I keep an external hard disk on my desk, which is usually turned off, but I will plug it in occasionally to do backups of my computer.

A friend told me that it's a bad idea to be typing on the keyboard while the external hard disk is plugged in and performing a backup. He said that he types rather hard on the keyboard, and over time the vibrations from this led to failure of the hard drive.

Is this true? Since hearing it, I've avoided using the computer while performing a backup. But since this leads to lower productivity, I feel that I need to find out the veracity of this claim.

I should perhaps note that I use a standing desk, which is quite sturdy, but slightly more prone to vibrations and shifts in its plane.

I keep an external hard disk on my desk, which is usually turned off, but I will plug it in occasionally to do backups of my computer.

A friend told me that it's a bad idea to be typing on the keyboard while the external hard disk is plugged in and performing a backup. He said that he types rather hard on the keyboard, and over time the vibrations from this led to failure of the hard drive.

Is this true? Since hearing it, I've avoided using the computer while performing a backup. But since this leads to lower productivity, I feel that I need to find out the veracity of this claim.

I should perhaps note that I use a standing desk, which is quite sturdy, but slightly more prone to vibrations and shifts in its plane than the average sitting desk.