Harddisks mailfunction after being stored for a long while
Bookmark this page:
 Yahoo!
 Google
 Windows Live
 del.icio.us
 digg
 Netscape
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Posted by Marcel Overweel on July 4, 2008, 7:01 am
Please log in for more thread options I have the tendency to store old and unused hardware whenever I think I might be handy in the future. For harddisks, this means that I have had an old 8GB quantum fireball and some 20GB drive, I think it was seagate but that doesn't matter. Both drives were in perfect working condition when I stored them away for at least six months. Both drives mailfunctioned when plugging back into a PC. I can imagine loss of data due to magnetic signal degradation or whatever, but one drive couldn't even be formatted and the other had A LOT of bad sectors. Formatting that last drive took almost a full day! Now, I know that these drives had been stored away safely, so this can't be due to mechanical shocks or heavy magnetic interference... at least, not that I know of. I've heard the same experience from another person. What could be the reason for these mailfunctions? Marcel | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by Paul on July 4, 2008, 1:40 pm
Please log in for more thread options Think about all the potentials for disaster. 1) Fluid drive bearings, work as long as the fluid stays in the bearing. Bearing failure is almost immediate, after the fluid evaporates at high temperatures. 2) The platter has a lubricant on it. At one time, "stiction" was a problem, where the head used to stick to the platter surface. Some drives use a landing ramp, so the head does not sit on the platter. Others just rest on the drive. The lubricant can also have "ripples" in it, over the platter surface. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040825093443.htm 3) The platter surface may not be immune to chemical attack. 4) The drive has a breather hole and particulate filter, and on the outside of the drive, the label will say "don't cover this hole". The breather equalizes the atmospheric pressure, so that the air pressure inside the drive, is the same as the atmosphere. The filter on the breather hole removes dust particles, and has some resistance to moisture. But corrosive gas could get through. 5) Any time that parts rub together, particles can break loose. A drive with a landing ramp, is one place there is friction on drive startup and shutdown. 6) The drive takes advantage of the air movement caused by the rotating platters. There is air moving around inside the HDA. A strategically placed filter pad, catches particulate as the air recirculates inside the HDA. So any particles loose inside the HDA, should be caught in the filter. I understand on some failed drives, the inside of the HDA is coated in fine dust, from surface degradation. http://www.storagereview.com/guide2000/ref/hdd/op/packAir.html If the drives are ruined, you can always open the HDA and have a look. Paul | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by ~misfit~ on July 5, 2008, 12:11 am
Please log in for more thread options Somewhere on teh intarweb "Paul" typed:
[snip] > 4) The drive has a breather hole and particulate filter, and
> on the outside of the drive, the label will say "don't cover > this hole". The breather equalizes the atmospheric pressure, > so that the air pressure inside the drive, is the same as the > atmosphere. The filter on the breather hole removes dust > particles, and has some resistance to moisture. But corrosive > gas could get through. And/or moisture. Unless the drive is stored in a temperature-controlled environment everytime it heats up or cools down (i.e. every day) there is going to be air movement through that tiny breather hole. Most air is moist. Condesation inside the drive in storage isn't a maybe, it's a 'for sure'. (Running drives create heat which largely solves the condensation problem and then, due to air expanion, drives the moisture out.) Synopsis: If you intend to store a hard drive take it out of storage and run it for 24 hours every couple months. <wanders off to fire up a few drives>
Cheers, -- Shaun. DISCLAIMER: If you find a posting or message from me offensive, inappropriate, or disruptive, please ignore it. If you don't know how to ignore a posting, complain to me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate... ;-) | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by Mike Walsh on July 5, 2008, 8:53 am
Please log in for more thread options
~misfit~ wrote: >
> Somewhere on teh intarweb "Paul" typed: > > [snip] > > > 4) The drive has a breather hole and particulate filter, and
> > on the outside of the drive, the label will say "don't cover > > this hole". The breather equalizes the atmospheric pressure, > > so that the air pressure inside the drive, is the same as the > > atmosphere. The filter on the breather hole removes dust > > particles, and has some resistance to moisture. But corrosive > > gas could get through. >
> And/or moisture. > > Unless the drive is stored in a temperature-controlled environment everytime > it heats up or cools down (i.e. every day) there is going to be air movement > through that tiny breather hole. Most air is moist. Condesation inside the > drive in storage isn't a maybe, it's a 'for sure'. (Running drives create > heat which largely solves the condensation problem and then, due to air > expanion, drives the moisture out.) Condensation will not occur unless the relative humidity reaches 100%. That rarely happens in a building with heat and air conditioning. The amount of air going through the breather hole during daily temperature changes is insignificant compared to the amount of air that goes through during during normal use when the drive is powered on and off. -- Mike Walsh | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by ~misfit~ on July 7, 2008, 6:21 am
Please log in for more thread options Somewhere on teh intarweb "Mike Walsh" typed:
> ~misfit~ wrote:
>>
>> Somewhere on teh intarweb "Paul" typed: >> >> [snip] >> >>> 4) The drive has a breather hole and particulate filter, and
>>> on the outside of the drive, the label will say "don't cover >>> this hole". The breather equalizes the atmospheric pressure, >>> so that the air pressure inside the drive, is the same as the >>> atmosphere. The filter on the breather hole removes dust >>> particles, and has some resistance to moisture. But corrosive >>> gas could get through. >>
>> And/or moisture. >> >> Unless the drive is stored in a temperature-controlled environment >> everytime it heats up or cools down (i.e. every day) there is going >> to be air movement through that tiny breather hole. Most air is >> moist. Condesation inside the drive in storage isn't a maybe, it's a >> 'for sure'. (Running drives create heat which largely solves the >> condensation problem and then, due to air expanion, drives the >> moisture out.) >
> Condensation will not occur unless the relative humidity reaches > 100%. Really? "Water vapor will only condense onto another surface when the temperature of that surface is cooler than the temperature of the water vapor." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensation > That rarely happens in a building with heat and air
> conditioning. My home doesn't have either. This room temp was 11°C this morning when I was reading newsgroups. In summer it can reach 38° or so. Summer day/night fluctuations are fairly significant. Enough to 'pump' a fair bit of air in and out of a casing. > The amount of air going through the breather hole
> during daily temperature changes is insignificant compared to the > amount of air that goes through during during normal use when the > drive is powered on and off. Maybe so but during 'normal use' the drive is producing heat which helps prevent any moisture from condensing. TTFN, -- Shaun. DISCLAIMER: If you find a posting or message from me offensive, inappropriate, or disruptive, please ignore it. If you don't know how to ignore a posting, complain to me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate... ;-) | |||||||||||||
| Similar Threads | Posted |
| Harddisks mailfunction after being stored for a long while | July 4, 2008, 7:01 am |
| SATA II Harddisks ? | July 3, 2005, 4:28 pm |
| Re: SATA II Harddisks ? | July 3, 2005, 4:36 pm |
| Re: SATA II Harddisks ? | July 4, 2005, 2:38 am |
| RPM mismatch of Harddisks | November 17, 2005, 2:34 am |
| External casing for two or more harddisks. | September 22, 2005, 11:37 pm |
| Clevo D900T problem with 100GB harddisks. | September 10, 2005, 3:26 am |
| Long Cable | January 29, 2006, 10:01 pm |
| wow...it took me a long time | February 13, 2006, 8:57 pm |
| Long USB cables | June 8, 2007, 9:18 pm |
| How long do heatsink fans last? | January 19, 2006, 4:07 am |
| Re: How long may an USB camera cable be ? | July 18, 2006, 3:41 am |
| *sigh* ...this takes too long | August 12, 2006, 6:20 am |
| MSI6714 problem (long) | February 5, 2008, 10:58 am |
| BIOS backup takes long | October 14, 2005, 6:54 am |
>
> I have the tendency to store old and unused hardware whenever I
> think I might be handy in the future.
>
> For harddisks, this means that I have had an old 8GB quantum
> fireball and some 20GB drive, I think it was seagate but that
> doesn't matter.
>
> Both drives were in perfect working condition when I stored
> them away for at least six months.
>
> Both drives mailfunctioned when plugging back into a PC.
> I can imagine loss of data due to magnetic signal degradation
> or whatever, but one drive couldn't even be formatted and the
> other had A LOT of bad sectors. Formatting that last drive
> took almost a full day!
>
> Now, I know that these drives had been stored away safely,
> so this can't be due to mechanical shocks or heavy magnetic
> interference... at least, not that I know of.
>
> I've heard the same experience from another person.
>
> What could be the reason for these mailfunctions?
>
>
> Marcel
>