If you’re looking for a short answer, the average life span of a hard drive is approximately three to five years. This number is not absolute because several things affect a hard drive, its life span, and its performance. That’s why we’re writing this article for you to help you understand what might cause your hard drive to fail.
Any electronic device can last a lot longer or just die quickly for unknown reasons. The lifespan of a hard drive is very dependent on user needs and proper care to determine how long a hard drive will be operational. This article goes into some of the details of how your hard drive operates, and why it might not last three to five years.
What is the Function of A Hard Drive?
A computer hard drive’s primary function is file storage and retrieval. Contrary to popular belief, the hard drive is not the computer’s memory. The hard drive itself is where all of the files a computer uses are stored.
For example, when loading new programs on a computer, the files required to run the program are stored on the computer’s hard drive. When a user opens a file he or she saved, they are most likely opening that file from the hard drive.
A Hard Drive Store – Memory Accesses
The main difference between a hard drive and memory is that a hard drive only has a set capacity to store a certain amount of data, while memory can only process a certain amount of activity. One of the reasons the hard drive and computer memory are easily confused is that a computer needs both to do two different things:
- It needs a place to store the data, files, and software it uses to function and access quickly
- It needs a way to access that data so the person using it can use the computer in a meaningful way.
Think of something simple, something that you’re probably looking at right now…your desk. Memory is like the top of your desk. It’s a space where you can put things either permanently or temporarily to function. The larger your desk is, the more things you can put on it. As clutter builds, it’s harder to find things, which slows down your productivity. Sound familiar?
A hard drive is like your desk drawers or a filing cabinet in your office. It’s where you store anything that you’re not using that might be useful in the future. It can also be accessed quickly and easily- unless it’s cluttered and disorganized, which makes finding things much more difficult. The caveat is that your computer won’t work without these two things. Take one away, and the computer grinds to a halt.
Hard Drive Capacity Influences Life Span
In most cases, the life span of a hard drive is primarily dependent upon its capacity. The number one reason computer users replace hard drives is not because they have died. Rather, it’s because the user needs more space.
Each computer file is a certain size, and that size is calculated in bytes. Both the hard drive and RAM can only handle a set amount of bytes. A kilobyte, the smallest file storage capacity, is 1,000 bytes. A megabyte is 1,000 kilobytes.
A gigabyte is 1,000 megabytes, and a terabyte is 1,000 megabytes. The hard drive’s capacity is the maximum amount of bytes it can handle. So, a 1 terabyte hard drive can hold 1 terabyte’s worth of data.
You always want to try and buy a computer with a hard drive that will be larger than you would need for at least 5 years. But many inexpensive computers have smaller-capacity drives. If you save large data files, such as video files, music, and gaming programs, the smaller hard drive will run out of space quickly. Therefore, the life span of a smaller hard drive is relatively short, as the user will likely need to upgrade faster.
Physical Hard Drive Issues
Aside from running out of space, computer hard drives fall prey to other issues. Aside from running out of space, computer hard drives fall prey to other issues.
A computer’s hard drive is a sensitive piece of electronic equipment. If the computer is not cared for properly, the hard drive might fail. Anytime a computer receives a jolt, whether that is an improperly grounded power outage or a physical stressor such as being dropped, the hard drive suffers.
Improper ventilation and overheating can also damage the hard drive. This is why it’s critical to ensure all computers are set squarely on a desk or flat surface with proper ventilation. The computer’s vents should never be covered, including sitting a laptop on the user’s lap. A computer should also always be plugged into a properly grounded surge protector.
Data-related Hard Drive Issues
Data can also compromise a hard drive’s life span. If a computer virus or a computer worm hits the hard drive, the hard drive is in danger of losing its life.
These viruses and worms, as well as poor data structure, can alter the hard drive’s ability to save the data effectively. It will not only compromise disk space but also degrade disk performance.
The life span diminishes as dangerous data damages the hard drive’s clusters. Eventually, the hard drive will fail and no longer be able to store or retrieve data.
How Long Will It Take?
Hard drives not properly maintained will fail long before their average three-to-five-year life span. If the computer faces a physical failure, the hard drive might fail immediately. If a virus or worm infects the hard drive, it might take several months before it begins to fail. It just depends on the type of infection.
To prevent premature failure, computer users should protect their hard drives, both physically and with regular maintenance checks and protective software. These measures should ensure the hard drive a healthy for three to five years and possibly beyond.
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