Hardware Upgrades and Replacements
Caring for Drives
Drives are fragile components that must be handled carefully. Follow the guidelines in this section to protect your drives.
ÄCAUTION: To prevent damage to the computer or a drive and loss of work:
■Initiate standby before you move a computer or external hard drive from one location to another.
■Before handling a drive, discharge yourself from static electricity by touching a grounded metal object.
■Do not touch the connector pins on a removable drive or on the computer.
■Excessive force can damage drive connectors. Do not use excessive force when inserting a drive into a drive bay.
■Handle a drive carefully; do not drop or compress the drive.
■Before removing or inserting a drive, shut down the computer. If you are unsure whether the computer is off or in hibernation, turn the computer on, and then shut it down through the operating system.
■Avoid exposing a drive to magnetic fields. Security devices with magnetic fields include airport
■Do not type on the keyboard or move the computer while the drive is writing to a medium. The write process is sensitive to vibration.
■When the battery pack is the only source of power, be sure that the battery pack is sufficiently charged before writing to a medium.
■Avoid exposing a drive to temperature or humidity extremes.
■Avoid exposing the drive to liquids. Do not spray it with cleaning products.
■If you must mail a drive, place the drive in a
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