Harddrive Preservation

[srt4]

I just recently bought a new HD b/c my other one started making lots of mechanical noises. Scan disk failed to reconize it as a drive. I got a screen with winxp saying cant read drive and was able to boot with my windows CD. I'm wondering with my new HD what is the best method for preservation. Is it better to leave my machine on 24/7? OR is it better to turn it off? Or what is the best way to help my HD live as long as I can get it to live?

Thanks,

srt

 

[suprasteve]

don't let it get hot, make sure it is connected well to the case, don't drop or jostle it, install it flat not on its side, if you know you're not gonna be using your computer for a couple hours, turn it off, don't defrag an excessive amount of times, but keep it defragged so it doesn't have to constantly be searching for things, there's a few