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Thursday, March 28, 2024

How to Prevent Hard Drive Failure

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Microsoft operating system has evolved a lot in the past few years however we still face issues with our computer. This evolving technology can minimize software issues but can’t prevent hardware failure on its own. You can live with other hardware issues but if you encounter hard drive failure, you can’t recover your precious data.

You can’t compromise your data and precious files, memories just because of a hard disk problem. You can always keep a backup copy of your data with the help of the Best Disk Cloning Software for Windows 10 and earlier versions. Here are a few precautionary measures that you can take to safeguard your hard drive and your data.

Clear Cache/Cookies More Often

With everyday use, we accumulate a lot of clutter on our devices. Regular cleaning and maintenance are required to keep them running swiftly.

Step 1. Press (Win + R) to open the Run command prompt, type Temp, and hit the Enter key.

Step 2. Select all files (Ctrl + A) and press (Shift + Delete) to remove them permanently.

Step 3. Press (Win + R) to open the Run command prompt, type %Temp% and hit the Enter key.

Step 4. Select all files (Ctrl + A) and press (Shift + Delete) to remove them permanently.

Step 5. Press (Win + R) to open the Run command prompt, type Prefetch, and hit the Enter key.

Step 6. Select all files (Ctrl + A) and press (Shift + Delete) to remove them permanently.

Uninstall Unwanted Applications

There are times when we install applications that are just for one-time use. We use them and then forget to uninstall them from the computer. If you haven’t used any application for over a few weeks, it’s better to uninstall it from your computer. This will secure you from hard drive failure.

Step 1. Press the Window key and type Apps & Features in the search bar.

Step 2. Click on Apps & Features in the search results to list out all the apps.

Step 3. Scroll through the list and figure out apps that need to be removed.

Step 4. Click on the app and click on the Uninstall button to remove the app and associated files.

Step 5. You can also sort apps by size to list out the heaviest apps that are utilizing a lot of space on the drive and the CPU. Wisely eliminate them one by one.

Perform Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup is an important Windows inbuilt utility that allows you to clean up clutter from the computer. You should use it once a month for regular users or twice a month for heavy users.

Step 1. Press the Window key on the keyboard and type Disk Cleanup.

Step 2. Click on the Disk Cleanup App to initiate the process.

Step 3. Select the Drive that needs to be optimized. Generally, it’s the C: Drive that has the Windows operating system installed on it. It will scan the drive and come up with results.

Step 4. Disk Cleanup utility will show you all the clutter that can be removed from the computer.

Step 5. Select all and click on the Okay button to clean up the hard drive and avoid hard disk problems. Ensure that there is nothing important in your downloads folder.

Step 6. Repeat the process and click on the ‘Clean up system files’ button at the bottom to clean the clutter accumulated by the Windows operating system. Click on the Okay button to proceed.

Initiate Disk Defragmentation

Disk Defragmentation is a critical process to clean all bad and unused sectors on your hard drive. Creation and deletion of files and folders leave fragmented blocked space that can’t be reused if not defragmented. The Disk Defragmentation process should be initiated once a month.

Step 1. Press the Window key and type Defrag in the search bar.

Step 2. Click on Defragment & Optimize Drive App in the search results.

Step 3. Select the first drive and click on the Analyze button.

Step 4. Let it scan and come up with the results. If there are fragmented sectors, click on the Optimize button and defragment the fragmented portion.

Step 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all the hard drive partitions on the storage to ensure you do not encounter hard disk drive failure.

Check Your FAN and Overheating Reasons

CPU cooling fan also plays a vital role in hard drive failure if it stops functioning well. There can be several other reasons for overheating hard drives and computers. System running out of RAM, too many programs running in the background, system running out of space (Hard Drive Full) or a virus attack that is eating up all the hard drive space, Memory, or CPU processing. If you are able to diagnose the problem well in time, you can fix it and avoid hard drive failure.

Replace Old HDD with SSD

If your computer is running with an Old HDD (Hard Disk Drives) and there are problems with the drive, it may crash anytime. It’s better that you take a proper backup of your Hard Disk drive with the help of the Best Disk Cloning Software for Windows 10 and earlier versions and replace it with an SSD (Solid State Drive). SSDs are more powerful, fast, and durable than the earlier version of HDDs.

Summing Up:

Hard Disk Problems are a fact of old computers and mostly result in huge data loss. We can’t just compromise our precious data, memories, photos albums, family tree, and other important documents just because of a hard drive failure. The first thing to take care of is always keeping a backup of your data with one of the best Disk Cloning Software, keeping Cloud sync turned ON for the most important documents and albums, and taking regular backups on our external sources for accidental precautions. We also need to ensure that we keep our hard drive healthy and optimized all the time. You can perform these manual steps or use one of the best Advanced System Optimizers to keep it optimized, clean, and gain enhanced performance.

Happy Computing!

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