Laptop and Hard Drive Protection

If a laptop system is jarred or moved while the hard drive is spinning, the read/write heads of the disk can be damaged as well as the media's surface where data is stored which can result in lost information or hard drive failure. It can never be stressed enough to backup your data regularly, but to limit exposure to data loss and hard drive damage you should:

Always shutdown or halt disk activity before moving the system. Each manufacturer have various ways to halt the system without requiring a shut down. The process may be called sleep, suspend, hibernate, etc. and may have a function key preprogrammed to expedite the function, oherwise you may need to investigate and modify the properties under the power management settings.
Always put your laptop in an sound carrying case and insure that components (power supplies, extra batteries, etc.) are securely stored within the case to minimize internal movement and potential breakage.
Avoid jolting the system when it is powered up and running.
Keep the system on a flat surface when in use.

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