Removal and Replacement Preliminaries
Maintenance and Service Guide 4–3
4.3 Preventing 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.”