[effie]

> The drives are not meant to be spun up constantly;

I think having the drives spin constantly is the best for lifespan, because there are less spinups and thus components wear less.

[Already__Taken]

There should be no wear at all once it's running, read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_bearing

So barring any manufacturing defects that I'm soure would be abundantly clear early on, it's down to logic or electrical failures.