It’s time to discover the rest of the article on the major risks to your hard drives!
1-HUMAN ERROR
The weak link always remains the human being, between the chair and the keyboard! Deleting documents by mistake, dropping your laptop off a table, spilling a glass of water… Certain accidents, mishandling, or carelessness can prove fatal for your documents and data. These types of errors are difficult to fix for someone with little experience and require technical know-how to recover damaged data.
Solution:
Avoid using the drive or computer affected by the malfunction right away. Place it in a perfectly dry and clean environment.
2-AN ELECTRICAL SHOCK
Most of a computer’s components get damaged if they receive the slightest electrical shock, such as a power surge resulting from a short circuit. Upon contact, static electricity also damages your drive.
Solution:
Do not try to open the computer yourself. Use a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) that will prevent short circuits.
3-DUST
Dust is everywhere in our environment; it only becomes a problem when it accumulates. It can build up on your desk, on your keyboard, on your screen, and inside your computer, particularly by clogging your fan.
No matter how meticulously you clean every day, keep in mind that a computer case is a perfect dust magnet.
The more an electronic component is polluted by dust, the more difficult its cooling becomes, triggering the negative effects of overheating.
Solution:
You can use compressed air as regularly as possible to dust off your computer.
Have your device serviced every four years by a computer technician.
Another simple tip: raising the computer by 2 centimeters will make a big difference and allow for more efficient ventilation.
4-AN ELECTRONIC FAILURE
When your computer no longer starts up, or when it is not recognized, it has probably suffered an electronic failure.
A hard drive is in a position of vulnerability when it is running, during a read or write phase. A power surge or undervoltage at that exact moment can cause damage to the hard drive’s electronic board. Your storage media is also sensitive to voltage variations and to electrical and magnetic interference.
Solution:
Remember to unplug the computer during a thunderstorm.
Also remember to turn off your system when you are not using it. A UPS is a good way to guard against electrical risks. In the event of a power outage, a UPS will supply power to your computer for a certain amount of time, thus avoiding data loss.
5-FIRMWARE FAILURE
Firmware: the electronic board’s software.
Symptoms originating from the firmware resemble a mechanical failure (noisy drive). This type of failure requires intervention in a cleanroom.
Solution:
As soon as you hear a clicking noise, immediately stop using your computer. Contact your data recovery lab. This is a delicate operation that requires time and technical expertise. In this kind of case, the process can turn out to be long and complex.
Here we have listed the worst enemies of your hard drive. The best way to prevent this type of inconvenience is to back up your data regularly!
Chronodisk advises you as best as possible to avoid any unnecessary risk to your hard drive!