted in the head itself, or the top of the steel base.
4. Symptom: Motor spins, water fills, pump drains water, lid switch activates the motor, timer hums but washer neither agitates or spins.
Cure: Replace the transmission.(Tools # 1 through #5). there are 3 bolts that hold the transmission in place, as well as the nut that holds the agitator in place.
I usually remove the agitator bolt first,
then tip the Washing Machine 60 degrees on it's back to access the transmission for this repair, then I remove the wire loom attached to the motor as well as the capacitor if it is screwed to the motor. Then remove the wires from the small plastic loop that locks the motor wire loom in place on the transmission. Next, remove the 3 bolts that hold the transmission to the machine and slide it out without bending the agitator shaft. Replace the transmission with a used or new transmission that exactly matches the old transmission agitator shaft length. Assembly is the exact reverse of disassembly.
5. Symptom: Washer does exactly what it is supposed to do, except that when the lid is opened, the tub makes a howling or grinding noise, and sometimes a shrieking or whistling sound, followed by a burning smell.
Cure: This is caused by the Tub Brake (Clutch) which is located directly on top of the transmission and has a loose rubber noise dampener ring attached to the outside of a shiny silver/chrome looking wheel. Inside this wheel you will find a circular ring with a spring and 2 dog eared bends in it like this /.
This piece is the actual brake (Clutch) shoe, and if every other hole on that shoe does not have a white pad riveted to it, your brake has either begun to fail, or has already failed completely. Replacement is easy, just grab your pliers, squeeze those 2 dog eared bends together and lift it out.
When you install the new one, be careful sliding the transmission back on because there is a white plastic cam on the drum that must be free spinning to activate the brake.
This cam must not rest between the Dog ear bends "/ ( a common mistake) but to either side of them " / or / ".
6. Symptom: Lower Agitator rotates, upper agitator spins freely, Clothes are still dirty.
Cure: Replace your Agitator Dogs.
This is a typical agitator dog replacement kit above, but in most situations, you will only need the 4 beige dogs you see in the picture.
You will need to remove your Agitator bolt to release the agitator assembly. Then you will need to pull the large white piece as seen at the top of the photo straight up to access the dogs directly. Most of the time the entire top half of the agitator breaks free, so don't get excited, this is to be expected. Replace the dogs in the slots provided exactly as they came out with the teeth grabbing the inner rim of the agitator. Then reassemble and bolt in place.
Any brand name dryer with these names attached may be considered a Whirlpool Product since all the parts are made by the same company.
Some of these apply to Clothes Dryers, and others To AC units and other major appliances..
Admiral (Canada)
Chambers
Coovert
Crosley
Danby
Estate
Inglis
Ikea
Kenmore
KitchenAid
Kirkland
Maytag Epic®
Roper
Speed Queen (Canada)
Sub Zero (undercounter ice makers)
Any of the name brands mentioned above will have the same or similar construction and parts as their Whirlpool counterpart, and these models will be what I address with this Tip. Depending on the model of Dryer you have you will find an array of cool little gadgets located in the heating section of your dryer. These gadgets are not named in a language you and I speak in daily conversation, but contain words such as breaker, limit switch, thermostat, overload sensor, and various other names that will have no meaning to the normal home owner.
What I will attempt to do is show you the no nonsense approach to fixing your own dryer with as little hassle as possible.
Lets start with the humble door switch.
This switch has been the culprit of many dead dryer issues for years for good reason. When I was young, most dryers had a flip down door, that at my tender age looked like a great place to sit while playing in the wash room. Unfortunately though, sitting on this door eventually bent it out and it wouldn't close tight enough to trip the door safety switch.
This ended up putting my Dad on the floor with a handful of tools trying to make it work. When he discovered, as I sat down on the open lid, what the problem was he simply sent me from the washroom and banned me from playing there, then promptly bent the door back. At which time the dryer began humming merrily along as if nothing had happened.
This is just one example of how easy it is to disable a dryer, without actually killing it. Another way is by bending their flexible vent pipe and blocking air flow from the back of the machine. I have actually had service calls that were repaired by simply unsticking their dryer flap on the outdoor exhaust port. Sometimes these have been blocked by a mower, planter or other object.
Some visits have been something as simple as a blocked lint screen.
Other things that cause a dryer to fail can be necklaces, money, rings, hair pins, Ballpoint pens, and the worst of all, underwire bra supports. These really wreak havoc on the Fan and Squirrel cage, and must be removed to prevent motor failure, overheat and eventually the motor fuse dies.
Another common cause of Clothes Dryer failure is excess lint buildup in the exhaust pipes, and any homeowner can clear this up easily with a
clean toilet brush and a bit of elbow grease.
The real surprise in all of this is that Belts seldom fail when a dryer is used on a daily basis. Fortunately though, the bag they come in provides a diagram showing you how to install it yourself.
So far we have covered some preventative techniques and some of them may have already given you a clue about what needs fixing. Others may have more in depth problems that none of these techniques address.
Either way, the situations presented above indicate what you should do before attempting to service your own Dryer.
The Electronic Thingamajigs
These little button like objects located around the back side of your dryer all serve a purpose and should never be shorted together just to make the dryer work. If they died or failed, then they did their Job and saved you from a possible shock or even a house fire. Of course, you can't actually SEE these gadgets until you take the back dryer panel off.
CAUTION! Unplug your Dryer before proceeding to this section!
Lets do that now and have a look around.
If you have a model listed at the beginning of this article, you should see 2 large chimney like squarish silver tubes attached to the back of your machine. To the left you have the exhaust tube and to the right you have the heater box. Mixed in with all of that are the little buttons and wires I mentioned earlier. These should never be jumped or bypassed for safety reasons as mentioned earlier.
For this step you will need a multimeter (multitester)
Analog or digital will do fine since you aren't actually trying to get any specific readings. All you will be looking for is the same result you get by touching those 2 little pointy things together, continuity.
To use this multimeter you will need to set the dial to OHM.
After selecting OHM you will be removing each set of wires from the device you are testing. Some have 4 wires, so remember that the wires you need to remove are the ones facing the exact opposite sides of the device you are testing. Replace the wires if you get a reading from the multimeter.
Some of these sensors and thermostats will make the numbers on a digital multimeter increase the longer you hold them there, while others will simply give a reading that is close to or the same as you get by touching the multimeter leads together.
What you are looking for though, is the device which makes nothing happen. The numbers don't move or on the analog multimeter the needle remains where it is.
When you get one of these, you need to remove it from the machine and try testing it just one more time to be sure you didn't make a mistake.
If all went well, and the device is indeed dead, you can safely assume that this is the part, or one of the parts that has died. Continue testing until you have covered every wire connecting to every device on the back of the dryer. Mark every place that you have removed a part from with the little number stamped on the component you have removed. This will save you from having to remember which part went where, when you reassemble.
One thing you need to test thoroughly is the heating element.
Remember that this is in the square chimney tube to your right as you face the back of the machine. Disconnect the wires leading to the coil and rather than testing the blade shaped connectors themselves, you will need to lightly sand a small bare patch on the actual coil itself and test it for breaks.
The coil is removed either by 2 screws on each side of the box, or on earlier models a hole directly above the heater box which leads to a single screw. You will need a long screw driver to reach this. After releasing this screw, you will need to lift the heater box up, then out.
Replace any dead items you find then move to the next step.
Now we will remove the back cover to the fan and exhaust tube.
Have a shop vac ready to **** out the dirt you will find there.
You will see several screws holding the exhaust tube in place at the bottom of the tube itself and on top of the dryer under or near the lint screen. Remove all of these screws and lift the tube out by tipping the dryer forward so that the exhaust tube slides out easily.
Now you will see a strange looking fan which resembles a hamsters treadmill. Beneath this fan inside the exhaust tube is where we want to go. This area is not easy to get to, but it must be scraped out and cleaned of all debris. This is also where you will most likely find one of the causes of your problem, whatever that may be.
After everything is cleaned and reassembled, and all parts have been replaced, you can do a test run with your dryer to verify that it has been fixed.
If you bought into the hype that Itunes is the only way to load your Ipod with music, you're not alone. Many other people also think that is the only way.
Fortunately for you (the person who actually owns the device), there are many third party programs that work with windows to allow dragging and dropping of anything you want into an Ipod.
Here is a brief list of some of my favorites, (Though I don't own an Ipod) that I use when helping friends build their library.
Ephod, Poddox, and Jhymm.
You can drag and drop virtually any file that can play in an Ipod with no hassle at all.
There are also many third party apps for Zune as well, all you need to do is google Zune converter.
Did I mention, I don't own an Ipod?
Well there are several good reasons for that.
Here are just a few:
1. Ipods are prohibitively expensive in my opinion.
2. All MP3 players are fragile and easy to break
3. Ipods by their very nature require you to pay more money to use them.
4. For what you pay, their lifespan just isn't worth it.
What do I own?
1. Ipod clones which play movies and have a built in camera
2. MP3/Video players that are also cell phone watches
3. Phones that play MP3's, Videos, and have a built in projector.
I choose to buy these no-name mp3 players because they are quite inexpensive, and readily available on Ebay and many other places.
Unlike an Ipod, though, these generic knockoffs were able to play Video before the original Ipod ever had that ability.
Some can even play TV and many others already had an FM tuner built in before Apple ever decided to step up and do the same.
Best of all though, if you break it, you wont go bankrupt replacing it!
Have you ever tried shopping for an MP3 player and found yourself wanting the one with a bigger memory chip installed, just to discover that having that extra 4 gigs was a major price increase?
Most generic players simply dont have that limitation because they have an SD slot included, and some others use a T-Flash slot just like the one on your cell phone.
What THIS does is give you absolute control over how much YOU can do with your Mp3 player. Now instead of stressing over which song you want to keep and which song you don't because you only have a few gigs of memory left, you can simply go buy a cheap SD or T-Flash memory card and add to your collection!
Imagine the possibilities!
Now that huge unmanageable list of songs or movies suddenly becomes much more manageable because you can easily remove the SD card you were using, and pop in another card with a whole different list.
But the real beauty of all this is that the tiny size of these memory cards allow you to have as many songs as you want in a completely portable format.
The second and I consider it the most important benefit is that you no longer have to worry about losing your music if your MP3 player gets dumped in the mud, run over by a car, or borrowed by a friend and lost because that memory card isn't locked up in the player any more!
The third benefit is that adding songs, text or video is so very much easier when you can simply pop that memory card in your PC without having to use ANY software at all.
Nowadays, just about every PC and Laptop has an SD card slot, and most T-Flash memory cards are sold with an SD adapter as well.
So, now that youre liberated from the cumbersome weight of inflated pricing and pay per song usage you may ask. Ok what next?
Now we learn how to record just about anything we want that can play through our PC speakers with a program called, Audacity.
Best of all, It's digital quality!
The only trick to this is that you need to change your recording channel to Stereo Mix, instead of Mic, and start the Audacity recording whatever happens to be playing through your speakers. You will need to make some gain adjustments on your Stereo Mix to get the sound levels where you want them, but other than that there is virtually no effort or learning curve involved.
To change your recording preferences navigate to the sound icon on the taskbar near the clock, Right click it and choose Volume Control.
Now click, options then properties.
On the mixer device bar scroll to your input device and click that, then check mark the box next to stereo mix and hit ok.
Now you will see the recording control window, here you will need to select Stereo Mix and close.
You have just set your PC up to record anything that comes out of your speakers, and this includes the song you may be playing in your browser right now including internet radio.
After Audacity has finished recording the audio, just click the red stop button and save as whatever audio format you desire. If you choose MP3, it will ask you where llame.dll is, so make sure it is where you can find it.
You can also edit this music, sing along with it and save it as a duet, morph the song or even add more bass if you wish.
Hopefully, you can see all the possibilities this represents, and benefit from it. Basically what it breaks down to is, whatever you can play through your PC speakers at whatever quality it plays at, you can capture the audio and play it back with the exact same quality that you heard when you first played it.
Audacity for PC
Audacity for Mac
There has been a lot of confusion lately about how best to connect your new DVD or Blueray player to your TV set. For many this has been a nightmare since the introduction of the new Component and HDMIversions of Higher Priced DVD and Blueray disc players.
Remember that your new Blueray player will play DVD's as well as Blueray Disc format movies.
For the common connection that most people use, there are only 3 wires to consider. Yellow for Video, Red and White for Stereo. Always use the line out jacks on the back of the player to connect to the TV. Use the Line in (Video In) jacks on the TV set.
The only thing to remember here is to match the colors exactly and select the video source from your TV remote control. If all those numbers and buttons are confusing to you, just memorize where your Source button is on the remote, and choose one input at a time until your DVD welcome screen appears.
The next higher quality Video source will be the component Video outputs on your DVD or BlueRay player. These will be Red, Green And Blue.
Also note that you will need a red/white audio cable for sound with these connections since the component outputs only transmit Video.
You will be able to see the audio connectors close to the red blue and green component outputs on most players. All connectors on your player will be outputs, unless you bought a DVD recorder and player.
We will reference only the player type at this time.
As mentioned before, you only need to match the wires from the DVD or BlueRay output to the exact input connectors on your TV, but now the audio connectors need to be used as well.
Component to component cables/
Stereo Audio Cables/
Use your source selector on the remote as before to View your movie.
The easiest connector to hit the market so far is the HDMI version, which combines the Video signal as well as the audio signal into a single manageable cable. If your TV set doesn't have this connector you will need to use one of the above methods to connect your system.
To use the HDMI you need only plug it in to the connector designed for its use on both the TV as well as the player.
There is very little chance you will connect this to the wrong port, but just in case your HDMI TV and DVD/Blueray player are equipped with an Optional USB port, you should read the panel closely to be sure you have the right port. Remember, these connectors should never be forced on. If they are too tight to connect, you may have chosen the USB port by mistake.
