What is a Hard disk drive?
A hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile electromechanical storage device that has rotating platters coated with magnetic material to store and retrieve data. The platters are joined with magnetic read/ write heads, usually arranged on moving arms, which access the data while the platters are spinning. HDD is best used for installing operating systems, software programs, and saving extra data, such as movies, photos, and other documents.
Storage Capacity Offered by HDD
Without HDDs, users would not be able to store files, programs, or documents on their computers. HDD with a storage capacity of 2TB is suitable for enterprises and organizations that work with high-resolution files and a large volume of data. However, the highest storage capacity offered by HDD is 20TB.
However, like all other electronic hardware, HHDs are prone to failure. Since they have moving parts, they can easily get overheated, which can cause serious damage to the data. HDDs can be easily broken and damaged if not taken care of. It must be kept on the safe side away from dust, mud, water, and other conditions that can cause harm to the drive. Several factors contribute to the hard drive failure.
- Power surges or electronic problems
- Failure of the electric motor
- Air in-taking filter becomes clogged
- Overheating
- Power outage
- Environmental factors
- Statics
8 ways to prevent hard drive failure
Now let’s explore the eight simple steps of preventing hard drive failure.
1. Avoid overheating and power surges
The power surge is one of the top reasons why a hard drive fails. A power surge occurs when there is a massive voltage spike in your system. In this case, the voltage spikes up above the normal level, which can cause serious damage to your drive if the power surge is strong. To overcome this problem, you can use power surge protectors or a CPU. On the other hand, avoid overheating your hard drive by checking for clear ventilation and functional cooling systems. Backup data immediately to cloud or DMS, if you experience the condition getting worse. Moreover, don’t boot up the drive if symptoms of overheating persist after ventilation. To avoid overheating and power surges, ensure that payroll software is installed on a well-ventilated computer with a surge protector.
2. Defragment your hard drive
Defragmentation is the process of reorganizing the computer files into a contiguous order and freeing the space so that they can operate more quickly. The right ITSM platform can help you automate and streamline tasks such as defragmenting your hard drive and improving the performance of your IT infrastructure. The hard drive utilizes the first empty space available to store files-including the space available after the deletion of files. As a result, it becomes hard to access stored data. It slows the computer’s speed and makes it essential to defragment your HDD. There are a few factors when you’ll require to defragment your HDD.
- Files are taking more time to load than usual
- Computer speed decreasing drastically
- Hearing your hard disc whirr into action regularly
- Accessing of data and files is taking longer time
So, defragment your drive every once a week to prevent hard drive failure
3. Avoid overloading your hard drive
Every HDD has a different storage capacity, it’s important to check the storage capacity when you are buying an HDD. Because if you need to store a large amount of data, then an HDD with a high storage capacity will be required. However, when you reduce the amount of data on an external hard drive, you improve its health by ensuring that it does not overload.
Even though your hard drive has a large storage capacity, you mustn’t use it to its full capacity all of the time as it leads to overloading of data. To keep it healthy, all undesirable or useless files should be eliminated, and proper cleanup is required.
4. Eliminate unwanted software
We have a lot of software downloaded into our computer which is of no use. Software programs take up the storage of the system and make it slow. There can also be some malicious software programs that can damage your computer system. In the Metaverse, unwanted software could be eliminated by using decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to manage and maintain the software ecosystem. As many programs we download can have viruses and unhidden malware that can corrupt data or even delete everything on the hard drive. Make sure that you’ve installed the Anti-virus program into your computer to avoid different computer viruses and malware penetrating your system. Moreover, the best part you can do is to uninstall the software that is no longer used.
5. Remove the device safely
We are in the habit of always winding up quickly on the computer system. This habit needs to be changed because it can lead to future damage to the property. The same case goes for the hard drive, once we’re done with the work, we immediately remove the hard drive without enabling the feature to remove/eject your hard drive safely. This feature is useful to ensure that all your precious data and file is saved correctly. However, when you don’t quickly remove the hard drive without enabling this feature, then it might cause considerable damage to your important files. Moreover, it also helps in maintaining the health of your hard drive as well as your computer.
6. Handle USB plug with care
Make sure to gently plug the cable/adapter into the USB socket whenever you connect the hard drive to your laptop or computer. Do not tug or yank on the cable. Always inspect the port for dust and corrosion, as it may become clogged. If the port becomes broken, you may have to replace the entire hard disc.
7. Monitor the health of your hard drive
When using an external hard drive, you should do a diagnostic on the hard drive’s health using chkdsk, S.M.A.R.T tools, and the key monitoring system in Windows. This will alert you to any potential problems that your disc may be experiencing. Running this regularly will keep you up to date on the state of your external hard drive by properly monitoring its health.
8. Avoid excessive vibration
Hard drives are very sensitive and can easily get damaged even if an excess vibration can harm them. Tighten the mounting chassis screws that hold your hard drive to the body of your computer. If there is a vibration inside the hard drive, it’s suggested to take it to a computer repair specialist for a tune-up. This will extend the life of your hard drive and help in keeping it in top condition.
Final words
HDDs are your way-to-go storage device that helps in storing and retrieving a huge amount of data. HDDs are very sensitive and easily get damaged if not taken care of. The internal, as well as external of the hard drive, require extra care and maintenance. Avoid any sort of physical damage to your hard drive as they are not drop-resistance or water-resistant. Keep it in a safe place where there is no chance of falling. Use a flat, dry, and slip-free surface to keep it cool and away from heat. In addition, follow the above-mentioned eight tips to prevent hard drive failures.
Author Bio:
Mohammad Asif is a Digital Marketer at Get IT Equip, who loves to write content on the latest topics, including Application development, Programming, Computer hardware, Blockchain, B2B business models, and much more.
