Prolongs the lifetime of your hard disk drive
The lifetime of a hard disk, statistically, are between 3 and 5 years, supposing that the hard disk doesn't have manufacturing defects. This lifetime, is limited, principally, by the cycles of start and stop that wear down the mechanism of the disk, which usually is between 40.000 and 50.000 cycles. By that, to increase its lifetime, is good idea deactivate the energy saving of the operating system, so is reduced the number of stops and starts of the hard disk.
We can damage accidentally a hard disk by a lot of reasons. In the prior post I write about that circuits can burn by surge if we haven't a power strip or SAI with protection. Today I'm going to write about other situations that we must avoid:
- Faults due to tremors or vibrations in the table where is supported. We must avoid start the computer while someone knock the table where is supported the machine. Put it in a different position from horizontal to vertical and move it while is working also can affect to the heads. However, the hard disk of digital cameras and MP3 devices are more prepared to this situations, although aren't immune to them.
- Make it work in an environment too cool or too hot can distort the components.
- The delicate aerodynamics of the heads of the disc, which flies over it writing and reading data, can be altered if we make work it a more than 3.000 meters over the sea level, due to the decrease of the atmospheric pressure. So don't start your laptop in the Everest or in the space.
- The bits are stored in a layer of ferromagnetic material formed by magnetic domains, which are polarized to one side or other to store ones and zeros, for this we can lost the information stored if we do something that can redirect the domains, as by example leave a magnet of the fridge on it or apply heat leaving the calefactor aside, also do some of this things can affect to the mechanical parts. Exists the myth of the hard disk are protected against magnetic fields, and that we must use a powerful magnet to do this. Really it is false, the housing of the hard disk makes of Faraday's bell, which attenuates the electromagnetic waves generated by mobile phones, the computer or any other electronic device, but doesn't protect from magnetic fields as you can watch on the following videos: