Buzz
After a certain period of use, electronic components in general, and computer components in particular, will...
1. Signs that tell you it's time to replace your computer's hard drive
Data in the hard drive is invaluable because if lost, it can drive you 'crazy'.
After a certain period of use, electronic components in general, and computer components in particular, will start experiencing 'glitches,' and the hard drive is no exception. The average lifespan of an HDD is about 6 years, but no one can accurately predict the exact lifespan of a hard drive. Depending on the conditions and usage habits of each person, the lifespan of this hard drive varies, from a few days to even up to 3 years, 5 years, or 7 years.
According to the statistics of the online backup company Backblaze, in the first 18 months of using a hard drive, it will operate well at around 92%, but this figure will gradually decrease over time, such as after 3 years, it may work well at 90%.
In addition, if you frequently encounter the following signs, it means that your computer's hard drive may be faulty or damaged, and it's time to 'replace' it. Concurrently, don't forget to back up important data to an external hard drive or use online services such as Dropbox, OneDrive.
1. Frequently receiving 'Corrupted' error messages when accessing files
During data access, if you often encounter the situation of receiving a 'Corrupted' message when opening one or more files, even though it is certain that these files have no issues with improper closure or virus damage.
Additionally, if you frequently encounter situations where recently saved data mysteriously 'disappears' without any input from you, it's a clear sign that your computer system has a problem, specifically with the hard drive.
2. 'Bad sector' error occurs
When accessing data from the hard drive, the most common error we often encounter is the Bad Sector. These are areas in the hard drive that have errors and cannot maintain data integrity. They gradually occupy the capacity of the hard drive, and if data is stored in these bad sectors, it is undoubtedly challenging to keep it safe.
This is also the cause of the error phenomenon we sometimes face: the hard drive still appears in the BIOS configuration, in DOS, but then the system freezes, cannot start; the system recognizes the name but reports incorrect capacity or wrong name; when issuing a command to read or write a certain file, the system reports an error or hangs...
Bad sectors are categorized into 2 types: physical errors of the hard drive (irreparable) and software errors (repairable). There are many causes of Bad Sector errors, but in summary, once this error occurs, your hard drive needs to be replaced.
3. 'Strange' sounds coming from the hard drive
Perhaps this is the most recognizable 'symptom' that it's time to replace the hard drive. When starting the computer or during data access, if you hear 'clanking' sounds coming from the hard drive, you should immediately replace the hard drive.
The cause of the frequent repetitive 'clanking' sounds is often due to the read head trying to write data while the hard drive is already faulty or damaged.
4. S.M.A.R.T. data is damaged or inaccurate
Computer hard drives use S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) data to assess reliability and determine whether there are errors. Therefore, you can view S.M.A.R.T. data on the hard drive to detect issues about to occur with your hard drive.
There are now many tools that predict hard drive errors by reading S.M.A.R.T. data recorded by the operating system. Like most other phenomena listed above, S.M.A.R.T. data also occasionally has errors that occur during operation, and the 'disaster' will happen just before the S.M.A.R.T. warning.
If you want to check the S.M.A.R.T. data of the hard drive yourself to 'diagnose' the situation, you can use reliable tools such as CrystalDiskInfo, HD Tune, HDD Health, or HDD Scan. They are all almost entirely free and provide fairly accurate results, so you can use them with confidence.
5. Computer frequently freezes, displays continuous blue screens, or operates slowly
In addition to the signs mentioned above, if your computer is increasingly slow or freezes, or, more seriously, a series of system and software-related errors occur, typical of the 'death' blue screen, you should back up your data immediately.
However, try reinstalling the operating system for your computer to see if the situation still occurs. If it does, then surely the hard drive of your computer has a problem. And replacement is the necessary course of action.
Source: Genk
