Myth #11 :

The head actuators are powered by a motor that can fail due to excessive use.

Truth :

Current head actuators are actually not powered by any motor. In the past, head actuators were powered by a stepper motor. But current head actuators use the voice coil mechanism which uses electromagnetic force to move the heads.

So, if the head actuators are not powered by any mechanical motor, how can "its motor" fail?

Myth #12 :

Frequent parking of the read/write heads will make the head actuators' motor fail earlier.

Truth :

See Myth #11 regarding the head actuator's "motor".

In addition, please note that head parking in current hard disk drives occurs automatically whenever power is cut or when the hard disk drive powers down. It is not an active process.

The head actuators either use springs or the platters' rotation energy to park. In drives that use a spring, the actuators are moved against the spring tension. But when power is cut, the spring automatically retracts the actuators.

Therefore, even if head actuators are powered by a motor, head parking will never cause that motor to fail.

Myth #13 :

Truth :

The platters are kept spinning all the time, unless you have set it to spin down to save power after a period of inactivity. Spinning up the platters take a lot of time and power, hence it is inefficient for the hard disk drive to constantly spin down the platters.

Myth #14 :

Truth :

Normally, the platters are spun up at start up and kept spinning after that. The spinning up process is the most taxing part on the hard disk drive's spindle motor. Maintaining the spindle speed thereafter requires a lot less effort.

If the platters have spun down and you need to read/write something on the platters, you will need to spin up the platters to full speed before you can read or write. Therefore, if you want maximum performance, it's better to keep the hard disk drive spinning.

However, spinning down the hard disk drive during periods of inactivity can not only reduce power consumption, it can also reduce the heat produced. The reduced thermal output will increase the longevity of your hard disk drive.

So, while spinning down the hard disk drive will not reduce stress on the spindle motor, it can reduce the hard disk drive's power consumption and thermal output as well as increase its lifespan.

Myth #15 :

Truth :

Bad sectors are not caused by shutting off your computer suddenly. That used to be true in the old, OLD days when you had to park the hard disk drive heads before you turned off your computer.

Modern voice coil actuators will automatically park the read/write heads whenever power to the hard disk drive is cut off. Therefore, there is no risk of any head crashes that can create bad sectors.

Page

Hard Disk Drive Myths

1.

• Introduction
• Questions & Comments

2.

• Formatting a hard disk drive will kill it!
• Formatting a hard disk drive deposits a layer of dust on the platter.
• Formatting the hard disk drive will stress the head actuator.
• Defragmenting the hard disk drive will stress the head actuator.
• If your drive has bad sectors, formatting it causes more bad sectors!

3.

• Downloading too much *stuff* will reduce your hard disk drive's lifespan.
• Insufficient power causes bad sectors.
• Cheap power supplies will "slowly kill" your hard disk drive.
• Your drive keeps spinning up and down because of insufficient power.
• Head parking is the cause of loud clicks.

4.

• The head actuators' motor can fail due to excessive use.
• Frequent parking of the heads will make the head actuators' motor fail earlier.
• The hard disk drive only spins up when it needs to read or write data.
• It is better to spin down the hard disk drive to reduce stress on the motor.
• Sudden power cuts can cause bad sectors!

5.

• Bad sectors can be repaired by reformatting the hard disk drive.
• You can "erase" bad sectors by formatting the hard disk drive.
• You must format your hard disk drive to improve performance.
• The hard disk drive can only be installed in the horizontal position.
• You must reformat the drive in the vertical position before using it in that position.

6.

• Scanning for viruses several times a day can kill your hard disk drive.
• "Excessive" head movements are bad for high-speed hard disk drives.
• The small holes on the hard disk drive allow dust to enter and damage it.
• It's okay to drop a hard disk drive as long as it is not running.
• Hard disk drive companies cheat in the way they calculate storage space!

7.

• If your hard disk drive dies, freeze it to retrieve its data.
• Hard disk drives run better / last longer below ambient temperatures.
• You will lose 64 KB of capacity every time you format the hard disk drive.
• The platters lose their magnetic propeties after being formatted xxxx times.
• The more you write or modify data, the deeper you burn into the substrate.

8.

• Quick NTFS formatting causes bad sectors to appear.
• Constantly rebooting the computer will damage the hard disk drive.
• Formatting the hard disk drive causes changes in the surface of the platters.