fact or fiction

[jinxy]

Hey folks, I have heard that if you think that there may be heat
issues with a failing HDD, you can remove it from the pc, wrap it in a
light towel and put it in the freezer for a while. Then reinstall it
and try to remove any needed files if the drive starts up. Is this
possible or just a last ditch effort? Curious...
-J

 

[TVeblen]

Hey folks, I have heard that if you think that there may be heat
issues with a failing HDD, you can remove it from the pc, wrap it in a
light towel and put it in the freezer for a while. Then reinstall it
and try to remove any needed files if the drive starts up. Is this
possible or just a last ditch effort? Curious...
-J

I have heard this before from reputable sources. Never tried it. Could
be a computer myth, could be a fact.

 

[Syfo-Dyas]

Hey folks, I have heard that if you think that there may be heat
issues with a failing HDD, you can remove it from the pc, wrap it in a
light towel and put it in the freezer for a while. Then reinstall it
and try to remove any needed files if the drive starts up. Is this
possible or just a last ditch effort? Curious...
-J

I personally have never tried this but I have heard it like a thousand
times. I am going to try it the next time I have a problem.. I have
heard it works for a while when u do that!

 

[Sjouke Burry]

I have heard this before from reputable sources. Never tried it. Could
be a computer myth, could be a fact.

Well, in electronics, noise is dependent on temperature, so reliable
readout can improve with lower temperature.

 

[jinxy]

Well, in electronics, noise is dependent on temperature, so reliable
readout can improve with lower temperature.

Well it's in the freezer now . I will try later and post my results.
-J

 

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

Hey folks, I have heard that if you think that there may be heat
issues with a failing HDD, you can remove it from the pc, wrap it in a
light towel and put it in the freezer for a while. Then reinstall it
and try to remove any needed files if the drive starts up. Is this
possible or just a last ditch effort? Curious...
-J

That might work. I know that "many" years ago when I was still
working, the IT guys had a failing drive on a server that they kept
working long enough to make a complete copy by putting chunks of dry
ice on the drive.

 

[John Doe]

Hey folks, I have heard that if you think that there may be heat
issues with a failing HDD, you can remove it from the pc, wrap
it in a light towel and put it in the freezer for a while. Then
reinstall it and try to remove any needed files if the drive
starts up. Is this possible or just a last ditch effort?

It would be a last ditch effort. You might end up with condensed
water inside of your hard drive.

 

[Sjouke Burry]

It would be a last ditch effort. You might end up with condensed
water inside of your hard drive.

Well, if I had to try it, I would put the computer very close
to my deep feeze unit, connect the HD to my computer,
and put the working( and warm ) disk in the fridge.
As long as it is working, the temperature will be higher than
the air inside, and no condensation will take place.
Wait ~ 10 minutes, then start checking readability.
If it wants to cooperate, start copying as fast as yo can.
If not try a quick shutdown, remove mains power, re-apply,
then start up again.

All this is easier (but slower) with an usb enclosure.

Even better, all my disks/systems have been cross-copied between 3
computers, so I dont expect to ever need this procedure,
unless the house burns down. But then the fridge trick wont help me
anyway.

 

[John Doe]

Well, if I had to try it, I would put the computer very close
to my deep feeze unit, connect the HD to my computer, and put
the working( and warm ) disk in the fridge. As long as it is
working, the temperature will be higher than the air inside, and
no condensation will take place.

Maybe, but freezing your hard drive or any enclosed electronics is
a bad idea and would be a last ditch effort here. Sometimes things
work by coincidence, those are usually things you have no
scientific explanation for, and that freezing method might be an
example.

 

[Paul]

Hey folks, I have heard that if you think that there may be heat
issues with a failing HDD, you can remove it from the pc, wrap it in a
light towel and put it in the freezer for a while. Then reinstall it
and try to remove any needed files if the drive starts up. Is this
possible or just a last ditch effort? Curious...
-J

The drive is not sealed from the atmosphere. There is a breather
hole, and a fine filter next to the hole, to allow atmospheric
pressure equalization. There is no vacuum inside the drive.

If you refrigerate the drive, the relative humidity inside will
have a "dew point" and can condense. So when the drive starts, the
head could be skating around on frost.

People do it, and sometimes they get one chance to rescue their data.
Make sure you have your spare drive already connected to the computer,
so if the bad drive is accessible, there is some place to store the
recovered data.

If you were planning on sending the drive to a data recovery specialist,
you would not torture the drive with the freezer treatment. As it may
cause the drive to need more repairs, before it can be accessed. The
freezer is for a drive, where no further recovery efforts will be
attempted.

Some drive failures, are purely firmware issues, in which case,
the freezer will do nothing for you. Some drives can be recovered
without opening them up. And there are some web pages around,
detailing some of the bugs with particular drive models. So you'd
want to try a bit of Googling, before deciding the freezer was the
only option for that model.

Paul

 

[Mike Easter]

a failing HDD,

What does that term mean in this context?

What is an overview of the drive's behavior/s?

Before the freezer treatment.

 

[jinxy]

What does that term mean in this context?

What is an overview of the drive's behavior/s?

Before the freezer treatment.

The drive is was returning error code HD 521-2W. All indications
point to the demise of this drive. Western Digital has a limited 3yr.
warranty, but because the drive was purchased by a reseller (HP) the
warranty becomes the standard 1yr. Still trying to get some pic off
the drive. By the way the only thing the freezer treatment did was to
make the drive very cold. That was after a 6hr. treatment. Any other
myths we can dispell?
-J

 

[jinxy]

For whatever it is worth, I have had some success with the opposite
treatment, heating the drive in an oven to approx 120-140 degrees F.
The theory is that the failing lubricant will (temporarily) become less
viscous and allow the spindle to turn more easily. This method does
occasionally work.

Smarty

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After doing some Google searches about heating the drive up, I
wondered if the heat would'nt melt the SATA connectors? IDE drive have
metal pins, would they not hold enough heat to distort the ribbon
connectors?. I will put the drive into a toaster oven and give it a
heat up. Will post the results if any.
-J

 

[Jon Danniken]

After doing some Google searches about heating the drive up, I
wondered if the heat would'nt melt the SATA connectors? IDE drive have
metal pins, would they not hold enough heat to distort the ribbon
connectors?. I will put the drive into a toaster oven and give it a
heat up. Will post the results if any.

A toaster oven is going to have localized hot spots significantly hotter
than 140F. Better to use a full-size oven, and when it reaches the desired
temperature (determined by a thermometer) turn the oven off and insert you
item to be heated.

Jon