Hard disk drives have been present for the past fifty years or even more and during this period many developments have been achieved in storage techniques. The hard disk drive is the main center for storage of relevant data and programs (barring the boot program that resides in the BIOS). Hence it is imperative that proper maintenance of the hard drive is always done. Many parallels can be drawn between the health of the human body and the condition of a hard disk. Life cycles are existent for both the human body and the hard disk.
One needs to take care of the health of the human body right after its birth when it is at its immaculate shape. There are many interesting researches being conducted in medical science nowadays which have resulted in formation of placenta and blood cord banks. It is believed that due to many years of irregularity and harmful external effects of the environment, genetic disorders appear. These banks for blood cord provide a ray of hope in controlling these disorders like cancer. In the same manner, just after the computer is bought and is in its brand new state, creation of a bootable recovery disk is recommended. In the worst case scenario, this disk would allow you to recover the hard disk/computer to its original existent state at the time of shipping.
When a human body matures into the adult state from the baby state, different elements are necessary for manifesting the full capability of the body. Fortunately, one does not need to provide food to the disk drive; otherwise, the ownership costs would have exceeded the purchase price by quite an amount! But in order to keep the hard disk drive in perfect shape, sufficient time needs to be invested.
Certain aspects that need to be kept in mind for hard disk maintenance –
1. Backup is the most crucial aspect. One needs to maintain regular and consistent backup either in external drives or on CD ROMs. In comparison to the human body, a computer can be restored back to its last existent “good” state in case of failure. Speaking with people who had previous experiences of computer failure will also corroborate this fact. Nowadays various kinds of software are available in the market and some also come with external drives which are branded, in the form of a package. Examples of such drives with included hi-quality backup software are My Passport and My Book drives manufactured by Western Digital. Backup software facilitates the process of backup and regularly backs up your data too.
Similar to intake of vitamin supplements as a safeguard measure, an investment in good Antivirus Software will minimize the efforts behind hard disk maintenance. Many malicious viruses are out there. If any one of them attacks your computer, a lot of time would be wasted in data recovery. Productivity would be hampered, similar to the scenario when the body gets affected with an ailment.
Availing the services of an Antivirus Software is just like being prepared for the worst situation. One reason why people purchase insurance policies is that a safety arrangement is in place during medical exigencies like hospitalization or critical illnesses. Although the insurance backup is always there, there is nothing better than a healthy lifestyle with proper diet, sufficient time for relaxation, de-stressing, sufficient rest and positive relationships. So how much effort does it take for keeping your hard drive in perfect shape and operating at the optimum level of performance? It is not that hard, and if some small aspects are taken care of, the hard disk drive along with the valuable data will stay secure for a long time period.
If you observe that the programs on your computer are taking longer than usual to run and retrieval of files is taking too much time, then fragmentation can be a possible reason. However it should not be confused with the scenario where a person works at a slower rate when he becomes older.
Various parts of files often lie scattered in different portions of the hard disk drive due to non-availability of contiguous blocks. This is known as fragmentation. A new drive has much space initially and programs/files easily can be stored in contiguous blocks. Seek time is also less due to this, but with time constant addition and deletion of files take place. Hence continuous blocks also become less and bigger programs/files need to split themselves in order to be allocated to the tiny pockets of available space on the hard disk. Hence, the task of file retrieval becomes more time-consuming as different fragments need to be accessed from the different pockets of the hard disk drive.
Fragmentation is inevitable due to the quantity of data that is constantly created and deleted. The scenario gradually worsens and the solution is to do defragmentation of the hard disk on a regular basis. If you are worrying about the cost that needs to be borne for getting such a program/tool, then just relax. The “Disk Defragmenter” facility is automatically available with any Windows O/S and does not cost you even a dollar. You need to go to Start Menu, select “Programs”, then “Accessories”, and under the “System Tools” you would find the “Disk Defragmenter” option. As is evident from its name, this useful tool checks your hard drive for file pieces and gathers them together in contiguous blocks. This reduces the drive’s work load for seeking data from different portions and thereby increases the computer- speed. But defragmentation requires a minimum availability of 20% of the hard disk space for temporarily placing files while cleaning up the hard disk and packing the data collectively. If the hard drive has already reached the 80% mark of storage, the chances are that sufficient swap space would not be available. File sizes also have a role to play in this context. For this reason, hard disk defragmentation should be regularly performed, at least once in every three months.
To bring the used disk space below eighty percent, delete some of your unimportant files or offload files to a network drive or external drive. You can also buy a hard disk with larger capacity and modify the frequency of performing disk fragmentation according to your needs.
Another effective strategy is drive partition (splitting the drive into at least 2 portions). Keep one portion allotted for programs and the other one for data. User files are regularly added and removed and hence this data partition needs to be defragmented. The program partition can be left untouched and in case there is a virus attack on the data files the important programs present in the other partition remain unscathed.
Remember that defragmentation increases the efficiency of drive performance with greater availability of swap space resulting in quicker processing time. Typically 2 to 10 hours are required for performing defragmentation. Hence, the ideal time for doing this activity would be before going to sleep or prior to taking a long break. The computer should be kept at power saving mode during this operation and the process can then occur at the maximum level of speed. The room in which the computer resides should be kept cool, as the drive might operate at a slightly higher temperature during the process.
Every now and then people develop a craving for a specific food and often end up over-indulging in that. However this is harmful and one should always stick to a balanced diet. Otherwise imbalance is created which affects the body system. Toxic materials start accumulating and illness might also occur because of that. Hence people often switch to cleanup modes and follow a detoxification regime to flush out the waste materials from the body. A similar process is also followed for hard disk drives where we spot the unused/seldom used programs and temporary files. Then we can remove them, thereby increasing the available disk space. While surfing on the internet, we tend to download lot of files and as a result there is a buildup of massive program-libraries in our computers, many of which are seldom used.
Rather than sitting idle and wasting crucial disk space, we can try deleting/uninstalling these redundant files periodically. This would keep the windows registry uncluttered. For doing this you need to go to the control panel, select the option of “Add/Remove programs” (for Windows XP), or Control panel, then “Programs” and eventually the option of “Features” (Windows Vista). By this process you recover important storage space and ensure that you computer stays “healthy”.
Whenever a file has been opened and is in use, temporary files are generated as a safety measure for backup. But when files are shut down inappropriately, temporary files remain intact and consume valuable disk space. Obliterating these temporary files which are most likely to be older versions of the current files would help a hard disk to stay in perfect working condition. So, before the problem assumes unmanageable proportions, remove the unnecessary files.
This brings us to the important aspect of properly shutting down Windows. Be patient while Windows is shutting down so that all applications and programs are closed properly. There are specific steps in shutdown and they should be followed. This is important as Windows does some cleaning up and housekeeping activities during this period. You can see that activities are happening in the hard disk from the flickering of the LED light before shutdown.
Never use the on/off switch for cutting off the power supply or never directly turn off the power switch. Then Windows does not get the opportunity of cleaning up the digital debris on the hard drive. The worst scenario is when the ECC errors occur on the hard disk drive due to sudden power loss. This causes “write splice” on the data sector of the disk thereby corrupting all the associated files. ECC stands for error correction coding.
Just like appropriate exercises are necessary for staying fit and trim, a hard disk also needs to undergo the same process as discussed below. By exercising appropriately it is meant that a person is feeling sufficiently well for doing the exercise, or doing it at the right time, pre-conditioning the body by sufficient fluid intake, and avoiding over-exertion.
1. Ensure that the appropriate drive is chosen for the relevant application-
While considering drives for web-server applications running around-the -clock, look for enterprise-grade drives. For a home-based user, a desktop-drive would do. This is like the scenario where a normal fit person (in his proper senses), capable of running 5km/day, would not dare run a marathon.
But, some home-users need their systems to be always switched on and ever ready for emailing purposes. In such scenarios, the power management needs to be optimized so that the hard disk drive gets adequate rest in between. From the control panel settings you can program the disk drive to switch over to standby mode after inactivity is observed for a sufficient time period (the period can be pre-defined by the user).
2. If the ventilation fans are in proper condition the normal difference in temperature that is noted between the air surrounding the disk and the disk itself is a maximum of 10- degree Centigrade. For systems not working properly, this difference rises up to 20- degrees. Hence it is imperative to repair the ventilation fan if it is not functioning properly. Otherwise the long-term reliability of the hard disk might get affected and the drive can even suffer a “heat stoke”. Actually in some advanced systems, whenever the temperature crosses the pre-defined operating temperature of the drive and the CPU, the PC shuts down automatically. Following some basic things, like keeping a gap in between the system and the wall for good ventilation and intake/exhaust of air can maintain your hard disk in proper condition.
A parallel can be drawn in real life, where a person is not able to perform properly when subject to hostile conditions. For instance, try to run on a dusty, sandy place having high humidity/temperature. You will get exhausted easily. Make the track for running uneven and the situation would be worsened further. Hence never run your hard disk drive in unsuitable conditions like a dusty place, a place where ventilation is inadequate, vibrations are present, temperatures are high, etc. For operating in these environments specifically manufactured industrial-grade computers are required.
Many people dread going to their doctors for annual medical checkups fearing new additional advice apart from the usual advice on weight loss, proper exercise, etc. People end up giving the same clichéd response like sedentary job styles affecting a proper exercise regime, etc. There are scenarios when in spite of being giving clean medical reports a person gets a heart attack after a short time span. Hence people often question the rationale behind an annual medical visit. Here it needs to be pointed out that an annual medical checkup should not be considered as the final judgment of your health, but rather it acts as a pointer, and nothing more. There is a limit to what a checkup can detect.
Likewise, a hard disk drive can also be provided a fast medical checkup. SMART (Self Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) was created where hard disk makers report on the condition of the hard disk drive based upon some parameters. Determination of a “healthy” status is manufacturer-specific and the probability of the disk falling ill is also predicted by the specific manufactures who understand the intricacies of their designs the best. This is similar to different people having different sensitivities and levels of tolerance due to distinctive genetic characteristics.
For easy interpretation of the various indices, certain freeware tools are available that monitor the SMART status. Few popular monitoring tools of hard disk drives are HDDLife, ActiveSMART, HD Tune, HDD Health, HDD Scan, SMARTMon, etc. These tools can be appropriately used for ascertaining the hard disk’s health. Typically the manufacturers provide warranty and give replacement for hard disks if the threshold levels for any one of the major 7 indices have been crossed. Remaining indices provide general computer information and might indicate other components facing troubles like poor ventilation, cable problems, etc. Actually, SMART is getting implemented with the modern BIOS support, where every time a computer is powered on, the drives’ health would be checked. This saves the hassles of regular usage of the tools by the user for checking status. Whenever SMART thresholds are exceeded, replacement for the drive will be prompted by the BIOS. Again, it needs to be kept in mind that SMART only acts as an indicator, similar to the health checkups undergone annually. One should take note of it but not be unduly worried by the indices. People who feel the urge to know in details regarding the hard disk’s health can also go one step further and take the assistance of the in-built facilities present in Windows Vista.
One should also scan the hard drives regularly to spot any errors or bad sectors creeping in. By this you can remain abreast regarding the health of your hard disk. To scan the hard drives (applicable for Windows Vista) the following steps need to be undertaken:
1. Click on the ‘My computer’ icon.
2. Right click and select the volume that you intend to scan (e.g. C: or D 
3. Right click and select ‘Properties’ from the menu list.
4. Then from the pop-up window select the tab which mentions ‘Tools’.
5. From the section of ‘Error-Checking’ choose ‘Check Now’.
6. Ensure that the option mentioning ‘Scan and attempt recovery of bad sectors’ is selected.
This would run an extensive scan of your hard disk drive and notify you if any errors are present along with the specific drive volume and mark out the affected/bad sectors.
Keep a watch on unnatural noises or slow performance
Finally, always watch out for indications of imminent hard disk drive failures. The symptoms can vary from anything like frequent crashes in an already slow computer, sharp whirring/clicking noises from the disks, etc. You can make out when the noises are not the normal ones. If at the time of start-up the BIOS fails to recognize a particular hard drive or a drive gets overheated very quickly, you need to immediately become cautious about the hard disk’s health.
Similarly in the case of bodies of human beings too, clear signs or symptoms are displayed when they becomes aged or affected by illnesses. Soreness of throat, fatigue, etc. are typical indicators of influenza onset. Although majority of the people would recover from the disease, a slight chance of death still remains. An aged body emits creaking sounds from the joints and takes a longer time for warming up. Similarly, the unusual sounds which come from the hard drive might denote that the computer is reaching its end or is in an unhealthy condition.
As the hard drive contains all the important data it is important that its health is always maintained to provide an experience of seamless computing. A majority of the above-mentioned tips can be followed easily, and one needs to invest only a bit of time. In return, you will reap the benefits of possessing a leaner, swifter computer while simultaneously avoiding fatal hard-drive crashes resulting in data loss.
Sim Yew Hing
Director
Field Application Engineering
APAC
