Drives
Hardware and Software Guide
7–3
Caring for Drives
Drives are fragile notebook components that must be handled
with care. The following cautions apply to all drives. Additional
cautions are included with the procedures to which they apply.
Ä
CAUTION:
To prevent loss or damage to the notebook or a drive:
■
Handle a drive carefully. Do not drop it.
■
When inserting a drive, use only enough pressure to seat the drive.
Excessive force can damage drive connectors.
■
Do not spray a drive with a cleaner or other liquid or expose it to
temperature extremes.
■
Do not remove the primary hard drive (the hard drive in the hard
drive bay) except for repair or replacement.
■
Electrostatic discharge can damage electronic components. To
prevent electrostatic damage to the notebook or a drive:
❏
Discharge yourself from static electricity before handling a drive
by touching a grounded metal object, and
❏
Avoid touching the connectors on a drive. For more
information about preventing electrostatic damage, refer to
the
Regulatory and Safety Notices
on the
Notebook
Documentation
CD.
■
Avoid exposing a hard drive to devices with magnetic fields.
Security devices with magnetic fields include airport walk-through
devices and security wands. The airport security devices that check
carry-on luggage, usually while it is placed on a conveyor belt, use
x-rays instead of magnetism and will not damage a hard drive.
■
If you mail a drive, ship it in packaging that protects it from shock,
vibration, temperature, and high humidity. Label the package
“FRAGILE.”
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CAUTION:
To prevent damage to drive media, clean a CD or DVD
only with a disc cleaning kit, available from most electronics retailers.
