8Drives
Handling drives
CAUTION: Drives are fragile computer components that must be handled with care. Refer to the following cautions before handling drives. Additional cautions are included with the procedures to which they apply.
Observe these precautions:
●Before you move a computer that is connected to an external hard drive, initiate Sleep and allow the screen to clear, or properly disconnect the external hard drive.
●Before handling a drive, discharge static electricity by touching a grounded surface.
●Do not touch the connector pins on a removable drive or on the computer.
●Handle a drive carefully; do not drop a drive or place items on it.
●Before removing or inserting a drive, shut down the computer. If you are unsure whether the computer is off, in the Sleep state, turn the computer on, and then shut it down through the operating system.
●Do not use excessive force when inserting a drive into a drive bay.
●Do not type on the keyboard or move the computer while an optical drive is writing to a disc. The write process is sensitive to vibration.
●Avoid exposing a drive to temperature or humidity extremes.
●Avoid exposing a drive to liquids. Do not spray the drive with cleaning products.
●Remove media from a drive before removing the drive from the drive bay, or traveling with, shipping, or storing a drive.
●If a drive must be mailed, place the drive in a
●Avoid exposing a drive to magnetic fields. Security devices with magnetic fields include airport
Improving hard drive performance
Using Disk Defragmenter
As you use the computer, files on the hard drive become fragmented. Disk Defragmenter consolidates the fragmented files and folders on the hard drive so that the system can run more efficiently.
NOTE: It is not necessary to run Disk Defragmenter on
After you start Disk Defragmenter, it works without supervision. Depending on the size of your hard drive and the number of fragmented files, Disk Defragmenter may take more than an hour to
Handling drives 61
