All hard drives die sooner or later, but that doesn't mean they all die at the same rate. At this time, the average lifespan of a hard drive is six years i.e. 50% of hard drives make it to the six-year mark. Sometimes an early death is the fault of the manufacturer, but more often than not, hard drives fail earlier than they should because we don't take care of them.

For some, that might be a strange concept. Hard drives are tucked away within the computer, aren't they? Do they really need to be "taken care of"? You'd be surprised. Let's look at the most common causes of hard drive failure and what you can do to prevent them. Don't want to suffer through the recovery of a dead hard drive, do you?

Disclaimer: This article is about traditional hard disk drives and does not apply to newer solid-state drives. SSDs suffer from limited lifespans just like HDDs, but for different reasons. Check out how to extend the life of an SDD instead.

Cause #1: Physical Damage

hard-drive-lifespan-physical-damage

The quickest way to render a hard drive useless is physical trauma. Sounds obvious, I know, but hard drives are more fragile than you might expect them to be - there are several moving parts that can malfunction even at the slightest disturbance. A simple bump while the hard drive is spinning could be enough to cause a problem.

What can you do about it?

For maximum safety, never remove your hard drive(s) from the computer case once they've been installed. If you must take them out - and the only valid reason for doing so would be transferring to another computer case - do it lightly and quickly, and use proper equipment.

Similarly, don't move or shake or jostle your computer case while it is on. Keep it in a safe location where accidental kicks and knocks are minimized.

That being said, laptop hard drives are more robust than desktop hard drives and external hard drives. You don't have to feel like you're walking on eggshells when moving a live laptop, but do exercise caution. Again, a light bump against a desk or a wall while the disk is active could cause corruption of data.

Cause #2: Excessive Heat

hard-drive-lifespan-excessive-heat

Like many computer components, hard drives are built to operate within a specific range of optimal temperatures. This range will differ on a drive-by-drive basis depending on the model and manufacturer, but as long as you stay within your drive's range, you should be good to go.

The problem is keeping it within the safe range. If you aren't diligent about maintaining proper air flow through your computer case, heat can build up inside to temperatures far hotter than the ambient temperature of your room. Even if you feel comfortable, your computer components might not be.

What can you do about it?

First things first, you should open up your computer case (after you've powered off) and clean out any dust that might've accumulated within. Use a can of compressed air to clean out the tight nooks and crannies. Then, make sure your fans are working. They should be pulling in air from one side of the case and expelling air from the other side, i.e., circulating.

Laptops are even worse than desktops. The tiny case means dust accumulates faster, so cleaning is a higher priority. Also, be sure to always place your laptop on a hard, flat surface to minimize dust intake and maximize air circulation. Neglecting this is the fastest way to destroy your laptop.

Consider investing in a laptop cooler. They're great because they provide a hard, flat surface and they improve air intake.

Cause #3: File Fragmentation

hard-drive-lifespan-file-fragmentation

File fragmentation itself is not a direct cause of hard drive damage. However, it does cause your hard drive to work harder by making it more difficult to find all the pieces that comprise a particular file (as files fragment, these pieces scatter across the hard drive instead of all being located in the same place). By working harder, the hard drive experiences more wear and tear.

The evidence of increased wear and tear might not show up for a while, but it does add up.

What can you do about it?

Short answer: defragmentation. While fragmentation is less of an issue with NTFS drives than FAT32 drives of the past, it's still an issue that shouldn't be overlooked as part of computer maintenance. Not sure how to defragment? We recommend these awesome defragmentation tools.

However, be aware that defragmenting too often is a common computer mistake that users make. Only defragment your drives when they reach 5-10% fragmentation.

As a bonus, defragmenting will speed up your computer since files can be loaded off of the hard drive faster. Plus, if you're ever in a position where you need to recover a lost file, defragmentation can help make that easier as well.

Cause #4: Frequent On-and-Off

hard-drive-lifespan-power-on-and-off

The most demanding actions for a hard drive are booting up and shutting down. More specifically, the act of frequently spinning up and spinning down can cause additional attrition on top of the wear and tear of regular use.

What can you do about it?

There's a careful line to walk here. On the one hand, you don't want to keep your hard drives on all of the time, but you also don't want to turn it on and off multiple times per day.

Where do we mark the line? As a general rule of thumb, if you're stepping away for more than a day, shut it down. If you're going away for a few hours, consider sending the computer into standby or hibernation mode. Any less than that, you can either leave the computer on or send it into sleep mode with powered down disks.

Cause #5: Power Surges

hard-drive-lifespan-surge-protector

Electricity isn't always constant. There are times when voltages spike above normal levels - even for just a few nanoseconds - and these are called surges. What's bad about this is that surges can cause damage to electronic devices, which includes computer components. One badly-timed electrical surge could fry your hard drive.

What can you do about it?

Use a surge protector. This nifty device will detect surges of electricity and divert it away from the devices that are plugged in. Are surge protectors infallible? No, of course not. Depending on the one you buy, you'll only be guarded against certain surge strengths. It's a good idea to invest in one if you want to keep your computer safe.

Final Thoughts

It's entirely possible for your hard drive to fail even after you've taken care of it. However, we're talking about probabilities and likelihoods here. If you're careful to heed the good practices outlined above, your hard drives (current and future) will last longer and give you fewer headaches.

What have you done to extend the life of your hard drives? Share your tips and advice and hard drive failure stories with us by commenting below!

Image Credits: Simon Yeo Via Flickr, Battered Hard Drive Via Shutterstock, Melted Hard Drive Via Shutterstock, Shattered Via Shutterstock, Power Button Via Shutterstock, Surge Protector Via Shutterstock