Data Storage Device's Health and Maintenance

In this article we are going to discuss, Data Storage Device's Health and Maintenance.  And how should we protect our Data that we own which cannot be regained after losing them. So we know when we are building a computer system, we can buy components from motherboard, CPU to Casings, RGB Lights and all this just spending money. So if something happened to your system or some kind of a damage is done to the system, somehow we can replace the damaged parts by purchasing those components and we will be able to take the system back to the life. 

But the Data that you generated or the Data that stored in storage devices in your system is something that you cannot replace even with money, after you lose it. Like a Photo collection, Music collection, Documents that you created or may be your professional work project file of editing, losing of these kind of data might be really painful for you and you cannot settle this loss even by spending money. So because of that I thought about talking on this topic about Data storing which most of us neglect the importance of. So in here let’s talk about how should we protect our Data storage devices and how can we use these storage devices long period of time without experiencing issues.

Monitoring Storage Health

So first think is that after you built your computer system, starting to monitor your storage devices. So in here my first advice is to download and install the simple software called CrystalDiskInfo to check the health of your storage devices. 

 

After the installation you will be able to see the current status of your storage devices in a very user friendly interface. So in here if you see Blue color status, it is a good sign that your Disks are in good health. And if the status color is Yellow it indicates some kind of a small issue with the Disk and If it is a Red color status you need to back up the Drive and migrate to a new storage as soon as possible.  

Health Status Indicates Yellow " Caution"

 

So It’s much better if you can check your storage devices status once a month using software like CrystalDisk.      

Monitoring Storage Temperature

And the next thing you have to check is how much temperature of the Disk is captured by the software. This is a critical aspect of Data Storage Device's Health. So you can see if you go through your storage device’s manufacturer website, a usual Hard Drive functions at 30c – 70c range of temperature. But from the experience I have, I know that the best temperature A Hard drive should function is between 25c – 40c to have long lasting error free life. After passing the temperature of 40c there is high chance of the Hard Drive is getting to a failure. 

Because of that make sure to arrange proper airflow when you build a computer system. And make relevant adjustments if you are buying already assembled system. That’s why we need to find a better Casing and installing Fans to the system, and some are just installing fans only to experience RGB lighting but if you are planning properly there should be a fan placement to the area of Hard Drive slots. Because cool air should go through the Hard Drives specially if you have installed several Hard Drives in to the system and also there are placed very closely to each Disk and in that situation a direct airflow is essential. 

So try to monitor your HDDs temperature and see whether they are indicating more than 40c and if so, you should take actions to cool them down. And other thing is if you are using SSDs (2.5 inch SATA and SATA M2) which are not NVMe, the temperature should be between 35c – 45c, Its’s okay to go up to 45c. And if you have NVMe M2 drive in your system it’s normal temperature can be 50c. But try to maintain good airflow also through these drives because these NVMe m2 drives required more power than normal SSDs. And function way faster than normal SSDs and can be placed heat sinks on them also to maintain a proper temperature.

Do not move Internal HDDs

And the next thing is want to tell you is, do not unplug and take around your Mechanical HDDs frequently if they are not Portable/External Drives. And if you are needed to do that, Bubble wrap the HDD Drives and take around by avoiding shocks. The reason is that; these kind of Internal HDDs are not shock proofed as External/Portable Drives. Portable Drives are made with external Plastic or Rubber cover to avoid shocks. But your normal Internal HDD is not for made for Portable purposes but only to place in a still location in your system.  

Buy Brand New

And the last thing is try to buy as brand new Storage device with a warranty when you are building a system. If you tend d buy a reconditioned or used Drive, try to check the drive with a software like CrystalDiskInfo because it is important to know the status and health of your Hard Drive when you choose a Used or Reconditioned Drive. And from these factors you can save your data losing from unwanted causes like high heat or physical damages that can be occurred to a drive. So as this take care of the Storage drives and give proper attention to them as you value your Data.  

Conclusion

Storage Devices get failed often due to negligence towards them. From Buying, Installation to Storing and Handling them should be done by proper manner in order to take the best out of those devices. If not, you may have to deal with the loss of your valuable data. Monitoring Storage Device’s health, allocating proper cooling and Handling the devices proper manner will do the trick. We may think that “that is not happened normally, I’ve using this for a long time and nothing will happen”. Believe me we may never know what will happen.