Interesting, thanks for the info. This computer, a Compaq Presario 1700T notebook, about 4 yrs old, has gone through quite a few hard drives (I think this is number 3), so your warning is probably on target. I have never been satisfied with its performance, so maybe it is time to go for a new one. We do have a spare hard drive, so that will keep us going for a while till we find one we like.
Do you have any general rules on why hard drives might fail at an alarming rate? Could it be related to environmental or usage factors? It rarely is used anywhere but in our home, either on a lap (go figure) or on a desk. No rough duty at all. Seems strange to me and I don't want to repeat a purchase mistake if its there are known bad models (the hard drive is a Toshiba).