The lifespan tag has no wiki summary.
2
votes
1answer
37 views
How many times can data be read from a USB flash drive?
While I am aware that performing writes on a USB flash drive degrades the life expectancy of the device. I have heard the quantity of writes is anywhere from 100 thousand to 10 million, but I have ...
4
votes
1answer
64 views
What is the minimum length of time it is worth hibernating my laptop? [closed]
I have a Windows XP laptop. I rarely reboot and usually just hibernate it when I'm finished using it. If I'm going for lunch for an hour for example, I will always hibernate. However, if I'm just ...
4
votes
2answers
332 views
How is SSD lifetime affected by usage pattern and amount of free space?
It is known that SSDs are relatively very limited in the number of writes they can take before starting to slow down or otherwise deteriorate.
Suppose I have a 250GB SSD with 225GB of files which are ...
2
votes
1answer
432 views
How to correctly partition usb flash drive and which filesystem to choose considering wear leveling?
Two problems. First one: how to partition the flash drive?
I shouldn't need to do this, but I'm no longer sure if my partition is properly aligned since I was forced to delete and create a new ...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
improving a heavily used LCD's screen life, some questions
I have a 24 inch LCD and the LCD display of my laptop which are extensively used, so i cannot save the screen by keeping it turned (using less). I have already set the display options to shut down the ...
2
votes
2answers
171 views
What is the expected lifetime of a flat screen LCD monitor?
I am looking to get a second monitor for my home PC. I have a used Dell 2407 on hand cheap, but it's four years old.
How long can I expect an LCD like that to live ? Can I expect to get a couple of ...
12
votes
5answers
1k views
What happens when an SSD wears out?
Since SSDs are still fairly new, there isn't a history of posts saying "I reached my writes limit on 10% of my SSD... – and here is what happened (I.e. I lost 3 directories of work files. The entire ...
0
votes
0answers
153 views
Is it safe to get an SSD? [closed]
I'm considering getting an SSD for my computer but I'm unsure of the risk. Last I read these things have a lifespan of about a year+-, but in two months I'm going to the army (mandatory service) for 4 ...
1
vote
1answer
210 views
What's the technical reason why exFAT gives longer life expectancy to flash drives, than NTFS?
I might not have searched around really hard enough the answer of this, my question, but I really would like to know why.
5
votes
3answers
389 views
How long can laptops stay safely off? [closed]
Are there any concerns regarding the battery or other components when a laptop stays off for a long period of time? (in ranges of weeks, months or years).
More specifically, I am interested in:
...
4
votes
3answers
136 views
Evaluating power supplies
I want a way to evaluate and get a score of how well a power supply is functioning, without removing the power supply from the computer.
Background
Where I work, we still have a bunch of 6-8 year ...
1
vote
2answers
180 views
Too much processing able to kill Macbook Pro?
Is running a Macbook Pro through a lot of program processing stressing the lifetime of the computer?
I am creating lots of videos and then converting them to MPEG-4 format. I know that video ...
2
votes
1answer
282 views
LCD Lifespan: Does “frequently” (10 times a day) turning on/off LCD shortens its lifespan (especially in winter)?
By default Windows 7 turns of (stand by) monitor every 20 minutes. So I guess, it should be OK to turn off LCD (manually push the power button) when I need to leave for over 20 minutes.
In this ...
18
votes
2answers
3k views
How to prevent programs (e.g. Process Monitor) from killing my SSD in 2 weeks?
I just got my first SSD - Intel 320 Series 120GB yesterday. And I have SSDLife monitoring in the background. I have TRIM enabled.
After I have installed all software, and did some basic testings. ...
13
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the lifespan of DVD and Blu-ray discs?
Given that they are protected from light, humidity and excessive heat & cold, what is the lifespan range of DVD and Blu-ray discs?
16
votes
3answers
1k views
How harmful is a hard disk spin cycle?
It is conventional wisdom¹ that each time you spin a hard disk down and back up, you shave some time off its life expectancy.
The topic has been discussed before:
Is turning off hard disks harmful?
...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
How do you make your hard drive last as long as possible?
I'm having some drives that seems to die soon. Doesn't feel like I have had them that long, so starting to wonder if I could have done something to make them last longer.
So, what are some good ...
29
votes
17answers
4k views
Is it still necessary to shut down computers?
Nowadays with our modern operating systems, is it necessary to fully shutdown computers instead of choosing to stand-by or hibernate computers (Desktops and laptops)?
Would there be any side-effects ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
HDD health power on count/hours
In this question i checked my HDD health on a drive i had for roughly a year.
It has 188 power on count and 896 power on hours. Is this slow or high value for a drive that may be failing? What are ...
1
vote
5answers
101 views
For how long should I expect my hardware to work?
I got this old box with windows xp home. It works perfectly, except the occasional blue-screen when shutting down the machine.
How long should I expect this, or any, machine to work, when will the ...
5
votes
4answers
3k views
Should I use UPS with my laptop to extend the battery life?
I recently bought a new Vaio laptop which has a 4400 mAh battery. I will use it at home most of the time, and I have an unused uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Should I remove the battery and ...
2
votes
2answers
444 views
Will constantly deleting and adding to my Memory Stick Duo affect its performance and lifespan?
I constantly delete and add data on my Memory Stick Duo because I watch movies on PSP.
Does constantly deleting and adding movies on a Memory Stick Duo degrade its performance?
Do the constant ...
3
votes
2answers
487 views
Is there a lifespan for a dvd rom drive?
Specifically a liteon dvd multi recorder. Which can burn and read dvd's.
Is there a specific number of burns which you can use? And after that, the burner will no longer work?
Do you know of any ...
1
vote
3answers
2k views
Is there a definitive lifespan estimate for Intel MLC Drives
I wanted to buy the new Intel X-25m g2 (80/160 GB) drives, and before I bought that I wanted to know what is the average life span of these drives.
I know that the SLC drives last over 40-50 years, ...
32
votes
9answers
8k views
Does vertical position affect the lifespan or integrity of a hard drive?
I've noticed on many small PC cases that the hard drives are installed vertically. In midi cases, towers and others of a larger housing, they are in the horizontal position.
What impact on a hard ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
How long do Lithium Ion batteries normally last?
On the laptop I have, I've had to buy a new Li-Ion batter roughly every year. I do use this computer quite a lot, but I'm wondering if this is normal.
Right now, my battery is completely dead (it ...
