Alternatively, it could be damaged if dust or dirt finds its way inside. This is why you shouldn't move an HDD when it's turned on because you could jolt the needle and scratch the plate. Any damage to that plate can lead to data loss. To read data on an HDD, a needle skirts across a sensitive magnetic plate. If you're still using HDDs, it's important to know that they are mechanical. You can find out more in our guide to how SSDs work. SSDs are also less prone to failure compared to an HDD because they use flash memory, meaning there are no moving parts. Using an SSD means your computer will boot faster and you can access your files quicker. However, solid state drives (SSD) are now affordable and a much better option. Hard disk drives (HDD) were once the standard for computer storage due to their low cost to capacity ratio.
