Load/Unload Cycle Count

[PaulA]

i have a Toshiba Satellite P840 that is almost 10 years old, but still works fine (it is just slow when it boots).
Today I checked HDSentinel and the overview says that my HD status is *perfect* and no action is needed.
However, the load/unload cycle count is very close to 2,000,000. I realize it is because of the laptop's age, but should I be worried?
The main tab, as I said, says that my HD is perfect.
I also tried another program (HDInspector) and it says that reliability, performance and error resistance are all 100%. The load/unload cycle count is the same of course, and it says it is 1%??? However, it has not been high (I mean the percentage) for a long time. I have attached a diagram.

Anyway, I realize that my laptop is old, but it is still working fine.
What do you think? Should I be worried? both programs say that my HD is perfect, it is just that load/unload cycle that disturbs me.
Thank you for your advice!

 

[strollin]

The thing about an HDD is that it is mechanical and can fail at a moment's notice. There is no way to know for sure WHEN it will fail, only that it WILL fail eventually.

Hopefully, you have a good system image backup of the drive so that, if it does fail, you can replace it with a new one and restore the system image so that you will only suffer a little downtime.

If it were my laptop, I would replace the aging HDD with a modern SSD which should ease your mind a little regarding the reliability of the drive but will also dramarically speed up the boot process and program loading performance of the laptop.

 

[PaulA]

Thank you. I do make image backups regularly, normally every two months, but I think at this stage I should make backups more often.
I also always keep my eyes open for new laptops altogether, as this one is old and not only the HD could fail, but basically anything.
All in all though it performed fine and is still performing relatively fine, so I wouldn't mind another Toshiba.

 

[strollin]

I recently replaced my old Toshiba Satellite Pro S55 (bought in 2012). It still worked great, years ago I had replaced the 1TB HDD with a 500GB SSD. My main dislike of it was that it had a low resolution screen. I ended up getting an HP Envy x360.

Replacing the HDD in your current laptop only makes sense if you were planning to keep it for awhile. If you really want a new laptop then it makes more sense to use the money that would be spent on a new SSD toward the purchase of a new laptop.

 

[PaulA]

My main concern is that I am not even sure some of my software will work on Windows 10.
I bought my Satellite in July 2011.
The screen resolution is 1366x768, which is not very high, but my screen is not huge either (12"x7").
I remember that back then I liked the sound system/speakers (Harman Kardon), which seemed to be better than on most laptops (back then).

 

[strollin]

I suppose that could be a concern if you have some expensive software you purchased. I personally don't recall having any major issues when I moved on from Win 7 to Win 8 and finally Win 10.

If there is software you own and wouldn't want to find a replacement for then I would check the developer's website to see if they support Win 10 with your version of the software.

 

[PaulA]

There might be new versions, but even updates cost something, sometimes even a lot (not always, but sometimes they do), and some of the software I have is indeed quite expensive (like Photoshop). Maybe I should buy a new laptop before something happens, so at least if there is a problem with some software I could still use the old laptop as long as I can...
If this laptop lasts at least until the end of June/beginning of July, there will be sales here, so I can look around. That's when I bought this one too (in July 2011, as I said). I have been a bit lazy because apart from booting ( a bit slow) it works really fine. When the CPU is really high it is usually only temporary, like when it is updating Kaspersky.

 

[AceVentura922]

There might be new versions, but even updates cost something, sometimes even a lot (not always, but sometimes they do), and some of the software I have is indeed quite expensive (like Photoshop). Maybe I should buy a new laptop before something happens, so at least if there is a problem with some software I could still use the old laptop as long as I can...
If this laptop lasts at least until the end of June/beginning of July, there will be sales here, so I can look around. That's when I bought this one too (in July 2011, as I said). I have been a bit lazy because apart from booting ( a bit slow) it works really fine. When the CPU is really high it is usually only temporary, like when it is updating Kaspersky.

Photoshop has really gotten expensive. I had to switch to Auto Photo Editor | Luminar It's much more technologically advanced and cheaper. Less stress on the system