Caring for Disks and Disk Drives

To avoid damaging floppy and hard disks, you need to care for them properly. Take these precautions to avoid losing data:

Never remove a diskette from a drive or turn off the computer while a disk drive’s LED lamp is on. The red light indicates the computer is copying data to or from a disk. If you interrupt this process, you can lose data.

Remove all inserted diskettes before you turn off the computer.

Never touch a diskette’s magnetic surface. The oil on your fingertips can damage the diskette. Always hold a diskette by its protective jacket.

Store diskettes properly. When they are not in use, keep diskettes in their protective envelopes and store them in a diskette container.

Do not place anything on top of your diskettes and be sure they do not bend or sag. They do not rotate properly in a drive if damaged.

Be careful when you label your diskettes. Attach labels firmly but gently, and only along the top of a diskette (next to the manufactur- er’s label). Do not place several labels on top of one another-too many labels can prevent a diskette from spinning freely in a disk drive.

It is best to write on a label before you attach it to a diskette. Use only soft-tip pens (not ballpoint pens or pencils) to write on a label that is already on a diskette.

Keep disks away from dust and dirt. Small particles of dust and dirt can scratch the magnetic surface and destroy data. Dust can also ruin the read/write heads in a disk drive.

Never wipe, brush, or try to clean your disks in any way.

Keep disks away from magnetic fields. (Remember that disks store data magnetically.) There are many sources of magnetism in your home or office, such as electrical appliances, telephones, and especially loudspeakers.

Keep disks in a moderate environment. They work best at room- temperature and in normal humidity. Never leave disks sitting in the sun or in extreme cold or heat. The temperature in a car in the middle of summer or in the dead of winter can cause severe damage.

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