Public Service Announcement #3
Back up your hard drive today. Or even better, right now.
Unfortunately, the file structure on my laptop's hard drive was corrupted earlier in the day.
Good news: I use Time Machine on a monthly basis and my hard drive was still accessible via Target Disk Mode.
Bad news: My last backup was from five weeks ago because I got lazy.
I didn't lose anything irretrievable, but not having a more recent backup is still going to cost me about a half a day of my life.
The moral of the story: All hard disk drives are guaranteed to fail. Back up your hard drive daily. And back up your backup monthly.
Unfortunately, the file structure on my laptop's hard drive was corrupted earlier in the day.
Good news: I use Time Machine on a monthly basis and my hard drive was still accessible via Target Disk Mode.
Bad news: My last backup was from five weeks ago because I got lazy.
I didn't lose anything irretrievable, but not having a more recent backup is still going to cost me about a half a day of my life.
The moral of the story: All hard disk drives are guaranteed to fail. Back up your hard drive daily. And back up your backup monthly.
posted by d l wright at 2/21/2010 03:09:00 PM
12 Comments:
The hard drive died on my iMac about a year ago (I think). Fortunately, I had a Time Machine back up from only like three days before.
I love Time Machine.
how do you back up your back up?
I've never had a hard drive die. Of course I've never owned a mac. . . .
calm down mac lovers, i'm just messing with you. i know apple uses hard drive brands i've likley used before too.
Sam: some externals come with redundant hard drives, meaning that your information is stored in multiple locations just in case one of the drives fails. It is also not a bad idea to keep your most valuable data stored online in case of a physical calamity.
Brad: Yeah, hard drives are hard drives. Doesn't matter if they are in an Apple or PC computer, they will fail. Might as well develop good habits now, so when the inevitable does happen you are backed up!
hdds really shouldn't be failing very often. . . especially in a desktop computer. which is where i do think apple's design probably plays a role.
it seems like it would be really tough to keep all the components in an imac cool enough considering the tight quarters and proximity to other heat producing elements. but i guess that's the price you pay for the attractive enclosures and small sizes.
that said, apple seems to do really well all things considered. the way they cram things into tight spaces while running really quietly for the most part - i would think they'd have more problems, a testament to good design.
if you're want to keep an eye on your temps you can use the program found here: http://www.bresink.de/osx/TemperatureMonitor.html
B: It is not about hard disk drives failing very often. Temperature has no bearing on a drives longevity. All mechanical hard disk drives will eventually fail. It is just a matter of entropy.
I don't know. I think I'm with B. I have a 10 year old laptop that still runs off it's original hard drive (albeit very slowly). But my iMac barely made it three years. And my work MBP is just barely three and already having issues.
Hard drives should last far more than three years.
Mark your sample size may need to be expanded ;)
There is a failure rate of about 9% on all hard disc drives in the second and third year. [Also I should point out that my hard drive didn't fail, the directory was just corrupted.]
Besides, how often do you use your 10 year old computer? Use contributes to the wear and tear of the machine.
And what do you mean be issues on your MPB?
Let me reiterate: All mechanical hard disk drives will eventually fail.
Issues = slow read times, read errors, more noise than usual, hanging on simple commands (like a rename), etc.
Sample size... blah blah blah. You probably believe in Global Warming too. Look outside Logan! It's snowing!
temperature absolutely has "bearing" on longevity. overheating is not really a common cause of failure during the first two years, but it is common after that.
also, the while the google study shows that temperature affects failures less than previously thought the study stops measuring at 50 degrees C. interesting, since apple STARTS cooling at 50 degrees. there's really no good data for 50 and above. and anytime your hd fan kicks on in an apple you're above 50. (part of the reason apples are so quiet, a really nice feature, but not without its potential tradeoffs)
and yes, i agree that all hard drives will eventually fail, the combination of electronic and mechanical components makes hard drives especially susceptible to it. so, do your backups. often.
Okay, I worded that wrong. It is the internet, you can't blame me if I exaggerate!
Regardless, I am mostly trying to argue against what I consider speculation on your and Mark's part. I haven't seen any data that suggests that Mac HDs fail more frequently than PC HDs.
And Mark, that sucks about your work computer. That definitely sounds like a drive that is about to go belly up. I assume that State of Utah is more interested in spending money on gun lawsuits than on AppleCare, right?
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