Hidden PC Killer No 3
Perhaps the hardest working, but least understood, device in your computer is your hard disk. You will also hear it referred to as a “hard drive”, “storage drive” and incorrectly as “memory” but regardless of the name used the bottom line is this is where all of your programs and information are stored. It is common for people to become confused between memory and hard disks. Memory, correct name RAM (Random Access Memory), is used by your computer to run your programs. Ram is volatile and once the machine is shutdown any information in RAM is lost. The amount of RAM in your computer has a direct impact on your hard disk.
How Memory (RAM) Affects Your Hard Disk
Each time you run a program your computer decides if it has enough free Ram to load the program. If there isn’t enough it uses the hard disk as a swapping device and will swap in and out the programs as needed. The more programs you run in memory the more the computer does this. If you are running multiple programs with insufficient ram your hard disk takes a pounding. I seldom see a machine which is not suffering from overloading and hence the hard drives are worked to death.
Managing Your Hard Disk And Storage
With the advent of online movies and songs many computer users fill their hard disk with music and video downloads. Filling the drive to near capacity puts added strain on your hard drive because windows must search for areas to store you regular data. Again the hard drive takes a pounding and the life is shortened. Use an external usb drive for movie storage or purchase a second hard disk for this purpose.
Your Hard Disk and Heat
You must keep your computer and hard disk cool. The fuller the drive the harder it has to work and the hotter it gets. This is particularly true of laptop computers. If the machine feels hot to the touch underneath turn it off and allow it and the hard drive to cool. Running a machine hot will eventually cause either the drive or the main board to fail. With the advent of large capacity drives, and in particular the one terabyte models, overheating of hard drives has become more commonplace. For many computer users they remain blissfully unaware that their hard drive is slowly melting.
Tips For Maintaining a Healthy Hard Disk
- Don’t overload your hard disk with movies,music and spurious software.
- Don't install every internet application you come across. These programs use valuable Ram and this will eventually lead to bloat.
- Don’t continue to run your pc or laptop if believe it is overheating. On laptops you will feel that the bottom of the unit is hot to the touch. On pc’s you will hear excessive fan noise.
- Don’t move your laptop or pc when the machine is turned on.
- Don't continue to run your computer if you suspect the hard disk is failing. Turn off the machine and seek competent technical assistance immediately.
- Don't attempt to fix a hard disk problem yourself. I've seen multiple instances of valuable data lost because someone messed with the computer before it got to my bench.
