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Conventional wisdom says the average lifespan of a hard drive is somewhere
between three and five years. However, some drives last for many years; others
can stop working shortly after they are installed. Predicting when an individual
drive will fail is difficult, if not impossible.
Many factors can affect on how long a
hard drive will last. Some of these are:
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How often the drive turned on and
off.
-
Whether the hard drive is left on
continuously, 24/7.
-
Sudden and unplanned removal of
power from the hard drive.
-
Exposure of the hard drive to
shock or vibration.
-
Exposure of the hard drive to
temperature extremes.
-
Excessive read/write activity
applied to the hard drive (e.g. a consumer-grade hard drive used in a server
environment).
Unfortunately, all hard drives eventually die. As a general rule, when a hard
drive is failing little can be done save it. Fortunately, dying hard drives
often give warning signs one can look for. If you catch them early enough, you
may be able to save your important data files before the drive expires. You may
even be able to have the failing drive cloned to a new hard drive to avoid
having to reinstall your computer’s operating system and programs.
The following lists seven signs of a dying hard drive.
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Strange noises. Hard drives
make various sounds under normal operation. However, if the sounds your hard
drive makes start to change, if you hear noises you’ve not heard before, that
may be a sign the drive is starting to fail. Unusual clicking, grinding, or
scraping sounds can mean the drive is about to
completely fail. You should immediately stop using the drive until you can back
up your important data, or have the failing drive cloned to a new one.
A whining sound can indicate the hard drive's bearings are beginning to fail.
Fortunately, you may have some time to save your data or have the drive cloned before
it dies completely.
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Frequent error messages. Error
messages displayed frequently when the hard drive is accessed or scanned, or
when the computer is first started, can indicate a dying drive. Important data
on the drive is most likely being corrupted. It is time to back up important
data and clone the failing hard drive to a new one.
However, infrequent error messages occurring every now and then are not necessarily
a sign of impending drive failure. Data and program files can occasionally be
damaged by malfunctioning software, power glitches, sudden jolts or vibrations to
the computer, or even human error.
- Garbled file or folder names. If nonsensical characters appear in
Windows Explorer where there used to be a proper file or folder name, the
drive is likely failing (see Figure 1)
| Figure 1: Nonsensical
file or folder names can indicate a hard drive in trouble. |
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Disappearing files or folders. If files or even whole
folders are missing when viewed with Windows Explorer, the hard drive is
probably failing. All important data should be backed up immediately.
Arrangements should be made for installing a replacement hard drive as soon
as possible.
-
Slow Reading or Writing of Data to the Drive. If the
reading or writing data to the drive starts taking much longer than usual,
the hard drive may be failing. Excessive read or write times often indicate
the magnetic media in the drive is defective.
- Blue Screen of Death (Windows Stop Error). Windows Stop
Errors, also called the “Blue Screen of Death”, can indicate a problem with
a hard drive. If stop errors frequently occur during boot up, and especially
if the error messages indicate a failure to read or load various files, a
hard drive problem is probable. Any important data on the drive should be
backed up immediately, and arrangements should be made to install a
replacement hard drive as soon as possible.
- S.M.A.R.T System Changes. S.M.A.R.T, or Self-Monitoring, Analysis
and Reporting Technology, constantly monitors a hard drive's performance.
Operating parameters like Read Error Rate, Write Error Rate, Spin-Up Time,
and Seek Time Performance are checked for changes that can give advanced
notice that a hard drive is failing. There are a number of programs that can
read the S.M.A.R.T technology currently used in most hard drives, and most
actually report errors in terms understandable to the average user. Check
with the manufacturer of your hard drive for free or low cost versions of
S.M.A.R.T. monitoring software.
For information on hard drive replacement options, see our
"No Hassle" Hard Drive Upgrades
page.
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