Most analysts believe that hard drives have a lifespan of between three and five years. However, keep in mind that the lifespan of a hard drive can vary depending on its type, usage intensity, and overall maintenance.
Hello everyone. My name is Lavelle and as a professional photographer, I have depended heavily on hard drives since their inception (yes, I’m that old!). For more than 30 years now, I have centered my career on technology and part of that technology boom has been the ability to save and protect my data.
In this article, I will go over the life expectancy of various hard drives and address some of the signs that you can look for to determine when your hard drive needs replacing. Additionally, I will cover how you can expand the life of your hard drive.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- Take care of your hard drives by keeping them in cool, dust-free spaces and monitoring the health of the hard drive regularly.
- Choose your drive carefully. Remember that SSD drives last longer than HDD, however, HDD drives typically store more data.
- Back up your data regularly to ensure that a failed hard drive doesn’t leave you without important files.
How Long Does a Hard Drive Last
It is important to note that there are different types of hard drives. Here we find information on hard disk drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), and external hard drives.
Hard Disk Drives Lifespan
The most commonly known hard drive is the HDD. This drive has a lifespan that ranges between three and five years. The HDD stores the most amount of data of the three types of hard drives. However, they are usually slower and have many moving parts that tend to wear out quicker than the other drives.
Solid-State Drives Lifespan
Another type of drive is the SSD drive. The solid-state drive differs from the HDD in that it does not have moving parts. This drive consists of flash memory that is similar to a USB memory stick. The SSD responds much quicker and is a preference for many video editors.
SSDs have a different measurement as it relates to life expectancy. The SSD life cycle is measured in Terabytes Written (TBW). This means that the drive’s lifespan is impacted by how the data is written and is not impacted by its reading. Therefore, the lifespan ranges for SSDs depend on the rating of the drive.
Some SSDs, such as a 1TB drive have a rating of 600 while other SSDs can have a rating of up to 3600. If we convert this information into years, it is estimated that a good SSD drive can last up to 10 years.
External Hard Drive Lifespan
The last category of hard drives is the external hard drive. An external hard drive is nearly identical to the HDD with the only difference being portability.
External hard drives are separate from the computer’s composition and may be moved from computer to computer or from device to device. As such, the lifespan of an external hard drive is also three to five years.
5 Signs that Your Hard Drive Needs to be Replaced
Now that we understand the types of hard drives and their respective lifespan, we can look at some of the signs that tell us that the hard drive needs to be replaced.
1. Slow Performance
One of the first indicators that a hard drive may need to be replaced is that it begins to perform slower than normal. The computer may freeze up often or you may notice more warning messages.
In the age of cyberattacks, when a hard drive is attacked by a virus or malware, it can become corrupted and slow down dramatically. When this begins to occur, it is time to replace the hard drive.
2. Strange Noise
Another indication is the occurrence of strange noises emanating from the computer. You may hear sounds such as grinding or clicking. It may sound like the computer is straining or struggling to process data. If you hear these types of sounds, it is important that you immediately backup your data to another drive.
3. Errors
Error messages are also strong indicators that your hard drive needs to be replaced. Some common errors include bad sectors, failure to open messages, or excessive crash errors. All of these error messages are leading to a hard drive failure.
4. Overheating
When a hard drive is failing it is common for it to overheat. If you hear your computer making a straining sound, then it is probably forcing the computer to perform by using more power than normal, resulting in the hard drive becoming hot or overheated.
If this occurs, you should immediately save your data to another drive and seek professional help to replace your hard drive.
5. Lost Files
There are times when you may lose files on your computer. It was just there a day before, however, you cannot find the file now. This is another indication that the hard drive is failing.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that the files are lost, but it does mean that the hard drive is not reading the data properly and cannot locate the file. In this case, you should immediately save the files to another drive, then format the hard drive.
Your data will be removed from the hard drive, but you can use a data recovery program to recover it. A few of the commonly used programs include TestDisk, PhotoRec, Recoverit. Each of these are well rated and dependable.
How to Expand the Life of Hard Drive
Here are some things that you can do to expand the lifespan of your hard drive.
Monitor Your Hard Drive Health
You can do this by using programs such as SpeedFan, which monitors the temperature of your hard drive. There are also other monitoring programs that you can use to keep up with the health indicators of your hard drive.
Some of the programs I recommend are Jamf Pro, Netwrix Auditor, and SolarWinds Service Desk.
Maintain with Care
You can expand the lifespan of your hard drive by protecting it from humidity, damage, and unfavorable environmental conditions. You can use dehumidifiers in the room where your computer is located. You can also use cooling fans that are designed to regulate the temperature of your hard drive.
Keeping your computer in an area that is free of dust and other such environmental conditions is also important. Doing these things will help to lengthen the life of your hard drive.
Use High-Quality Cables
High-quality cables allow for easier reading and writing functions by the hard drive. This also causes your hard drive to use less power and thereby save functionality within the drive.
Remove Duplicates and Temporary Files
On a PC, you can remove duplicate files and unnecessary files from your computer by going to file explorer, clicking on your C drive, then right-clicking on it and going to Properties. On the Properties menu, you can see options for compressing data and you can delete unnecessary files.
On a Mac, go to Finder, and use the Shift + Command keys to get the Go menu. Type in ~/Library/Caches/ and then click Go. Choose files in the Caches folder. Hold and press the Command + A buttons to select all the caches or select each one manually. Right-click and select “Move to Trash” to delete the temporary internet files. Now, you can empty your trash to permanently delete them.
FAQs
Here are answers to a couple of commonly asked questions.
How Long Will a 1TB HDD Last?
Generally speaking, a 1TB HDD drive will last approximately 3 years and may last up to 5 years. The specifications of the drive and the manufacturer brand contribute to which end of the range of the lifespan the HDD may experience.
Which Lasts Longer SSD or HDD?
The solid-state drive (SSD) has a longer lifespan than the hard disk drive (HDD). A normal life expectancy for an SSD is approximately 10 years while it is approximately 3-5 years for an HDD.
Final Thoughts
Hard drives are a critical component in computers and are the primary component for saving and storing data. As such, hard drives should be maintained carefully and monitored closely. As we have discussed here, you must understand the indicators of a failing hard drive. You should back up your data regularly and pay close attention to the performance of your hard drive.
Which type of hard drive do you use? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
Until next time, protect your data, backup your data, and enjoy your data!
