imminent hard drive failure?

[DieHard]

I use a 4 year old MacBook Pro. I have been mostly very happy with this computer. However...

I recently read another Apple user's account of his 2 hard drive failures in 2 different Apple computers, one after only 2 years and the other after 4 or 5 years of service. I know that optical hard drives are extremely complex and have many moving parts and I suppose this leads to the eventual failure? So my questions, if any of you are Apple enthusiasts or otherwise computer experts, are thus:
1) Is my hard drive going to fail soon?

2) If it does, how easy is it to replace?

3) Is it possible in PP?

4) Cloud backup? Is this a good option? Till now I have not, but at this point I'm worried.

[A Wannted Man]

Is your drive going to fail soon, it's a sata 2.5 hd , sata drives do s.m.a.r.t, Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology, so if you look at this info you should find out if there are any foreseeable problems, if so, backup and replace the hd.

Not sure if this is for your model but...

The hard disk drive is located next to the built-in battery when you open the back of your MacBook Pro. The replacement drive must be a 2.5-inch drive with a Serial ATA (SATA) connector.

To replace the hard disk drive in your MacBook Pro:

Shut down your MacBook Pro. Disconnect the power adapter, Ethernet cable, USB cables, security lock, and any other cables connected to the MacBook Pro to prevent damaging the computer.
Warning: The internal components of your MacBook Pro can be warm. If you have been using your MacBook Pro, wait 10 minutes after shutting down to let the internal components cool before continuing.
Turn over your MacBook Pro and remove the ten (10) screws that secure the bottom case. Lift off the case and place it to the side.

[Jacked Camry]

I think your forum name is hazardous to your hard drive's health.

[Khmerized]

I use a 4 year old MacBook Pro. I have been mostly very happy with this computer. However...

I recently read another Apple user's account of his 2 hard drive failures in 2 different Apple computers, one after only 2 years and the other after 4 or 5 years of service. I know that optical hard drives are extremely complex and have many moving parts and I suppose this leads to the eventual failure? So my questions, if any of you are Apple enthusiasts or otherwise computer experts, are thus:
1) Is my hard drive going to fail soon?

2) If it does, how easy is it to replace?

3) Is it possible in PP?

4) Cloud backup? Is this a good option? Till now I have not, but at this point I'm worried.

Hard drives fail. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when. ALWAYS backup your stuff. I have 4 backups on 4 different drives, one updated daily, one weekly and two monthly.
HDs are easy to replace. You can find a 2,5" HD at any computer shop here. If you do end up swapping, I suggest getting an SSD. They are way faster and have no moving parts.

[dv8inpp]

If you want a visual guide take a look at http://www.ifixit.com/. They have video tutorials about fixing stuff. Also it's a good chance to upgrade your HDD to a SSD which will boost performance.

[DieHard]

Thanks for the good info, guys. When it fails I"ll switch to an SSD for sure.

[vladimir]

Would a programme like Disk Doctor be able to predict disk failure? I think it would warn you if a problem was developing...

[DieHard]

You're asking me? I'm a complete idiot when it comes to computer stuff! I was just reading the wiki-page for SMART hard drive analysis and I'm baffled. And all I really want to know is if my computer will tell me the drive is about to fail...or do I need to do something first? Like click on a link in a submenu in preferences...
I'll just back up and expect it to fail soon. It's 4 years old this month and runs super hot.

[vladimir]

DH, I was asking dv8, but install it and see what is says...might give you a better idea of what to do or when.

[franzjaeger]

don't forget to use the 'disk utility' in your app utilities folder to verify and repair your disk, doing the 'repair disk permissions' once in a while will also help speed up your system.. ou can also use use a free app like 'ONYX' to help keep your OS running smooth... With regular hard drives, it's important not to shake or hit your computer while it's active.. especially while starting or turning it off.. but also while using it, as the disk is quite sensitive when reading and writing data.. although there are many safety features build in to keep your drive working while in motion, it is not a good idea to destabilize it more than necessary.. it might be a laptop, but it should be very stabile when you use it.. don't hit the keys to hard.. make sure the laptop is on a steady surface, and make sure your system does not run hot.. you might have apps running that you don't use, clogging up the system.. it is already quite hot here in cambodia for computers.. so if you are working in a place without ac.. make sure to have a fan ventilating your work area..

[BillyB]

I have had two hard drive failures in 15 years of Laptop ownership, both times I had decent backups and there was enough advance warning for me to copy off my most recent changes (company accounts and photos) to an external drive.

In the same 15 years I have had a total failure of one external drive with very little warning, and another external drive is flagged as "not to be trusted" after it crashed but was recovered (the drive, not the data) by re-formatting.

After my last hard drive crash I thought I had made a perfect recovery, then I realised that my Outlook address book was missing with all its contact information. I connected my mobile phone, synchronised, and it was all back!

Not IF you WILL have a hard drive crash sometime, anything important should be backed up.

Cloud backup? I am playing around with it, but do not trust it yet, I need to read the full documentation sometime.

• How secure is confidential data in the cloud?
• If I add a new device to synchronise might an important document vanish from my main computer?
• Might the FBI impound the companies servers containing my backups, as happened to Megaupload recently

@

[dv8inpp]

I'm not sure which disc doctor program a Mac uses but anything that shows you more of the smart information can't be bad. Working out what to do with that knowledge is the problem. A 4 year old drive is probably less likely to fail than a new drive. As it reaches its end of life the chance of failure increases. Its called the bathtub curve failure rate. So replacing an old drive with a new drive could be worse. Get a replacement drive in an external drive. Backup your data and use the external drive as often as possible to burn it in, once your happy its reliable you could swap it or just keep it as a backup. Ssd drives are good but they do suffer from overuse and have yet to prove themselves long term

A quick Google says 3 years is when drives start to fail.