Your data storage devices, such as removable disks and USB drives, are very important mainly because they contain files that you use in your business or personal life. Failure to take proper care of these devices and drives could result in irreversible loss of essential data. This is precisely the reason why all computer users must be diligent in maintaining their personal data storage items.
The following are some helpful tips on how to preserve your flash drives and removable drives:
Keep your storage devices at room temperature
Avoid storing your data drives in extremely cold or excruciatingly hot environments. Too much heat can cause the electronic elements of your disk to melt, and too cold can cause the physical attributes of the disk to disintegrate. Make sure your office has sufficient ventilation or air conditioning to ensure that heat or humidity does not damage the backup storage disks.
Avoid placing your removable disks on top of other electronic devices
This is very important. Placing your USB or other disk on top of your TV, computer, gaming deck, for a long period of time, may cause data corruption.
Make it a point to properly eject the drives
If you are a Windows user, be sure to “safely remove” removable data hardware from your PC whenever you are about to disconnect it. This prevents sudden data loss and drive damage. On the other hand, simply removing the USB or memory card from your PC socket without performing the “safely remove” action can lead to total disk damage.
Maintain the integrity of your files
If you have a tape drive or hard drive that contains large amounts of important data, be sure to maintain its integrity by monitoring what goes into and out of the drive. Sometimes files such as malware and spyware can infiltrate the drive without the user’s knowledge. Access to peer-to-peer software, adult sites, and sites with known malware and spyware issues can cause viruses to enter your PC storage items and compromise the integrity of your files.
Keep everything safe
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to protect your discs, they are subject to wear, tear, and other unforeseen factors. To make sure you don’t instantly lose important data, keep your information safe in multiple locations. For example, many companies today store data on their tape or SATA drives, but they also keep a copy of their data on a cloud-based server. It is a foolproof system that enables individuals and businesses to securely archive information for future use.
