Why Hard Drives Fail
It has now been more then fifty years since IBM developed the first hard drive. The evolution and the advancements of this phenomenon have been numerous since IBM shipped the first hard disk drive named the 305 RMAC on September 13th 1956. It was a gigantic fifty two foot in diameter device and was the first magnetic hard disk with a storage capacity of 5 megabytes.
Presently we have hard drives that can store 3TB of data which equals 300 000 times the storage capacity of the 305 RAMAC. This increased storage capacity exists on platters which are only 3.5 inches in diameter. Nevertheless, hard drives have remained complex mechanisms with mechanical components, electronic components, as well as software components stored in a micro controller. Due to the complexity of these components and necessity for software code, electronics and mechanical procedures to constantly work in harmony, it is not a big surprise that eventually some parts will fail. For example, examining the mechanical components, we have the heads which read data through magnetic impulses from the hard drive platters. These platters that actually store the data constantly rotate at high revolutions, such as 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm for IDE and SATA drives and even higher revolutions for modern SCSI drive architectures, namely 10 000 rpm and 15 000 rpm. Consequently, as with all mechanical components, hard drives are not excluded from wear and tare. Common mechanical failures include a malfunction of the motor and or malfunction of the read/write heads.
On the other hand, the electronic components are mounted to a circuit which is commonly referred to as printed circuit board (PCB). A failure of electronics can arise when a power supply sends an increased voltage signal to the hard drive. A spike in voltage can certainly incapacitate the electronics to a non functioning state. Further more a voltage fluxuation from an external power source such as the power lines can cause similar failure types if surge protection has not been utilized.
It is not uncommon for hard drives to become the prey, of improper handling. This is still the number one cause of their failure. Improper procedures can include: moving portable hard drives while powered, moving or relocating a desktop or a laptop computer while the computer is running and last but not the least, excessive shock to the external drive or Personal Computer (PC). Hard disk drives need to be handled with the utmost care, especially when powered on. As soon as the hard drive receives a power signal, the platters start to spin at very high revolutions. The heads which read the data from the platters actually never touch the platter surface, but rather fly over the surface at a distance measured in millionths of an inch. A single human hair would be thick enough to prevent the heads from properly flying over the platters. With such as small flight height any shock or improper movement can cause the heads to touch the hard drive platters and ultimately leave the drive in a nonfunctional state by damaging the heads or even worst the media surface.
If the data from the failed or damaged hard disk has not been backed up properly this often leads the owner to require data recovery services. In such a situation, the expertise of Data Analyzers a data recovery center is the most logical solution. Data Analyzers specializes in the recovery of logically and physically damaged hard drives as well as flash drives and Raid arrays. For more information please visit our website.
Presently we have hard drives that can store 3TB of data which equals 300 000 times the storage capacity of the 305 RAMAC. This increased storage capacity exists on platters which are only 3.5 inches in diameter. Nevertheless, hard drives have remained complex mechanisms with mechanical components, electronic components, as well as software components stored in a micro controller. Due to the complexity of these components and necessity for software code, electronics and mechanical procedures to constantly work in harmony, it is not a big surprise that eventually some parts will fail. For example, examining the mechanical components, we have the heads which read data through magnetic impulses from the hard drive platters. These platters that actually store the data constantly rotate at high revolutions, such as 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm for IDE and SATA drives and even higher revolutions for modern SCSI drive architectures, namely 10 000 rpm and 15 000 rpm. Consequently, as with all mechanical components, hard drives are not excluded from wear and tare. Common mechanical failures include a malfunction of the motor and or malfunction of the read/write heads.
On the other hand, the electronic components are mounted to a circuit which is commonly referred to as printed circuit board (PCB). A failure of electronics can arise when a power supply sends an increased voltage signal to the hard drive. A spike in voltage can certainly incapacitate the electronics to a non functioning state. Further more a voltage fluxuation from an external power source such as the power lines can cause similar failure types if surge protection has not been utilized.
It is not uncommon for hard drives to become the prey, of improper handling. This is still the number one cause of their failure. Improper procedures can include: moving portable hard drives while powered, moving or relocating a desktop or a laptop computer while the computer is running and last but not the least, excessive shock to the external drive or Personal Computer (PC). Hard disk drives need to be handled with the utmost care, especially when powered on. As soon as the hard drive receives a power signal, the platters start to spin at very high revolutions. The heads which read the data from the platters actually never touch the platter surface, but rather fly over the surface at a distance measured in millionths of an inch. A single human hair would be thick enough to prevent the heads from properly flying over the platters. With such as small flight height any shock or improper movement can cause the heads to touch the hard drive platters and ultimately leave the drive in a nonfunctional state by damaging the heads or even worst the media surface.
If the data from the failed or damaged hard disk has not been backed up properly this often leads the owner to require data recovery services. In such a situation, the expertise of Data Analyzers a data recovery center is the most logical solution. Data Analyzers specializes in the recovery of logically and physically damaged hard drives as well as flash drives and Raid arrays. For more information please visit our website.
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