is data on external hdd(a normal hdd in a casing) prone to errors???

[tango_cash]

hi i have a external hdd( it is a normal hdd in a casing).i have a lot of movies on it ,it is almost full. i have observed that i get errors while playing some of them,some play after the errors and others do not play at all.
here is the link to the problems i posted.
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54706
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56729
the files were working fine from where i got them.
i have quite good collection of movies and i do not want to loose them(about 65 gb of world best movies).

what should i do?? how to check if hdd is the culprit?
anyone faced similar problem?
what should i do to maintain a error free external hdd.
are there any special things to keep in mind for such hdd??

pls help.

 

[sachin_kothari]

its not alwaya the problem of the external hdd. sometimes it is the casing that gives problem. remove ur hdd and check on some other computer if the problem persists. else change the case and try.

 

[abhi.eternal]

free up some considerable space on your external HDD. i am sure this will solve your problem. though i must tell you whats gone is gone (the data was corrupted).