Many experts recommend periodically reformatting your audio hard drive to keep it operating at its best. To do this, you'll need a second drive or a backup drive that is large enough to hold all your audio data. Here are the steps:

1. Back up all the audio data on the drive.

2. Verify that the backed-up or copied data is good.

3. Double-check that the backed-up or copied data is good.

4. Triple-check that everything from the audio hard drive has been backed up or stored on the second drive.

5. Remove the second drive from the system, if possible, to safeguard its contents.

6. Reformat the audio hard drive. Once you do this, EVERYTHING ON THE DRIVE WILL BE GONE FOREVER. (You did triple-check the data you backed or copied, didn't you?)

7. Connect the back-up or copy drive back to the system.

8. Copy all the audio data from the back-up or copy drive back onto the audio hard drive.

9. Disconnect the back-up or copy drive and store it in a safe place.

10. Enjoy using your audio hard drive, secure in the knowledge that it is safely back up and nicely organised.

If it seems like we're being paranoid about the audio data, we are - once you reformat, the data is gone! Be sure!