Quote:
|
Originally Posted by BigGov
Computer hard drives suffer from "bit rot" where (if I remember right) radiation from the sun can change a certain number of 1's to 0's and vice-versa, which makes the system sluggish, prone to errors, etc.
|
Well, not really...
Bit rot in memory modules happens from alpha particles emmitted from thorium found in trace amounts in chips, which is left there from the manufacturing process (see
jargon file entry on 'cosmic rays'). But circuits are built with checksums and such to compensate for this. Bit rot on CDs happens as the carrier material (the plastic layer) degrades. Bit rot on hard drives happens for various reasons. See
this informative page.
Bit rot on your hard drive could lead to errors in programs as described in some of the levels of cruft listed in an earlier post. Bit rot will not, however, make a computer slower. As to why Windows becomes slower over time, I have no idea. I've some some cursory googling, but haven't come up with any definite answers.