How Often Should I Replace My External Hard Drive?

While clearing some space on my old laptop, I realized that it had lasted longer than I expected. After this brainstorming, the first question that came to mind was about my external hard drive: How often should I replace my external hard drive? From there, I began the entire research process, which I will walk you through so you can gain the insights that I spent hours searching for.

The reason that external hard drives become unusable after a certain amount of time is either of the two:

•  Either they contain some moving parts that, as you use them, wear out due to increased friction
• Or you are not handling your hard drives properly

So you’re on the right platform if you want to discover more about replacing hard drives. Let’s go:

Signs Indicating the Need to Replace an External Hard Drive

External hard drives are not generally trusted, as you never know when they will dump you. It can even happen after buying them for a day, a few hours, a week, or longer. You never know! 

However, there are a few signs that you need to be aware of regarding your external hard drives: 

Slow Performance

This could be one of the reasons you should consider replacing your external hard drive. Monitor the performance of your external hard drive from the moment you purchase it. This way, you will have a track record of the performance of your hard drive. It may fail if you notice that it performs significantly slower than usual.

Age of Your External Hard Drive

External hard drives typically have a lifespan of three to ten years. Determining the lifespan of an external hard drive is easier when you know its brand, model, and other important factors. However, the age of your external hard drive varies based on the factors affecting its lifespan. So its better that you always purchase a new one for backup purposes.

Frequent Errors and Corrupted Files

This one is a vital sign! Watch for frequently corrupted files or if your system has become more prone to errors. If you repeatedly notice such issues, it is an essential indication that you need a new external hard drive.

Steps and Best Practices for External Hard Drive Replacement

Among the most important factors affecting the lifespan of an external hard drive are the practices you endorse for the way you use them. Here is a list of some of the best practices and steps to take before replacing an external hard drive:

1. Keep your computer’s software security system updated before and while your hard drive is in use. This practice protects your data from being corrupted or destroyed by cookies you accidentally downloaded when your system’s security was vulnerable.
2. Before changing or replacing your external hard drive, regularly back up your data on another storage device or cloud service.
3. Always eject your hard drive from your computer’s system before physically ejecting it to avoid data loss or file corruption.
4. Carefully install the new hard drive by placing it in the right place and connecting all the screws, connections, and wires properly.
5. Format the new hard drive to be ready and optimized to complement your computer’s operating system.
6. Always make sure that the hard drive you are using is compatible with the system you are using it on, and then your external hard drive is ready to use

Understanding External Hard Drive Failure Rates

To help you understand what I am saying, you should know that the number of external hard drive failure rates has skyrocketed to 40% globally. This is because most people have begun to use them casually, which should not be the case. Here are some additional facts and essential points you must consider:

1. Never expose your external hard drive to areas with strong magnetic fields, as this will destroy it in seconds. Your hard drive also has magnetic encryptions and integrations, and the strong magnetic field may disrupt or play havoc with them and cause your hard disk to have a hardware structural failure. 
2. Never keep so much data on your hard drive that it reaches its total capacity. Let alone the fact that storing the same amount of data as your hard drive’s storage capacity puts your device at risk.
3. While traveling or moving, try not to shake, move, or shove your external hard drive excessively. Also, keep it in its authentic cover case to prevent data loss. Shaking your device too much makes it more susceptible to scratches, which can result in data loss. 

Note: The highest magnetic fields are found at poles, in a super-intense magnetic field laboratory, or, last but not least, in an MRI room in the hospital. MRI machines have intense magnetic fields ranging from 1.5T to 3.0T, and technology is advancing them towards 11.7T. So be aware, and DO NOT take your devices in there.

As you have read, you know when to replace your hard disks and the external hard drive replacement guidelines. However, there is one more thing that I want to add here. Always make sure that you have ruled out these factors that may result in data losses, file corruption, and even your hard disk getting destroyed:

1. Do not remove your hard drive while it is still functioning 
2. Never place your devices on dirty/dusty surfaces to avoid scratches
3. Ensure your computer is connected to stable electricity and that there are no sudden changes in the electric supply.
4. Never switch your computer off in a disruptive manner from the direct electric supply or while your external hard disk is still in use.
5. Keep your external hard drive in a safe, cool, and dry environment after you have used it.
6. Do not insert your external hard disk devices on vulnerable computer systems like those in public libraries.

Additional Recommendations For Hard Drives

Choosing a new hard drive for your computer will be even easier if you understand how to evaluate the overall performance of your hard drive. You should prefer external Solid State Drives (SSD) over external Hard Disk Drives (HDD).

They provide faster read/write speeds with varying capacities. However, portability and storage considerations are two features that rank among the highest ones on the list of external hard drive replacement recommendations.

Also Checkout Flash Storage vs SSD

Conclusion

Always make backups! I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you to create a backup because you made the slightest mistake with your hard drives and POOF! You have lost all of your data. For those wondering, “How often should I replace my external hard drive?” I would suggest that you replace it once every five years. However, taking care of and adhering to the guidelines and safety prerequisites will not only improve your user experience but will also extend the lifespan of your devices because you have correctly optimized the factors affecting the lifespan of external hard drives.