If you know anything about computers, there is no chance that you haven’t heard about hard drives. Without them, we cannot keep the record of our essential data on our computers or other servers. They work like a blessing for us as they make our information easily available and applicable all the time and at all the places. There are two types of hard drives that are available in the world currently.
- Solid State Drives, aka SSDs: They come with no moving parts. SSDs tend to last longer than HDDs.
- Hard Disk Drives, aka HDDs: They are crafted with spinning platters, which helps the driver to keep the record of your data.
They are a kind of machine that are just the same as other machines. There is a possibility for them to be damaged, just like other mechanical devices. Many reasons can lead to a hard drive to be destroyed. They may include sudden shock, malware attack, system crack, failure, accidental drops, natural disasters, and many more.
A hard disk generally lasts up to four to six years. But you never know when the danger is going to hit you. God forbid, you could even face your hard drive failure right now while reading this article. Let’s hope that it doesn’t happen any time soon. And this is the optimal reason that one should keep backup of his valuable data on an external hard disk or any other storage services such as Google Drive, and DropBox. However, there are times when we forget to keep a backup of our data. In such a situation, data recovery services can rescue us to recover our data back. Check this website if you want to redirect to a professional data recovery service.
What Leads a Hard Drive to Malfunction?
They are generally crafted with subtle components. You may never apprehend how critical they are unless you open them up and have a look inside. There are two types of malfunctioning you can face when your hard drive is prone to be damaged.
1. Gradual malfunctioning
This malfunctioning happens in a slow-process. It doesn’t hit you hurriedly as it gives you symptoms before the failure. You are the luckiest person in the world if you have gradual malfunctioning as it leaves you with the chance of replacing it or keeping a backup of your valuable data. Two reasons can cause gradual dysfunction.
- If you do something that may wear down the moving parts of your hard drive.
- In case there happens a debasement of the components that keeps the record of your data.
You are the luckiest person in the world if you face this gradual malfunctioning because when your hard drive is malfunctioning gradually, it shows you signs. The signs may include:
- You may notice an unbelievably slow transfer rate while copying files.
- There may be a clicking sound coming out from it.
- Your files might go corrupt and may not work correctly.
These symptoms do not tend to occur in one day with gradual malfunctioning. However, if you notice any of the symptoms, you should take measures so that it can protect you from losing your data permanently.
2. Sudden Malfunctioning
If you are unlucky enough, you might fall victim to sudden malfunctioning, which occurs without giving out signs. It is very disappointing as you don’t have the chance to take measures. However, if you have a data backup, then it would come in handy in such a situation.
What to do to Increase the Life of Your Hard Drive?
We have discussed what causes hard drive failure. Now it’s high time that we take a gander at the things that can help us to prolong the life of our valuable hard drives. As we mentioned earlier, traditional ones usually come with a longer life span, but it also depends on the environment and situation that the drive belongs to.
If you happen to keep your hard drive in pressure by nudging it here and there, it would harm the subtle components and can lead it to be damaged soon. It is an abusive behavior, which needs to be taken care of carefully.
Another significant issue that cannot be overlooked is the matter of heating. If your hard drive overheats, the chances are that it may fail pretty soon. The subtle components that keep the data inside your hard drive tend to break down or loose down when it overheats. This is the optimal reason that you have to keep your computer safe from overheating. On the other hand, when it comes to external hard drives, I would recommend you to use it only a few times so that it can last longer.
Some tips that you should follow to prolong your hard drive’s life:
- Do not bang your computer. Jerking it or whacking it can cause the hard drive failure.
- Try to keep the computer away from overheating. Overheating damages the subtle components inside the hard drive.
- When your work is done, put it to rest so that it can cool down.
- Notice if there happens to be a weird sound or unusual sounds like clicking sound or screeching sound. If you notice one, call the doctor right away.
Taking these measures always helps to increase the life of a hard drive, since it is a delicate machine. You have to be careful, and you have to take care of it gently. It is made very critically that you cannot even imagine unless you crash it. One major thing you should always keep in mind is, no jostling around with the drive. If you do so, you will end up losing your data permanently. If you are still with me, hopefully, you will be able to increase the life of your hard drive effectively.
