Recent content by PC-Cobbler

Thanks a lot. Now I can root around at Newegg.

My laptop lost Wi-Fi connectivity, so I opened it up to discover that the two wires that connect to the internal Wi-Fi card had fallen off. It has a lot to do with my lack of dexterity -- big fingers, small connectors -- but I was unable to reattach them. I think I tried so many times that I...

UPDATE: I actually had two NVMe SSDs -- Toshiba and Samsung -- and two external enclosures -- Vantec and Plugable. With so many variables, I made some bad calls at first. After reformatting both SSDs to EXT4, I noticed that the Vantec was still having problems. It actually crashed the system a...

I found the problem. I made backups, then reformatted the drive to EXT4, as I only use the drive on Linux (the drive had been formatted NTFS). Wow, what a difference, it runs around five times faster. NTFS runs poorly on Linux, contrary to popular e-magazines.

@dwd999 That's only for Windows. Vantec does not have one for Linux. And I did not notice any difference on Windows. @USAFRet Unfortunately the other system I have is an older laptop with failing USB 3.0 ports (the USB 2.0 ones work, but that wouldn't prove anything). I will try to use the...

The Vantec part # is NST-205C3-SG. The link is ridiculously long. I bought it directly from Vantec, via its ebay page. As to the make and model of the laptop, that may be the issue. I didn't know it when I bought it from Newegg (advertised as "refurbished"), but it's an Asian gray market. If I...

I bought a slightly used (100 hours) Samsung PM961 NVMe SSD. Then I bought a Vantec external enclosure for it. Since my laptop does not have USB-C ports, I expected the performance to max-out USB 3.0. But no, the performance is worse than an HDD in an external enclosure. And sometimes the SSD...

I have an old PC with a motherboard that does not have a 19-pin motherboard connector for USB 3.0. I added a card that has a single port on the back to supply USB 3.0 to the case. I bought a specialty cable with two type-A cables on one end and a 19-pin motherboard connector on the other. I have...

Thanks to CountMike and Swa5931 for their replies. The HP laptop is from 2013, so any warranty issues are moot. I don't believe the external drives are the issue, as they are SSDs with little run-time sitting in Vantec enclosures. The contacts on the USB 3.0 ports could be worn off, but given...

My laptop's USB 3.0 ports are completely unreliable. If I connect an external data drive, I will soon see read errors. If I connect a drive with Linux installed, soon Linux will freeze. If I connect the same devices to a USB 2.0 port, everything runs fine, albeit slower. I realize that it is...

Thanks for the replies. I didn't think so, but it was worth a shot.

My laptop's USB 3.0 ports have died, but I do not want to buy a new laptop just now. It's an HP, but it's too old for many parts, and I don't even know if the ports or motherboard USB circuitry is the problem. All I have left are USB 2.0, HDMI, and VGA. Obviously I can use USB 2.0, albeit more...

As someone who fell afoul of one of the many breaches, I can tell you that the one year of credit monitoring goes no further. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are on your own. If you decide to place a credit freeze on your accounts with the four (yes, four) major credit agencies, you...

Toshiba and SanDisk had a great working relationship, partnering to develop world-class NAND flash. Then WDC buys SanDisk and the relationship degrades into one worthy of Jerry Springer. WDC is giving a master class on how not to run a partnership. And I predict that, sooner than later...

You're not the only one worried about the future of high-performance SSDs. I won't buy TLC, let alone QLC. Samsung will garner all of the business, both consumer and enterprise, for improved performance and reliability, while Intel, Micron, SK hynix, Toshiba, WDC, and the rest can compete for...