Removal and Replacement Preliminaries

4.3Preventing Damage to Removable Drives

Removable drives are fragile components that must be handled with care. To prevent damage to the computer, damage to a removable drive, or loss of information, observe the following precautions:

Before removing or inserting a hard drive, shut down the computer. If you are unsure whether the computer is off or in Hibernation, turn the computer on, then shut it down.

Before removing a diskette drive or optical drive, ensure that a diskette or disc is not in the drive. Ensure that the optical drive tray is closed.

Before handling a drive, ensure that you are discharged of static electricity. While handling a drive, avoid touching the connector.

Handle drives on surfaces that have at least one inch of shock-proof foam.

Avoid dropping drives from any height onto any surface.

After removing a hard drive, CD-ROM drive, or a diskette drive, place it in a static-proof bag.

Avoid exposing a hard drive to products that have magnetic fields, such as monitors or speakers.

Avoid exposing a drive to temperature extremes or to liquids.

If a drive must be mailed, place the drive in a bubble pack mailer or other suitable form of protective packaging and label the package “Fragile: Handle With Care.”

Maintenance and Service Guide

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