What Causes a Hard Drive to Fail?

Hard drive failure is an unwelcome situation that can cause problems for even the most savvy computer users. It is an unpleasant inevitability that all hard drives will eventually fail. But what causes hard drive failure? How can the likelihood of drive failure be mitigated? How should one prepare for failure to minimize the hassle and delay accompanying this computing nightmare?

What Is a Hard Drive?

On a basic level, a hard drive functions analogously to a standard cassette tape. Both are magnetic storage mediums that have the potential to write and rewrite over sections of storage medium. The data are stored on a series of magnetic platters. The data are accessed by way of a read/write head. As the platters are spun, the head can detect or modify the magnetic material below, allowing the user to view or alter the stored data.

Reasons for Drive Failure

Hard drives are mechanical devices with moving parts, so they are subject to expected wear and tear, and can potentially fail mechanically at any given time. But most manufacturers will label their product with an expected average lifespan (usually provided in total expected number of functioning hours). But if a part is faulty or there are some manufacturing defects, a drive's lifespan can be over in as little as a day. Other factors are primarily external in nature. Power surges can cause drive failure, as can fire or water damage, along with a number of computer viruses. Exposure to high levels of magnetism can disrupt the normal functions of a drive, along with sharp impacts. If dust gets into a drive, it can become the catalyst for an eventual failure.

Tips to Prevent Early Failure

While there is little that can be done about mechanical failure because of ordinary usage, the other causes of drive failure can be mitigated, if not entirely avoided. Use a high-quality surge protector for your computer. Avoid storing your computer where it would likely fall. Avoid exposing your computer to undue heat or allowing individuals to drink beverages near the computer. All it takes is one accidental spill to eviscerate years of data. Dust the computer regularly. Use canned air duster to spray out the interior to keep dust from creeping into the drive. And avoid storing your computer near any other electronic equipment that emits magnetic waves such as a subwoofer in a home theater system.

Preparing to Fail

Even with due diligence and all the care in the world, you might still experience a mechanical failure from years of use. While inevitable, the damage caused by a hard drive failure can still be reduced through the judicious use of backups. With DVD-R and CD-R drives being fairly common accessories in computers, there is no excuse to avoid keeping regular backups of sensitive or crucial data. Backups can avoid weeks of trouble after suffering an unexpected drive crash.

Conclusion

While the causes of drive failure are varied, the result of a drive failure is almost always suffering on the part of the user. But with proper care (and a relatively cheap investment on a pack of blank CDs for backups), hard drive failure doesn't need to be a catastrophic event. With the price of alternative storage devices continually dropping and the storage size of hard drives increasing, the threat of data loss should be easier than ever to avoid.