Windows 101 for Mac Transplants: Exploring Drives

Windows is, generally speaking, the default operating system used in a business setting. The same isn’t necessarily true amongst personal use… and with more organizations branching out and using Chromebooks and Macs, general familiarity with Windows is less and less of a given amongst younger users who your company may employ.

Understanding various tools, however, is advantageous—especially if there’s disparity between what one uses at home and what is standard at work. Let’s explore how Windows' different drives work and how to use them effectively.

For more information regarding the Windows OS, make sure you check out the rest of our “Learning Windows” blog articles.

How to Locate and Manage Your Drives

In Windows 11, all of your drives can be found by accessing the File Explorer. You can open it by using the Windows Key + E shortcut, and from there, find all your connected drives in the My PC section. These drives are likely as follows:

• The C: Drive - This drive will be the primary one, hosting the operating system and most software you depend on. 
• Additional Drives and Partitions - Any extra drives or storage partitions (segmented portions of your existing drives) will be lettered alphabetically, starting with C:, as A: and B: are reserved for forms of removable media that are largely unused now. Most work networks will have network drives that are centrally located on the network (as opposed to within your computer) that everyone accesses.
• The Optical Drive - This drive allows you to read discs and similar media. If you have one of these, it is frequently the last one listed that are connected to your device.
• External Drives - These separate devices will be listed in the File Explorer when connected to your computer.

The File Explorer is effectively the Windows version of Finder, and operates similarly to it. You can create new folders and move files around using this interface.

The Big Difference: You Can Add More Storage to a Windows Device

Here’s the thing: Some Macbooks don’t allow for additional drives to be added. A hard drive can be switched out for one with larger storage, or an external hard drive can be hooked up… what you can’t do is simply add additional internal drives to certain Mac models.

Windows, on the other hand, will allow you to add as many drives as your motherboard can connect to and your case can hold. The more ports you have, the more drives your device can utilize. Just pay attention to the form factor of these drives and make sure it matches your PC hardware.

Want Help Managing Your Storage Options? Lean On Us!

Of course, you have more options than just the storage on your individual PCs… there’s local storage in your servers and cloud options for you to consider, too. Regardless of how you approach your business storage needs, KB Technologies is here to help. 

Give us a call at (954) 834-2800 to find out more about what we can do to address your business’ needs.