3 Tips to Prevent Your Hard Drive from Melting

Hard drives contain sensitive components that when damaged could render the drive inoperable. As you can imagine, having a melted hard drive is problematic since it won’t allow you access to the files stored on it. To ensure you’re not melting your hard drive, here are some best practices to employ.

Make Sure Your Computer Ventilates Well

A fan keeps the hard drive cool. However, over time fans can break down. Moreover, a congested area around the drive prohibits the fans from operating properly. Often, dust builds up, resulting in poor ventilation. Over time, this causes the hard drive to overheat since it isn’t receiving a steady flow of air. To prevent this from happening, use canned air to blast the area free of dust build-ups.

As part of this, it’s imperative to keep the area around your computer clean to mitigate the risk of dust build-up. Another thing to do is to use your computer in a cool area, away from heat absorbing materials.

To demonstrate, if you’re placing books on top of your laptop or using it continually on a surface less prone to ventilation such as a bed, the chances of the hard drive melting rise significantly. A simple rule of thumb is to make sure the vents to your device’s hard drive remain clear at all times to promote a healthy flow of air.

Keep Your Computer Case Closed

Some people use their computers without their cases on which can be problematic. For starters, a computer’s case prevents dust and other mites from entering the case, where it can cause damage to some of your computer’s components such as its hard drive.

And secondly, the design of your computer accounts for a tight construction, so designers installed ventilation to account for this. By opening up your computer’s case, you negate the purpose of the design, disrupting the ventilation meant for the hard drive.

Know The Warning Signs

As a hard drive overheats, there are many telltale signs that alert you there’s a problem. One of the most obvious is a clicking sound emanating from your computer. If you notice this, check to see if the fan operates, there’s particle build-up or the vents to the drive are clogged.

Another sign is the computer becomes hot quickly. For laptops, this will be easier to identify since you’ll notice it when you pick it up. Meanwhile, for overheating computers, other signs become prevalent.

When the hard drive overheats, it affects your computer’s performance. You might notice a lag in loading files, your computer freezing up regularly, it could shut down without notice or it has trouble booting up.

As you notice these problems, it’s ideal to take your computer’s temperature. Core Temp is a program designed for this reason. And when you take its temperature, a good guideline is your computer should never exceed 75 degrees Celsius. If it’s approaching that temperature when doing nominal tasks, it’s a sign your hard drive is in danger of melting.

Melting hard drives are problematic because they render your files inaccessible. When this occurs, turn to the team adept at recovering files from damaged hard drives. Our team at Outsource Data Recovery have the expertise needed to conduct these recoveries in a safe and expedient manner. Contact our office today to receive your free, no-obligation quote!