What is hard disk lifetime?

[Kvin]

What is hard disk lifetime, very approximately? PIII has been bought 6,5
years ago, 20GB hard disk. When I check it for disk errors(with built in
utility), it show 0 bad sectors. If upgrade hard disk, what is max size
volume allowed without BIOS settings alteration?


K.

 

[Dave B.]

Hard drives last anywhere from half a second to even 10 or 15 years or
longer, you can't tell how long yours will last, it can fail without warning
at any time.
You would need to consult the PC/motherboard mfg to determine the maximum
drive size supported.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

What is hard disk lifetime, very approximately? PIII has been bought
6,5 years ago, 20GB hard disk. When I check it for disk errors(with
built in utility), it show 0 bad sectors.

Even approximately, nobody can give you a useful number. Some drives fail in
their first year, others last *many* years.

If you're thinking of replacing a drive because it's old, I wouldn't. It
could have many years of life left. I wouldn't replace a drive until it
failed, but I would always protect myself by having backups of its content.

If upgrade hard disk, what
is max size volume allowed without BIOS settings alteration?

Nobody can answer that question either. It depends on your BIOS. The largest
drive available I know of is 1TB (1000GB) , and most, if not all, modern
BIOSs should support it.

 

[Kvin]

Kvin wrote:

Even approximately, nobody can give you a useful number. Some drives fail
in their first year, others last *many* years.

If you're thinking of replacing a drive because it's old, I wouldn't. It
could have many years of life left. I wouldn't replace a drive until it
failed, but I would always protect myself by having backups of its
content.


Nobody can answer that question either. It depends on your BIOS. The
largest drive available I know of is 1TB (1000GB) , and most, if not all,
modern BIOSs should support it.

---------------

Mainboard model CT-6OJV2
CPU Type: Pentium III 866MHz
BIOS: Award BIOS

Can I use 80GB HDD without problem on this type config.?

K.

 

[Dave B.]

Why not visit the mfg website and find out?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

---------------

Mainboard model CT-6OJV2
CPU Type: Pentium III 866MHz
BIOS: Award BIOS

Can I use 80GB HDD without problem on this type config.?

Again, nobody can answer that for sure. It depends on *your* specific BIOS.
Contact your manufacturer to find out for sure.

If you want a guess, my guess is that it should not be a problem. It's been
a long time since there were BIOSs around that didn't support an 80GB drive.
But again, that's a guess, not a guarantee.