Will an External hard drive lose it data if it's stored in its package for 5 years?(like time capsule)

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ehmkec
Heat and humidity. We used to use a test for media called '4-corners testing' which took a physical product and tested it at extreme hiTemp-hiHumid, hiTemp-loHumid, loTemp-hiHumid and loTemp-loHumid. Hence the 4 corners reference. These test would simulate years a stagnant conditions. Magnetic tape had a poor lifespan, laminated disks had a poor lifespan but conventional hard drive coatings did pretty good.

If you put the drive in a plastic sealed bag with desiccant and keep it away from temperature extremes I would guess it would last for decades. I would include a backup on USB3 stick and a DVD data disk as well. ...just for fun.
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ehmkec

ehmkec

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Aug 31, 2017
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Heat and humidity. We used to use a test for media called '4-corners testing' which took a physical product and tested it at extreme hiTemp-hiHumid, hiTemp-loHumid, loTemp-hiHumid and loTemp-loHumid. Hence the 4 corners reference. These test would simulate years a stagnant conditions. Magnetic tape had a poor lifespan, laminated disks had a poor lifespan but conventional hard drive coatings did pretty good.

If you put the drive in a plastic sealed bag with desiccant and keep it away from temperature extremes I would guess it would last for decades. I would include a backup on USB3 stick and a DVD data disk as well. ...just for fun.
 
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The Original Ralph

The Original Ralph

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Sep 14, 2011
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i could be wrong on this, but if my memory is correct, Solid state typed storage, ie SSDs and USB flash drives, the data corrupts over time if they are not powered - something about the cells loosing their voltage

The HDDs, as you said above, what i recall was they were good for years unpowered
 
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Susquehannock

Susquehannock

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Dec 8, 2016
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Store them in a dry air tight container. My preference is wrapped in aluminum foil in an old ammo box with some desiccant.

HDDs will last a good long time even not stored as above. On several occasions I have pulled them out of Win95 and Win98 era PCs that had been just sitting on a shelf in basements for 15-20 years. Data and operating system still intact.
 
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