My PC Keeps Killing Hard Drives! – Recurring HD Failure

Name: Robert Malone

PC keeps killing hard drives. install new hard drive, load all software, seem to run fine for a while then hd dies, machine will no longer see hd. Had done this to 3 hd’s, scared to put anything else in. Any ideas?

I suppose the first item of business is: Are you completely sure that the old hard drives are dead? The first thing that I would try with your “crashed” hard drives would be to hook them up to another computer and see if they function in there.

If the hard disk still works in the other machine, then it is obviously not the drive itself that’s the issue. You’ll then need to check out things like your Windows installs, the hard drive controller, etc.

In the event that the drive does end up being toast then the very first thing I’d suspect is killing them would be the power supply. If you have a faulty power supply then the likelyhood of it frying components is pretty high. One of the most common issues I run into is a rouge PS. (Although usually they work fine and then crap out completely, not fry components while functioning themselves)

Another thing to consider is the type of abuse your machine is being subjected to. – You never stated what model your computer is, or if it is a desktop or laptop. If it is a laptop, then what kind of environment is your computer being operated in? Hard disks do not like to be vibrated – especially while they are running. If you are regularly using your computer in some bumpy environment then this could very possibly be what’s killing your parts off.

Also, if you have a faulty fan or optical disk drive that is causing a lot of shaking in the computer case (more likely for a desktop) then that could crash your disk as well. It’s less likely, but a possibility.

Power supplies are cheap. Try replacing that initially and see what happens. You may want to consider getting a UPS as well. Electrical storms kill computers, and especially if you are in a rural area then a UPS is a must to regulate the incoming electricities voltage/amperage.