So like so many people you find yourself shopping for a good used computer. In many cases buying a used computer can save you a lot of money.
Most people are looking for specific components like a certain processor, how much ram they need, the size of the screen or monitor and other important factors. The one thing that most people don’t bother to check is the life left on the hard drive. I see hard drive ads all the time saying things like “Fully tested with no bad sectors.” That really has very little to do with the hours left on the hard drive. It’s like your mechanic saying “this engine passed all the tests and is running like a top”. He just didn’t mention that the engine has 500,000 miles on it. They call them mechanical hard drives for a reason. This after all is the very heart of the computer.
The next time you are looking for a used computer, ask the seller how many hours are on the hard drive. There is a simple app that can be downloaded in one minute that will tell you how many times the hard drive has been started and how many hours it has on it.