Backblaze, an unlimited online backup company, recently published the results of an extensive, four-year study of hard disk drive lifespans. In additional to revealing some useful and interesting statistics on hard drive lifespans, the study also uncovered three common reasons for hard disk drive failure.

Since 24 Hour Data specializes in recovering lost data after hard disk failure, let’s look at some of the most common reasons people call us.

Hard disk failure reason #1: Manufacturer’s defects – Some hard drives just weren’t built to last. According to the Backblaze study, 5.1% of all drives die within 18 months of use. These failures are usually covered by warranty and are typically due to manufacturer’s defects. A small percentage, 2.5%, of all drives die before their first birthday.

Hard disk failure reason #2: Random failure – Sometimes, a drive fails for no apparent reason after 18 months. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often, occurring only 1.8% of the time in the Backblaze study. This number doesn’t account for hard disk failure from outside factors, such as file corruption, viruses, shock damage, heat damage or natural disasters.

Hard disk failure reason #3: End-of-life – As the mechanical parts in a hard disk drive wear down due to normal use, mechanical failure becomes nearly inevitable. This occurs when the drive is anywhere from three to six years old, although some fortunate users may get even more time out of their hard disk drives.

If your drive is nearing its end of life, daily back-ups are important. If your older drive begins making clicking or whirring sounds, back up your files and power down your computer. It may not be too late to save your data and replace your drive. Be aware that your drive may fail during the back-up process, and you’ll need emergency data recovery to extract your lost data before further damage occurs.

Understanding  the life spans of hard disk drives can help you be more prepared for hard disk failure and potentially avoid a data recovery emergency.