Since 60 years, hard disks have been on a journey of innovation. The first model of it had space capacity of 3.75 MB, and now the latest version has 4 TB of space. To ensure quality, manufacturers use a test called MTBF. It is an abbreviation for “Mean time between failures”. MTBF is an analytical estimation of hard disk reliability as it predicts the number of hours for which a hard disk can work smoothly.

But some brands even state that its product, according to MTBF will be fault-free for 34 years which is not possible. These calculations are based on an average of all drives which comes under a particular range and are generated from short-term tests.

Up to 25% of hard drives, no matter which brand or model can fail in 4 to 5 years with regular use. Here a question arises “What causes a hard drive crash?”

Below in this discussion, we have explained some reasons which can be responsible for a sudden failure of the hard disk along with how to protect a hard drive from damage. By keeping a keen eye towards early signs of collapse, you can evade a situation of data loss easily.

What Causes a Hard Disk Drive to Crash Suddenly?

HDD (hard disk drive) works on a “spindle and platter” system. This mechanism resembles a record player as it has an arm which reads the data on the platter. Now, one of a principal reason for the hard disk collapse is a mechanical breakdown. Here, it means that the spindle and platter system has started to wear out or it is losing accuracy due to regular use. There are several other reasons which are as follows:

1. Overheating

If your device is encountering heating issues, then it will have a direct impact on the hard disk. Check for all possible reasons such as obstructed ventilators or viruses and fix them.

2. Liquid damage

A small spill of water is enough to damage a hard drive. Here only an expert who has experience in this domain can help you in hard drive repair and data recovery.

3. Static Electricity

A 10 volts discharge can damage a hard drive, but humans are unable to feel it unless it is more than 12,000 volts. An accidental touch of your fingers can pass an electric charge which can damage the hard drives.

4. Power surges or lightning

If your system suffers a huge shock, it can quickly end the life of your hard drive.

5. High Magnetic Fields

A hard disk has two neodymium-iron-boron magnets that control the movements of read-write heads. But if you try to use the system in high magnetic fields, then it may erase your data or damage the component.

6. Impact

A hard disk drive is made up of fragile parts. A fall of a laptop or drive can cause immediate malfunction of it.

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Warning Signs which can help You in Protecting Hard Drive from Damage

Before giving up totally, hard disk shows some signs of issues. With these hints, you can take the right steps to save your drive as well as data. Once you are sure that the disk is facing problems then with the help of SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) diagnostic tool you can catch potential issues before they become serious. Following are the warnings for imminent hard disk crash which you should look for:

  • Frequent computer crashes or BSOD (blue screen of death)

Your system may crash due to Windows newer versions starting from Windows 7 till 10 or BSOD. The reason behind this is the bad sectors in hard drives which do not allow the OS to read data accurately.

  • Error generation while moving files or copying them

Your device will start facing issues whenever you will try to copy or move data from one place to another if the drive is about to collapse. The moment you detect such problems, immediately initiate a SMART test or perform a disk check.

  • Missing files

If some of your files are missing, and you are not able to locate them, then it is an indication of hard disk issues. Here a disk check can help you to find the cause.

  • A system is taking longer to access files

If the gadget is unable to open files even if the size is small, then it signifies that hard disk is facing problems.

  • Clicking Noise

Usually, you will not hear a noise when a drive is working smoothly. If you experience a clicking hard drive noise, then it is a clear sign of hard disk crash in future.

It is necessary for you to understand that what causes a hard drive to crash so that you can save it from sudden malfunction. By catching early signs, you can contact an expert on time who can offer you quality hard drive repair services.