Storage: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives?
- 5/29/09 1:02 PM
Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives?
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 5/29/09 1:02 PM
Question:
Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives?
I have been using the same 250GB external hard drive for more than five years. I backup quicken files, thousands of photos and a lot of other files to a portable drive several times a year. I would like to know if it has a life expectancy and should I eventually retire it? Are there maintenance procedures that will enable me to prolong the life of these drives or is it just a matter of luck when it goes south? Thanks so much!
Submitted by: Ted V.
Here are some featured member answers to get you started, but
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Life expectancy of external hard drives varies --Submitted by ben_myers
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7588_102-0.html?messageID=3048631#3048631
Life span? Definitely! --Submitted by Zorched
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Life expectancy --Submitted by Hforman
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Do external hard drives have a life expectancy? --Submitted by StephanBer
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Life of an external hard drive --Submitted by waytron
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Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? --Submitted by alswilling
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Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives?
by dahump - 5/22/09 5:22 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I don't know about 5 years. My WD died after 2 years.
Look after them, and they should last longer.
by TreknologyNet - 5/30/09 5:08 AM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by dahumpUnless you're tossing an external drive around like a USB key, and allowing it bounce around in the trunk of the car, I fail to see why an "external" drive should fail any sooner than an "internal" one--they are the same devices, just in different cases--as others have cited, some external enclosures are abyssmal when it comes to ventilation, and that's how I lost a 420GiB backup drive.
Of course Murphy was looking over my shoulder at the time, and made sure that the actual failure occurred while three 160GiB drives were in a state of flux.
Life Expectancy
by mafmusic - 5/22/09 5:35 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Of course it has a life expectancy (like everything else in the universe) but I don't think it is possible to predict when it will fail.
I have a MAC PRO with 4 internal drives and 2 external drives. I have had two of the internal drives for many years.
I routinely use Tech Tool Pro to examine the drive volumes and files. Just to make sure all looks OK. there are many other such tools for MAC and PC. Some come with the computer and are free (like the Disk utility for the MAC).
I believe that routine maintenance should help to extend the life of the drive.
To be sure, I am a computer hobbyist, so I am sure pros will be able to provide more detail.
But BACK UP, and then BACK UP, and then BACK UP some more.
I use Time Machine in MAC OSX to routinely back up all drives.
Plus, I place critical files on the Apple iDisk, just in case the main drives and the backup drive fail.
MF
Monterey CA
Not honey.....
by ackmondual - 5/29/09 8:20 PM In reply to: Life Expectancy by mafmusicI hear honey is the only food in the world that doesn't expire. Ever.
Twinkies
by crazydragon55 - 6/4/09 10:17 AM In reply to: Not honey..... by ackmondualAbout Honey,It will dry up and turn to sugar in time,Now Twinkie on the other hand will last for years and years,They say they can last for more than 50 years if keep in a cool dry place,Now thats some life expectancy.The food will almost out live you lol.The food that will be around long after there is no other food options left.I could go on about the food shortage problems in the future,But I think we are all aware of the enviable,There will be no food due to globle warming,Famine,Drought and so on.The future is bleak,So enjoy what you have now.
~Crazy Dragon~
It Depends Upon how Much You Use it
by Headspin - 5/22/09 5:39 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Typically, your interior hard drives can have an expectancy to last around 3 years average. As far as exterior hard drives go, you can probably double that range since, for the most part, they are not running with your computer every time it is booted up. Now, depending upon how you keep it stored (usually in a cool, dry area), and the amount of time you use it will add to, or subtract from the time life of your exterior hard drive. Also, if you are able to, open up the device about every six months and take a can of pressurized air and blow out any excess dust that may be lingering. I hope this helps!
-Headspin-
Yes, there is
by btberlin - 5/22/09 5:43 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There is definitely a life expectancy to hard drives, just as there is with any electronic device. The expectancy is related to the MTBF or mean time before failure - however, the mtbf is a mean - that is, it represents the average failure rate for the entire population of drives. This value is generally very high, but it only tells you something about the likelihood that your drive will fail. There is no way to tell exactly how long the drive will last. However, there is another interesting relationship between the age of the drive (or any electronics) and the likelihood of failure. The relationship when graphed forms what is called a bathtub curve - it tells us that there is a relatively high failure rate initially and after some (usually long) period of time, and that once the drive has survived the initial likelihood of failure, it is likely to remain functioning for a long period of time and then fail at its end of life. Again - these two concepts predict behavior of the entire population of drives - i.e., all of the similar drives ever manufactured and upon which the failure rates are based. That said, there isn't much you can do to guess when YOUR drive will fail (which it inevitably will). So - how to encourage longevity? Run it for a few weeks without keeping critical data on it - some people refer to this period as burning in. Then, keep it as cool as possible - perhaps with a fan or by making sure it is never on top of other powered equipment. If there are air vents in the case, make sure they are never blocked, which generally means, don't put the drive down on a carpet or some other surface with a nap or that will allow the drive to sink into the surface, like a pillow. That's about all you can do. For totally critical data, most IT departments will back up data onto tape (or sometimes DVD nowadays), and keep the recorded medium geographically separated from the drive or in a firesafe. Personally, in my Linux workstation, i keep two drives for data, and mirror them every night. If you can afford two external drives, you might want to do the same - copy your data to each drive from the internal drive. Good luck.
Life expectancy terminates when you need the data!
by aeparker - 5/22/09 5:52 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Murphy's Law says that your external backup drive will cease to function the first time you really need it, no matter how long you have owned it or how many times you have used it. Having been involved with computers since 1971, I've seen most of the worst case horror stories up close & personal, including "our data center burned up last night with all of our backups in it"... (not my doings!)
I suggest you purchase at least one additional backup device - the cost is SO much less than five years ago! My personal preference is for three devices - grandfather, father & son, and you should keep at least two of these at a different location than your computer, like at work or in a safety deposit box. I saw a 500GB external drive today for $59, so the cost is minimal to actually have 3 separate backups.
External Hardrive Reliability
by galvang - 5/22/09 5:56 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It's tough to determine External HD reliability unless the manufacture has completed real life reliability tests. Some manufactures have the capability of completing these tests however it is expensive. With budget cuts and companies revenues on the line you can bet that these tests have been eliminated.
There is another method however it is not accurate. The manufacturer can complete a reliability prediction called MTBF predictions. MTBF (Mean Time between Failures). It is calculated by several methods. This method is often used in place of life tests. It is expressed in hours.
I would suggest for you to contact the manufacturer of the external drive and ask for the specification for reliability. Ask whether it is from real life tests or is it calculated by using the above method- MTBF predictions. Good luck. It figures WD had a failure.
Re: Is there a life expectancy on external drives?
by kmanley57 - 5/22/09 5:56 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Yes they do and it is usually in 1000's to 10,000's of hours, of operation. However that is just a guideline, and your drive can die before then. So there is no set and rigid time of life for a drive. You just have to hope your drive will last to the expected time is used up. There are smartdrive utilities that can query the function that is built-in to most drives software nowdays and it will give you a report(abet cryptic) that shows how much time you drive has been on, and if it has had any errors during its life that you can check. Which will give you a warning before you start having problem with it 'usually'.
Would like more info on the kmanley5 post
by Ancient-One - 5/30/09 11:02 AM In reply to: Re: Is there a life expectancy on external drives? by kmanley57Though computing for many years, still classify myself as a hobbist.
Would like to know more about the Smart Drive utilities mentioned by kmanley57 - that checks use time, problems, etc. on externals. Running XP/Pro on Dell Inspiron 530 - Using Acronis 11.0 backup program.
I run 2 identical external HD backups. One is fan cooled, and both are on -- one at a time, on demand only, then shut off. Both are about a year old. Though I think I'm well covered, I still have doubts.
Ancient-One
HARD DRIVE LIFE
by 1quazzarr - 5/22/09 5:59 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have had 2 of external hard drives die after only 1 1/2 to 2 years...
I have been told not to move them when they are running.
JM
HARD DRIVE LIFE
by donwoodruff - 5/31/09 8:05 PM In reply to: HARD DRIVE LIFE by 1quazzarr1quazzarr:
That's only common sense!
Life Expectancy
by drronlech - 5/22/09 6:04 PM In reply to: Is there a life expectancy on external hard drives? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I consider the warranty period to be the life expectancy. External hard drives have a much shorter warranty than internal hard drives. Therefore the best "external" hard drive would be to use an external docking station that allows for internal hard drives such as Thermaltake's BlacX unit. USB 2.0 and/or eSATA connectivity. Another way would be to place an internal hard drive into an external hard drive enclosure. With the price of hard drives going down as fast as they are, the simplest and easiest method is to use the external docking station. Due to it being a bare internal hard drive you would need to protect it while stored. If you kill the drive, just RMA it. Works for me.
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