MaximumPC 2004 08

1

GOOGLE.COM: It’s the only web site we know of that’s used as both

a noun and a verb. Learn to make Google work for you, and you’ll

never regret it.

2

WINDOWSUPDATE.COM: Update Windows regularly! It’s good for you,

it’s good for your friends, and it’s good for those tiny baby seals that

live down by the sea. Really.

3

ARSTECHNICA.COM: Hardware- and software-agnostic computing

news is only a bookmark away. Ars Technica has something for

computer geeks of every persuasion.

4

SLASHDOT.ORG: “News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters.” Slashdot’s tag

line says it all.

5

SHACKNEWS.COM: If it’s gaming, Shacknews covers it. Get all the lat-

est news about games here.

6

THEINQUIRER.NET: More than 90 percent of computer-related news on

the net originates here. OK, we made that up, but The Inquirer is

always five minutes ahead of the rest of the web.

7

PENNY-ARCADE.COM: Every once in a while we all need a laugh. The

wacky-asses at Penny Arcade will provide just that, if you read the

column too!

8

GIZMODO.COM: If you ever wondered where that gadget-savvy pal

finds out about all his wonderful toys, it’s probably Gizmodo. Get

the latest on PDAs, wireless tech, and just-plain-cool stuff.

9

HYPERDICTIONARY.COM: Every word a link. Every link a definition. This

is the way dictionaries should be.

10

WIKIPEDIA.COM: The Internet’s own free encyclopedia. With more

than 170,000 articles, the Wikipedia holds answers to many of your

burning questions.

11

MAXIMUM PC FORUM: With 2 million-plus posts, the Forum holds the

collective wisdom of hordes of helpful -aXimUm 0# readers. Go to

http://www.maximumpc.com and click Forums.

11 WEB SITES THAT EVERY GEEK SHOULD BOOKMARK

Why settle for a single hard drive when

you can easily pair it with a second

drive and have yourself a RAID array?

It’s an upgrade that’s accessible to

anyone! Here’s what you need to run

RAID: At least two hard drives of the

same capacity (and preferably the

same make and model) and a RAID

controller, which can be either an

onboard chip or an add-in PCI control-

ler. Once you have these ingredients,

you must prepare your system for a

fresh install of your operating system,

so back up all your files and make sure

you have drivers for the RAID control-

ler on a floppy disc (this is crucial).

Got the files on a floppy? Great.

Now attach the hard drives to the RAID

controller, insert your XP CD into the

optical drive and boot your PC. During

boot, a screen following the POST

screen will identify the RAID control-

ler and the drives attached to it along

with a prompt to set up your array.

Press the buttons as instructed on the

screen (usually Ctrl+F) and select “auto

configuration” in order to streamline

the array creation process. You will

then be prompted to select whether

How To...

SET UP A RAID ARRAY

30 MINUTE

you want a striped

or mirrored array.

(Striping breaks

data into chunks

and paints it

across both drives

to share the work-

load, and mirror-

ing simply writes

everything to both

drives so you have

a backup in case

one drive fails.)

Once the wizard

finishes creating

the array, it will

reboot your PC.

Upon reboot,

enter the BIOS

and make sure the boot sequence starts

with the CD-ROM drive holding the XP

CD. Your PC will then commence the XP

installation sequence; have your finger

poised over the F6 key because you will

suddenly be prompted to press F6 to

install RAID drivers. Once XP finishes

its loading process, you’ll be prompted

to insert the floppy disc containing the

RAID controller drivers. If all goes well,

your PC will examine the floppy disc,

prompt you to select the correct drivers

for installation, and then “see” the RAID

array for the first time.

Once this process is complete,

you should be able to install XP as if

you were using a single hard drive.

Congratulations on installing a RAID

array—here’s your cookie!*

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

è Running a two-drive striped array

doubles your chances of suffering data

loss because if one drive fails, you lose

the data stored on the entire array.

Running this type of configuration

without a reliable backup method is like

running next to a pool with a pair of

scissors while you’re staring directly at

the sun. It just isn’t smart.

è A hard drive’s worst enemy is heat,

so if possible leave a gap between the

two drives when you mount them for

optimum air circulation. Installing a

case fan in front of the drives is also a

good idea. n

COOkie nOt inCLUDeD

How-To

54 MAXIMUMPC AUGUST 2004

When you press F6 to install drivers, you’ll see a screen like this.