Can changing systems too often harm my computer

Question

I've been hopping from one linux distribution to another to another to another to another... and I've been wondering, is changing an operating system just like installing a program to the computer, meaning that I can do it again and again and again and my computer won't notice it, or should I settle down because it harms the computer? I'm on a laptop.

Answer 1

From hardware prospective, reinstalling either OS or programs will put more wear on the the hard-drive. The more you use it there is more probability to develop damaged sectors.

From software viewpoint, depends on your data setup. Some data might become unusable or corrupt because of the wrong/incompatible installation. This assumes that you don't wipe all your storage space. There are too many variables and factors to this part, as well as, there are many ways to avoid or mitigate this issue.

Answer 2

It could be argued that an OS installation happens quite rarely, even in your scenario. Once installed, the files that constitute the OS are relatively static.

There will be more wear and tear due to the writing of routine files, such as documents, media etc and the distribution's configuration files, log files and swap space than there ever will be from the install. You'll probably find that the disk gives up due to the being thrashed by a large compilation or from watching that 3 hour movie than it will from the installs.

Of course, if you only installs distros and never uses them, then the only source of wear and tear will be the install - but that's an extreme edge case scenario.

Answer 3

It will tend to wear out your hard drive or SSD faster because you are writing large amounts of data frequently. Other than that, it shouldn't "harm" your computer.