Removal and Replacement PreliminariesMaintenance and Service Guide4–3n Before handling a drive, ensure that you are discharged of static electricity. While handling a drive, avoid touching the connector.n Handle drives on surfaces covered with at least one inch of shock-proof foam.n Avoid dropping drives from any height onto any surface.n After removing a hard drive, CD-ROM drive, or a diskette drive, place it in a static-proof bag.n Avoid exposing a hard drive to products that have magnetic fields, such as monitors or speakers.n Avoid exposing a drive to temperature extremes or liquids.n If a drive must be mailed, place the drive in a bubble pack mailer or other suitable form of protective packaging and label the package, “Fragile: Handle With Care.”4.4 Preventing Electrostatic DamageMany electronic components are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Circuitry design and structure determine the degree of sensitivity. Networks built into many integrated circuits provide some protection, but in many cases, the discharge contains enough power to alter device parameters or melt silicon junctions.A sudden discharge of static electricity from a finger or other conductor can destroy static-sensitive devices or microcircuitry. Often the spark is neither felt nor heard, but damage occurs.An electronic device exposed to electrostatic discharge might not be affected at all and can work perfectly throughout a normal cycle. Or the device might function normally for a while, then degrade in the internal layers, reducing its life expectancy.
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