Two computer questions (hard drives and keyboard)

Factual Questions
#1

I have two questions:

  1. Are some hard drives louder than others? I just got mine replaced, the old one was a Maxtor 80 GB, my new one is a Western Digital 120 GB. This new one is louder than my old one, it seems to grind more. Is that normal?

  2. My keyboard is working fine, but a frequent shortcut I use - CTRL + PAUSE/BREAK to get to the system properties doesn’t work anymore. This is a Sony keyboard, but even FN+CTRL+PAUSE/BREAK won’t work.

Any advice?

#2

Yes. Most hardware review sites include noise ratings for HDs.

The shortcut is normally Windows-Pause/Break. Was the Ctrl one something you set up?

#3

Thanks, the noise throws me off sometimes, my old hard drive was making a lot of noise (it normally didn’t make much) before it went bad.

Why did I think it was CTRL? :smack: You are right of course, and it works fine using the Windows key. You’ve helped me out quite a bit lately Number, thank you, I really appreciate it.

#4

That’s odd. I have a 120GB WD Caviar. Most of the reviews I read before I bought it mentioned how quiet it was. Personally it’s hard for me to tell, since I have five hard drives in my computer and the damn thing is so loud that it’s hard to tell what noises are coming from where.