Know To Take Care Of Your Hard Disk

As I mentioned in the previous post, the most common hardware problem in your computer is hard disk failure. Hard disk failure will result in data lost as well as consumes your time and money. Hence, there are few precautions below that are wise to follow to optimize your hard disk’s health and life.

1. Prevent Sudden Power Blackout. Sudden power blackout will cause a serious scratch over the hard disk platter by the hard disk read-write head when it loses its centripetal force and trying to return to its rest position in the centre. The following practices can avoid your computer from experiencing sudden power blackout.
i) Properly shut down your computer every time by logging off . Never shut down computer by cutting off or switching off the power supply.
ii) Use power backup device like Uninterruptible Power Supply(UPS) to prevent power interruption experienced by your computer.

2. Prevent Your Computer(Hard disk) From Mechanical Shock or Impact
i) As we know, although each time the hard disk read-write heads only hover over its platters to read and write data, but each head is only nanometer away from the platter. Hence, shock or impact may result in collision or contact of the head with the platter and damages the platter’s magnetic surface. If the impact occurs when the hard disk is running, a more serious damage may occur as platters expand due to heat reduces the distance between head and platter, as well as longer scratch occurs on spinning platter than still platter.
ii) So handle your hard disk properly. Never port your CPU and hard disk barely. From my personal experience, wrap your hard disk with thick layers of newspaper can prevent shock to certain degree if you want to port your hard disk and you do not have the polyform filled container. Do not throw away the box that comes with your CPU. It contains polyform material that reduces impact to your hard disk. Use it to port your CPU next time.

3. Well Ventilate Your Hard Disk To Prevent Over Heating.
i) As we know, electrical appliances acquire heat from friction and electrical power conversion during operation. Over heating due to the heat that built up during hard disk operation may cause the hard disk to damage.
ii) Take into account of ventilation before you build a computer system or change the CPU casing.

4. Shield Your Hard Disk From Electrostatic Charge Or Discharge. As we know all new hard disk come with the electrostatic shielded plastic bag. Keep the plastic bag and do not throw it away, but use it when you take out your hard disk to store or port.
5. Keep Your Hard Disk Or Computer Away From Magnetic Source. Hard disk uses some kinds of magnetic particles distribution technology to store data. External magnetic field will alter the magnetic particles distribution and make the hard disk lost data or even alter the magnitude of the magnetic particles and causing the hard disk unstable or permanent loses its platters’ magnetism.

Well, finally I sincerely hope that you get some knowledge from this post.