2006-11-03 11:03:56 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Other - Hardware
Newer ones last about 5 years due to the maufactuers trying to make loads in a short space of time.
I have had a 2gb hard drive since 1996 and it is still working!!!
2006-11-03 11:22:22 · answer #1 · answered by Spikey_Jay 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since hard disks have "moving" parts, it's also correct to assume that the life-span of a hard-disk drive is measured in "working hours". I have come across an "old" description that says: an average hard disk life is about 8000 "working hours". That is about 1 year of "continuous operation" & this was true in the 80s/90s. This might have now been extended with the new technologies that around these days.
2006-11-04 01:29:57 · answer #2 · answered by Yahia M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is: It depends on the Manufacturer and the type of Hard Disk Model it is.
Also, how are you using your computer -- lots of processing of office type documents, constant saves, heavy use to back up photographs or images, or ... is is a light use.
Finally, do you have any teenagers in the home? One of the worst things to have around your house to shorten the life of both the computer and the Hard Drive is a Teenager -- they 'think' they know so much more than the parent about the computer itself (including the drives), but in most cases, they do NOT understand how to install the drives, how to deal with the cables that you need, or how to maintain the drive (and ... there is always the really idiotic "But I THOUGHT this was the way to run the backup program ..." when in fact, they just reformatted your hard drive -- and unless you have a backup program running at least every 2-3 days -- then you have LOST all your data put on the hard drive -- including your installed programs.
2006-11-03 19:25:04 · answer #3 · answered by sglmom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
another factor in hdd life expectancy is temperature.- make sure you have adequate cooling for your drives and if you have more than one in your tower then space them apart as the heat from one will rise and effect the other. i have my master/main drive at bottom slot in tower as it IS slightly cooler there and they both have fans directly attached the bottom of them. also DO YOU SMOKE IN FRONT OF YOUR TOWER? not a lot of people realise that smoke is a great hard drive killer because although they are sealed they are also vented and the smoke can affect the data on the spinning disks inside the drive. another thing is to wait about 20 seconds before turning back on your pc if you need to turn off completely as this gives the disks a chance to slow right down and prevents shock to the bearings when they are spun back up to full speed again apparently. hope this may help you some what:-)
2006-11-05 07:54:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
to be honest by the time a hard drive is "due" to fail the storage size will of become so small you'd of probably upgraded already.
I mean 5 years ago we would of never thought that hard core users are using up to 1 Terabyte now!
2006-11-04 02:51:01 · answer #5 · answered by Jamie M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it all depends on the brand of HD it is,some last up to 5 or 6 years,while others only a year
2006-11-03 19:07:58 · answer #6 · answered by krusty_blue_spaz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on your use.
I have changed a number of drives over the years.
They start to play up (bad sectors or clicking sounds) and it is not good to continue to rely upon them.
2006-11-03 19:07:52 · answer #7 · answered by Apple Crumble(Devils Advocate) 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
5 years (min) - They build them with a minimum life expectancy of 5 years.
2006-11-03 19:05:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋