Perserving a Hard Drive

[kweian66]

My 74 gb hard drive recently died in about a year of use, as I order a replacement I am curious is there anything that I can do to put less strain on my hard drive?

Specificially I am wondering is it better to turn off your computer when you are done, (I turn off my computer 4-6 times a day) or just leave it on running constantly.

Thanks

 

[Rottie]

I usually leave my computer on for 24 hours most of the time I turn it off if I am away from my home longer than 72 hours my 2 hd died in 5 months has nothing to do with leaving it on 24 hrs.

 

[Roguestar]

No real correlation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6376021.stm

 

[Modelworks]

The spinning up of the hard drive is the hardest part on the spindle/motor.
Once its at its rated rpm, its fairly easy on the drive to keep i there.

Repeatedly cutting on and off a hard drive does add wear.

 

[corkyg]

I too keep things running 24/7 as long as I am home. When I leave on a trip, I turn everything off. I have been doing this for years - and since 1985, have only had ONE HDD failure. That was over 10 years ago.

Oh yes, I always use a good UPS device as Zepper advocates.

 

[Zepper]

I turn my PC on once a day at first use and off after the last use for the day. I've not had a drive go bad on me inside what most would consider a good lifespan for a drive (5 years). And I have a Fujitsu 4GB drive from 1999 that I still use on occasion which was not considered a model of reliability - it has zero defects.

In my experience, people who use quality surge suppression and/or a UPS generally have fewer hardware malfunctions of any type than those who don't.

.bh.

 

[Psymon]

From my experiences, it's generally better for everything to leave your PC running unless you will be away for a long time (like a week).

And I agree with Zepper on a quality surge protector and/or UPS.

 

[Old Hippie]

And I agree with Zepper on a quality surge protector and/or UPS.

Me Three.
Does this make us Zep fanboys?

 

[corkyg]

Nah! It just makes us neffers!

 

[Old Hippie]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Nah! It just makes us neffers!

ZepNeffers? :laugh:

 

[0roo0roo]

http://www.dansdata.com/gz075.htm
use backup and or raid
there is no way to preserve the thing if you are going to use it