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Should we pre-emptively retire old hard drives?

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dantheman:
Speaking of hard drives!

I've got a bad Linux (Xfce) installation and would like to wipe the drive.
Can't even access Firefox or Synaptic!

Probably need a software to run from usb / cd or dvd.

40hz:
Speaking of hard drives!

I've got a bad Linux (Xfce) installation and would like to wipe the drive.
Can't even access Firefox or Synaptic!

Probably need a software to run from usb / cd or dvd.
-dantheman (August 02, 2012, 08:01 AM)
--- End quote ---

@dantheman - Download a free copy of DBan (Darik's Boot and Nuke).

Boot it from a CD or USB, select the "quick" option, and let it run for about 5 minutes. It doesn't need to run to completion for what you want to do.
 :Thmbsup:

dantheman:
Tanks 40hz!

Was just googlin' and came upon it.
As i was downloading/burning it, your post came through.

It's good to hear from a friend to confirm a product (and give instructions too!).  :Thmbsup:

mouser:
Some sound advice here.. I guess what I'm hearing is:

* For the next big new computer build, make the move to raid.
* Because of the unpredictability of failure, the costs+risks vs. benefits of pre-emptively retiring old drives makes it unappealing -- especially compared with the alternative approach of using RAID.
Personally I've avoided RAID for a long time -- mainly because my approach has been to use HD racks, with 3 hard drives in my desktop pc, each serving a different purpose (Operating system, My data, Large Drive for backups, etc.).  And I don't think RAID will let me do that.. Though I'd love to hear about a solution that would let me use that kind of 3-drive setup, and give the computer a 4th terrabyte drive and configure it to store raid-like instant redundancy for all the other drives.  Anything like that exist?

40hz:
@Mouser - I agree with the majority. There's no real advantage to doing preemptive drive replacements since the increased 'safety' of installing a new drive gets offset by the risk of "infant mortality" that comes with any new electronic component.

Disk drives are like airliners. The greatest likelihood of crashing comes during takeoff or landing. In the case of hard drives most fail very early - or very late in their service life. In-between they're usually just fine.

A simple disk utility will let you monitor how your drive is doing. Too many, or steadily increasing number of errors, is usually a good indication your drive is aging. Same goes for to seeing repairs reported regularly whenever you use chkdsk. If Windows or SMART throws you a warning however, I'd replace the drive as soon as possible since things are starting to get pretty serious by the time SMART squawks about it.

For my clients, we usually stockpile a few quality name brand hard drives. We try to buy them on sale, or whenever we spot a a good deal. As long as they're on-hand we're pretty much covered.
 
And while it may sound 'unscientific,' I've discovered you usually "just know" when a drive needs to be replaced since most drives don't abruptly fail without giving you some indication that "something is wrong."

Having a replacement drive ready to go, and replacing your old one when you feel something isn't quite right seems to be the best and most reliable way to protect yourself. That and regular backups.

Luck! :Thmbsup:

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