hammering the drive

[Matthew Dillon]

    Time tends to wear out drives more than the seeking.  Dust and grime from
    outside that gets through the filter and material from inside the drive
    itself.  Basically just time.  You do want to make sure the drive is
    well anchored (screwed into) the machine, and doesn't experience any
    undo shock while operating.

    The only major mechanical limitation that can cause a drive to fail
    other than time is in wear and tear from hard parking and
    spindowns/spinups.  Basically any time the head has to land in the
    parking area.  Drives, of course, can fail for a variety of reasons
    due to defects in manufacturer, using the wrong lubricant, etc etc.
    Seeking is not usually a contributor though.

						-Matt