The Ticking time-bomb inside your Computer

Since the day you bought your new computer, its life expectancy “timer” started “ticking”. The Ticking time-bomb inside your Computer is not a real bomb, but a thing called a storage drive or hard drive (HDD). HDD’s have a limited life expectancy. It is a spinning, head swinging, mechanical device, that is wearing out. Here are some facts about your storage device compiled by Computer PC Medic, Fort Collins Computer Repair.

How important is your HDD?

We believe it is the single most important component of your computer. It contains the Windows’ operating system, all of your applications or apps, and all of your data, pictures, and videos. If it fails, your computer will stop working, and you will have lost all of your data.

How long will your Storage Drive last?

If we knew the answer, we could replace it with a new, exact copy (clone), just before it fails. We have seen some computers (HDD’s) that have lasted 3 or 4 years. That is very rare. Most often they last 1 to 2 years. The thing we can say for certain is that ALL storage drives will fail. While a HDD manufacturer may warrant their physical drive for 12 months, they don’t warrant your personal data.

How do you know if your HDD is about to fail?

There can be many indicators that your HDD is sickly. A big indicator is when your computer slows down during startup, shutdown and everything in between. Slowness can also be an indicator of a virus infection or the need of a tuneup. You can’t tell by looking at your computer. On the other hand, you may not get any warning before it fails. It’s always best to call your computer technician.

What are some things you can do to protect your data and computer?

Immediately back up all newly created personal data that you cannot afford to lose

Don’t assume your computer HDD will be working tomorrow. Backup your data (thesis, business reports, blogs, school papers, etc.) immediately after you create it. External hard drives and Internet cloud servers are great backup solutions. Computer PC Medic Computer Repair can help with backup solution.

Consider replacing an old HDD with a new HDD or a much faster solid state drive (SSD)

The best time to replace a HDD is while the HDD is still operational. We can clone a functioning HDD (make an exact copy) to a new HDD or solid-state hard drive (SSD). After the clone, your computer will look and operate exactly as it did before the clone, except it will run faster The advantages of a SSD is that it is 3-4 times faster than a HDD. SSD’s are totally quiet, have no moving parts, low heat producing and use less electricity (great for laptops too). An SSD is an intelligent “chunk” of solid state memory.

So what does it cost to replace a functioning HDD?

If the cost is spread out over a 2 year period of time (average lifespan of an HDD), a HDD replacement to either a new HDD or a SSD would cost less than $8.00/ month. The price of a burger and fries (sorry, I’m getting hungry). If you want a SSD, be prepared for much greater computer speed and lifespan.

If you wait until your HDD fails, then you have probably lost all of your data, applications and operating system. This failure is disastrous.