Digital storage has exploded, in no uncertain terms, over the last few decades. While hard disk drives (HDDs) were the predominant storage format for most of that time, today’s faster and hardier solid-state drives (or SSDs) are becoming more affordable and popular.
However, there are still plenty of HDDs out there, all far more prone to breaking than their more advanced counterparts. So, how can you tell when a hard drive failure is pending?
Let’s talk about it.
On average, an HDD will last anywhere from four to eight years under typical use, with those who use their devices more intensively expecting to replace them closer to the short end. Given that HDDs rely on moving parts to function, they are pretty reliable (~5% failing in the first year) as they age. After three years of use, 12% fail; after eight years, it’s a coin flip.
By nature of its function, the disk of your hard disk drive will have new data written and overwritten on it constantly, building up wear and tear on the device. Under these circumstances, failure is ultimately inevitable. Make sure you listen carefully to any HDDs you rely on, as clicks and grinding sounds are signs that the drive is not long for this world. This is only exacerbated if the drive starts to slow down… it probably doesn’t have much left in it.
Less subtly, you may be presented with the dreaded BSoD—Blue Screen of Death. This sign of a fatal error indicates that you need to have a new drive installed or your data backed up to the cloud… preferably both.
If the time has come for an upgrade, you could do worse than adopting solid-state storage. Not only are SSDs faster than HDDs, but they also have no moving parts to break. Because all data is stored electronically, retrieving data is much simpler, and the devices are more resilient to the mobility we often see today. Under the same conditions, an HDD would last a much shorter time.
It’s important that your team has the right tools for the job, so consider working with us to ensure that your technology is correctly designed for your needs and deployed and managed to promote your success. Learn more by calling 877-874-4629 today.
Patriot Tech Services Inc. is proud to announce the launch of our new website at www.patriot-techs.com. The goal of the new website is to make it easier for our existing clients to submit and manage support requests, and provide more information about our services for prospective clients.
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