Tech Tips to Increase the Hard Disk Drive Life JohnNovember 11, 20220139 views Hard disk drives are the storage devices that store your files, media, and documents. For a long time, these have been used as the primary storage devices in desktop and laptop computer systems. On average, the lifespan of a hard disk drive is between three to five years. In comparison, SSDs are less prone to failure due to the absence of any moving parts, and they last for about ten years. In this post, we will discuss how you can enhance the lifespan of your hard drive so that you can access your vital data whenever you want. Below are the details. Keep it Cool You can increase your hard drive’s life by keeping it in a cool place. To save data, these devices use magnetic film represented by the sequences formed by changing the direction of magnetization. The film can get damaged by induced magnetic instability, called the superparamagnetic limit. In other simple words, the cooler the hard drive is, the more it will last. Also, it will perform and operate better in such circumstances. But please pay attention to the word cool. It’s cool, not cold, as the cold conditions have their own effects. So, try to avoid using the devices if you live in a very cold place or town. Use it when you Need It The lifespan of a hard drive depends on its usage. If you are using the device for storage purposes, it will last longer. If you own an external hard disk drive, try to avoid taking it everywhere you go. You can fall, or anything can happen to the device. After your trips, attach the drive with your system and then transfer the files you need to keep. Keep it Dry Humidity can play a major role in determining the lifespan of your drive. Not only the water itself is harmful to your drive, but the minerals present in the water too. If your wires contain less copper, you’ll face more resistance which ultimately leads to failure. Use the Hard Drive after a Gap If you are planning to save your data on a hard drive, we would recommend you not to use it on a daily basis. Instead, use it whenever you are looking to retrieve files. Also, if you have not used the device for a long period of time, make sure it’s working perfectly after every two months because electrical devices can fail at any time. Use Decent Cables Decent cables are vital as they are manufactured by a reliable and trustworthy source. So, don’t have to worry about their life and performance, considering the fact that cables play a major role in electronic IT and computer devices. Store it Safely Usually, people have several storage devices these days. And when they have kids around the corners, they try to pick everything their hands can grasp. So, if you have such a situation at your home too, where you have a toddler who tries to pick every device in his range, make sure to place your storage device away from his rage. Also, a hard disk drive can get damaged for a number of reasons, including floods, water bursts, accidents, etc. Make sure you have placed them in a sealed container or a place inaccessible to kids to enhance their life span. Monitor It The latest generation hard disk drives have several errors reporting abilities that can inform you if there is something not right. Hard drives are hard to maintain, and once they fail, you are in trouble as you have to struggle a lot to recover your data. So, keep a close eye on your hard drive. In case you feel there is something missing, troubleshoot it after investigating it, and you might be able to fix it sooner than you expect. Defragment It When the hard disk drive is fragmented, it means the information stored has become separated. Let us clear this by giving an example. Assume you are playing a record, but you had to skip the needle to get the entire song. Defragmentation puts everything to make the read/write process easier and more convenient. The latest OS will do this automatically. But it will be great if you keep an eye out every so often. Delete Temporary Files Windows creates a lot of temporary files during its normal operations, including browser cache, memory dumps, log files, cookies, etc. After the job is done, Windows tries to clean up files, but still, some of them remain. To enhance the lifespan of your hard drive, you are required to delete these files, and you can do that through Windows inbuilt Disk Cleanup utility. Surge Protectors Sudden power loss and or a power surge are extremely harmful to your hard drive. Usually, it occurs when you shut down a system forcefully or unplug the hard drive while it is spinning to the fullest. Another major reason for a hard drive failure is; if your computer crashes due to a hardware or software failure. This power loss can lead to mechanical failure and file system errors. In order to avoid all these circumstances, you should use a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) unit. To prevent disk errors, eject the hard drive carefully. It will enhance the life of your storage device. Recommendations Here are some of the best hard drives available in market: HS082HB – Samsung Spinpoint N2 80GB Hard Drive HD502IJ – Samsung Spinpoint F1 500GB Hard Drive DG072BAAJA – HP 73GB 2.5-inch Hard Drive XT763 – Dell 73GB 3.5-inch for PowerEdge Final Words Your hard drive doesn’t come with an exact lifespan, and nobody can tell how long a device will last. To keep the device working for years, you need to treat it with care.