An SSD (Solid State Drive) provides fast and reliable data storage compared to an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), but it has one loose end: the potential for failure. At any point, the crucial data we tend to store as a backup on an external SSD might get bricked over time, leading to failure and resulting in data loss. Let’s look at how to extend its lifespan in 4 simple ways.
Avoid Unnecessary Writes
If you want your SSD to stick around for the long haul, the best thing you can do is cut down on how often you write data to it. Every time you save something, it puts a little wear on the drive, so the less writing you do, the longer your SSD will last.
A simple trick to ease the load on your SSD is to disable hibernation in Windows. See, when your PC goes into hibernation, it dumps everything from your RAM onto the SSD so it can pick up right where it left off later. But it also means a big chunk of data gets written to your drive every time. If you’re putting your computer into hibernation a few times a day, those writes start stacking up that’s not great for your SSD’s long-term health.
In the same vein, your operating system leans on your SSD as backup memory when things get tight. If your physical RAM fills up, the system taps into a chunk of your drive called virtual memory to keep everything from messing up things.
Keep SSD Away from High Temperatures
High temperatures are worst enemy for SSD. Modern SSD comes with heatsink to trap extreme heat and to keep your PC running smoothly, make sure your SSD is staying cool. Older drives might not need much, but newer ones especially with motherboards that come with built-in heatsinks do better with proper cooling.
Update Your SSD’s Firmware
Old firmware can be a bit buggy and might slow things down or put extra strain on your SSD. Its necessary to fix all that just by updating the SSD firmware to keep it running better and lasting longer.
Windows 11 automatically checks and install necessary drivers for your SSD drive, while on the other side you need to check your SSD manufacturer and download manually from their website.
Don’t Let Your SSD Get Full
Your SSD needs a bit of breathing room to stay healthy. Keeping around 15–20% of the storage free helps it spread out the wear evenly, which means it can last a lot longer. So, don’t fill it to the brim—leave some space for it to take care of itself.
And that’s the game plan for making your SSD last as long as possible on Windows 11, treat it right, and it’ll stick with you for the long haul.
well stated and informative, thanks