I'm preparing an experiment, I'd like input...

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
nick003

nick003

Honorable
Feb 10, 2014
30
0
10,530
As a some of you know, I have been trying to resolve a clicking issue on my WD10EARS 1 TB hard drive.

With all of the research I have done on this subject, the overwhelming fact repeatedly being mentioned is that the drive must be opened in a clean room to do work on it.

Once opened, I might as well throw the drive in the garbage. If so much as one speck of dust gets on the platter(s), the drive is ruined.

I find this hard to believe.

I understand that the revolving platters create an "air cushion" which allows the heads close enough to read/write info to the platters but not touch the surface. Why wouldn't that same air cushion prevent dust and other debris landing on the platter(s)?

Yes, I understand that the platters will not be rotating while the work is being done. But the housing in which the drive is assembled contains grooves to catch and hold left over particles from manufacture when the drive spins for the first time. Why wouldn't these grooves continue to do this job once the work is completed and the drive closed?

The Experiment:

My primary workstation has a 1TB hard drive installed with Windows 7 Ultimate. I will install an identical drive with the cover off and run them as mirrors. Both will be subjected to the same usage.

Why?

I want to see just how much of an impact the external environment has on the internal workings of a hard disk.

Suggestions?
Nick
 
Solution
hang-the-9
It's not totally true that ANY dust will kill the drive. It is true that there is a chance it will. People that smoke follow the same thought process. Well, I just don't see how this will kill me, I mean my grandpa Joe smoked for 40 years and he's 75 now. Well yea, but the other million people did not get a lucky break.

You also have a chance of not killing yourself if you close your eyes and drive though a red light in Manhattan, but since it's well documented that bad things will happen if you do why do it?

It's one thing to play around with running a drive exposed to a different environment, but even if your drive runs for the next 30 years like that, I would never recommend that anyone pop open the drive themselves unless...
Sort by date Sort by votes
Phillip Corcoran

Phillip Corcoran

Titan
Moderator
Sep 7, 2013
25,977
860
120,140
You're missing the fact that the drives are assembled in the sterile environment of a laboratory, there's just no way you can replicate that.

The air cushion plays no part in keeping dust off any part of the drive as there is no dust present to start with in the drive assembly lab.

But by all means give it a try - nothing to lose.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
nick003

nick003

Honorable
Feb 10, 2014
30
0
10,530


In my research I've learned that there are particles generated as a result of the manufacturing process. It is why they incorporate grooves in the drive frame: to catch and hold these particles on first spin.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

Titan
Mar 25, 2010
60,387
1,081
152,940
It's not totally true that ANY dust will kill the drive. It is true that there is a chance it will. People that smoke follow the same thought process. Well, I just don't see how this will kill me, I mean my grandpa Joe smoked for 40 years and he's 75 now. Well yea, but the other million people did not get a lucky break.

You also have a chance of not killing yourself if you close your eyes and drive though a red light in Manhattan, but since it's well documented that bad things will happen if you do why do it?

It's one thing to play around with running a drive exposed to a different environment, but even if your drive runs for the next 30 years like that, I would never recommend that anyone pop open the drive themselves unless they don't care about the data on it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
nick003

nick003

Honorable
Feb 10, 2014
30
0
10,530
Well... the whole purpose of opening a clicking drive and effecting the repair yourself, in my view, would be strictly for the purpose of salvaging your data.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

Titan
Mar 25, 2010
60,387
1,081
152,940


You have as much, if not greater, chance of making things worse than fixing anything. Unless you have absolutely no intention of sending the drive out to a real data recovery shop for a fix, or the cost of doing so outweighs the value of the data to you, then does not matter what you try.

If someone really needed the data, it should be sent out to a place with the proper tools to fix hard drives.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
nick003

nick003

Honorable
Feb 10, 2014
30
0
10,530


Well... hindsight is 20/20. Besides there are times when drives fail without warning. Even weekly backups, it is possible that new files created between backups may need to be recovered.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,445
17,909
184,590


Right. But taking apart a drive in an attempt to replace platters or heads is very unlikely to work, outside of experience and a clean room.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
truegenius

truegenius

Distinguished
BANNED
Oct 22, 2011
2,733
5
21,165


my input is
"may the drive rest in peace"
it won't last long provided that your room is not dust free :whistle:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom