Five ways to extend the life of your hard drive

Hard drive failure is a common way to lose data. By failure, we mean non-working electronic or mechanical components that create a situation where recovery of the data costs thousands and it's possible there is a complete loss.

Drives today are rated and have MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), which measure how long they will typically last. Many drives have ratings up to 300,000 hours, which is a long time, but that does not mean they are fail proof. And if they do fail under warranty, you can replace the drive, but data will never be retrievable. And it's of course the data which is important. Protecting and extending the life of these drives is vital. Here's a "how to" guide of best practices that are advisable and simple to implement.

*Research and buy a quality uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with surge protection. Storms or bad power sources can cause power spikes and result in fast and complete drive failure. Many UPS devices offer software that lets you turn off the system during a power outage. Utilize this service to best protect your investment and data.

Be sure the air around your system is ideal for long-term usage. Avoid big swings in humidity and temperature, and ensure there is adequate airflow. Check around the venting of your drives and computer to be sure there isn't something blocking it. If you live in a dry climate, then consider adding some humidity to the air to avoid the risk of static shocks. You can also simply touch a nearby metal object before using your computer in order to get rid of the static charge.

*The next step is to be sure the air around your system is ideal for long-term usage. Avoid big swings in humidity and temperature, and ensure there is adequate airflow. Check around the venting of your drives and computer to be sure there isn't something blocking it. If you live in a dry climate, then consider adding some humidity to the air to avoid the risk of static shocks. You can also simply touch a nearby metal object before using your computer in order to get rid of the static charge.