Author Topic: how can a laptop hard drive survive a severe drop (Read 2318 times)

Master Matthew� · October 14, 2016, 12:39:56 PM

That hard drive must be pure nintendium.

I've dropped my old ds lite onto concrete, in snow and accidentally flung it into a brick wall (hand strap broke). You should try similar tests, assuming you won't be using said hard drive anymore.

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Nonnel · October 14, 2016, 01:31:54 PM

Quote from: Space1255 on October 14, 2016, 06:48:52 AM

With his luck it'll probably boingy-boing like rubber back up at him

the word "bounce" is usually used for that concept

cooolguy32 · October 14, 2016, 02:16:52 PM

onetime I was talking with my old laptop (opened) and I tripped on a loving toy car and my fell on it's side and broke and hit the ground, thank god the screen didn't crack, but later on I was walking though a door with the laptop opened again and the screen hit the door and it cracked, I had to wait a few days for a replacement screen for my laptop.

crazies alt · October 14, 2016, 02:28:53 PM

ive dropped my 3ds numerous times on concrete from a decent height and it still never broke, only got scratched or cracked on the outer layer of hardened plastic

Mr Queeba · October 14, 2016, 02:37:02 PM

Quote from: crazies alt on October 14, 2016, 02:28:53 PM

ive dropped my 3ds numerous times on concrete from a decent height and it still never broke, only got scratched or cracked on the outer layer of hardened plastic

That's Nintendium for you.

Space1255 · October 14, 2016, 02:52:52 PM

Quote from: Nonnel on October 14, 2016, 01:31:54 PM

the word "bounce" is usually used for that concept

Thx idk what the forget I was thinking using boingy-boing

SeventhSandwich · October 14, 2016, 03:25:28 PM

I mean, for one, it sounds like you dropped the hard drive flat-side down, which is the direction where the disk has the most durability and shock-resistance (in part because the reading-and-writing head won't move when you hit it in that direction).

CRITAWAKETS · October 14, 2016, 03:36:08 PM

Maybe the hard drive was made out of nokium. That the only guess i have. But hey, backup your important stuff if you have any on the laptop.

The difference between Nokium and Nintendium is that Nintendium gets instantly covered in fingerprints and scratches the moment you touch it while Nokium/Tonkium/Unobtanium Alloy wont look absolutely disgusting in sunlight.

Metario · October 14, 2016, 04:22:32 PM

some laptops come with accelerometers to park the heads if theres a significant amount of force/motion detected, it's pretty cool

Metario · October 14, 2016, 04:25:01 PM

Quote from: Metario on October 14, 2016, 04:22:32 PM

some laptops come with accelerometers to park the heads if theres a significant amount of force/motion detected, it's pretty cool

also if you drop a laptop HDD that's powered off properly (I.e heads parked) the platters magically won't go ded, the damage happens when the heads aren't parked and you drop it

SeventhSandwich · October 14, 2016, 04:45:49 PM

Quote from: Metario on October 14, 2016, 04:25:01 PM

also if you drop a laptop HDD that's powered off properly (I.e heads parked) the platters magically won't go ded, the damage happens when the heads aren't parked and you drop it

If you manage to drop a powered-off HDD hard enough to smack one of the idle heads into the platter, it would still probably break it, I think. Any collision between them releases microscopic fragments of metal that ruin the disk.

Foxscotch · October 14, 2016, 06:44:33 PM

Quote from: The Murderous Cop on October 14, 2016, 11:13:39 AM

it was in sleep mode

in other words, it wasn't running
if a hard drive is running, it is spinning very fast. even a fraction of a second of light contact will scratch the disc to f and back. at 5400rpm that's like a full rotation every tenth of a second
but when it isn't running, not only is the disk not moving, but the write head is generally moved out of the way of the disc entirely. posing far less risk of damage in a fall

IsaacKronenFaust · October 14, 2016, 07:36:59 PM

Quote from: Foxscotch on October 14, 2016, 06:44:33 PM

in other words, it wasn't running
if a hard drive is running, it is spinning very fast. even a fraction of a second of light contact will scratch the disc to f and back. at 5400rpm that's like a full rotation every tenth of a second
but when it isn't running, not only is the disk not moving, but the write head is generally moved out of the way of the disc entirely. posing far less risk of damage in a fall

See, I told everyone in my family it wasn't nice to smack the computer just because it's going slow!

Ethan · October 14, 2016, 11:36:45 PM

Quote from: SeventhSandwich on October 14, 2016, 04:45:49 PM

If you manage to drop a powered-off HDD hard enough to smack one of the idle heads into the platter, it would still probably break it, I think. Any collision between them releases microscopic fragments of metal that ruin the disk.

Metal fragments are a definite no-no in the vacuum sealed-ness of a hard drive

Swollow · October 15, 2016, 03:12:10 AM

ethan holy stuff i haven't seen you around in years