Questions hard disk + enclosure case

[and77man]

I use a USB 3.0 enclosure case + 2.5" HDD. After copying and reading files, I used the Windows eject function (safely remove hardware). After completing this command, when I tried to disconnect the USB3.0 cable from the PC, my hand hit the enclosure case and it moved a little on the table. Does this shock cause friction between the reading heads and the magnetic platters?

My HDDs are: 2013 models WDC WD10JPVX-08JC3T5, APPLE HDD HTS541010A99E662 and 2020 model Seagate ST500LM030.
The enclosure cases are: Orico 25PW1 black and Kesu 2530.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

No, obviously not - how do you think laptops survive?.

 

[Tony Stewart]

If it flopped over from an edge to it's side with a bang, different story while running.

 

[and77man]

???

 

[rjenkinsgb]

Laptop drives are extremely shock resistant.
eg. From the specifications of the Seagate one -

Shock, Operating: 2 ms (Gs)
400

Shock, Non-operating: 1ms (Gs)
1,000

400G (400 x earth's gravity) is a seriously massive shock! A minor nudge is totally irrelevant.

 

[and77man]

I don't know how to measure the force for the 2.5" HDD heads to hit the platters. In my case, the hit was fast, but it moved on the table. First, Windows eject function (safely remove hardware) the USB case + 2.5" HDD in the Windows case. Then I pulled the USB cable connector. It came out quickly and my hand hit the case.

 

[sagor1]

Hitting it with your hand would not be a major "G" force. Your hand is, technically, soft, not a hard surface that is immovable like a floor or brick wall. Some laptop drives will even survive a laptop drop to the floor (though I would never test that theory)

 

[nwahorck]

The slight movement of your enclosure case on the table is unlikely to cause friction between the heads and platters of your HDDs. Modern hard drives are designed with mechanisms to safely park the heads away from the platters when powered down or safely ejected. Since you used the Windows eject function, the heads were likely parked, minimizing risk.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

Then I pulled the USB cable connector. It came out quickly and my hand hit the case.

If the drive had already shut down, then the 1000G rating applies.

If your hand was in contact with it for just 1/100th of a second with that much force, the drive would be moving afterwards at almost 100 metres per second (over 200 miles an hour).
(And your hand would have been shattered).

Don't worry abut trivial stuff like this!

 

[ZipZapOuch]

Does this shock cause friction between the reading heads and the magnetic platters?

No

 

[MrAl]

I use a USB 3.0 enclosure case + 2.5" HDD. After copying and reading files, I used the Windows eject function (safely remove hardware). After completing this command, when I tried to disconnect the USB3.0 cable from the PC, my hand hit the enclosure case and it moved a little on the table. Does this shock cause friction between the reading heads and the magnetic platters?

My HDDs are: 2013 models WDC WD10JPVX-08JC3T5, APPLE HDD HTS541010A99E662 and 2020 model Seagate ST500LM030.
The enclosure cases are: Orico 25PW1 black and Kesu 2530.
View attachment 147898

Hi,

As others have said, you probably did not bother the drive. If the head was parked there's more protection.

Since we don't know the force and it probably would not matter even if we did, the only definitive way to know for sure is to test the drive. I do not know what OS you are using but Windows has a test for the entire drive that will check the drive for errors. You could also try to copy every file to another drive and see if any problem comes up. The test could take a while on a 500GB drive but you don't have to sit there and watch it.

These days SSD's have almost completely taken over. You can get 500GB drives for close to $50 USD. They do not have any mechanical parts it's all electronic except for the connector. No head and no internal platter to worry about. The enclosures work with SSD's also.

 

[and77man]

1) When the Windows "safely remove hardware" eject is invoked and the letter E: disappears from Windows, what type of command does Windows send to the 2.5" HDD and the HDD understands that it is time to park the heads?

2) Do the model, brand, chip of the USB3.0 enclosure case and Windows power settings have any relation to the parking of the heads of a 2.5" HDD after the Windows "safely remove hardware" eject command is completed and the letter E: disappears from the system?

3) In what year on 2.5" HDDs and in what version of Windows was parking the heads of 2.5" HDDs implemented after the Windows "safely remove hardware" eject command is completed and the letter E: disappears? even if the USB3.0 cable of the enclosure case remains connected to the PC/enclosure?

 

[MrAl]

1) When the Windows "safely remove hardware" eject is invoked and the letter E: disappears from Windows, what type of command does Windows send to the 2.5" HDD and the HDD understands that it is time to park the heads?

2) Do the model, brand, chip of the USB3.0 enclosure case and Windows power settings have any relation to the parking of the heads of a 2.5" HDD after the Windows "safely remove hardware" eject command is completed and the letter E: disappears from the system?

3) In what year on 2.5" HDDs and in what version of Windows was parking the heads of 2.5" HDDs implemented after the Windows "safely remove hardware" eject command is completed and the letter E: disappears? even if the USB3.0 cable of the enclosure case remains connected to the PC/enclosure?

Hi,

It's hard to say for sure because drives have changed over the years. You could test it yourself though.

Supposedly, when the power is lost from a modern drive the head automatically parks, but from what I read the older drives did not do that. That puts some question into which ones do now and which ones don't.
To test it, you can click Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media and listen carefully to the drive for any clink or clank noise from the drive. That would indicate that the head has parked. It will not be the usual whirring sounds, but a distinct click or clank sound. I guess there is a chance you might need a stethoscope. Some are expensive but there are cheaper models out there.

You should be backing up your data too, and looking into an SSD which are also faster.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

It seems like your looking for a reason to be worried about something.

 

[MrAl]

It seems like your looking for a reason to be worried about something.

Mechanical hard drives are always a concern. I had two HDD's crash over the years and didn't even move them at all.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

Mechanical hard drives are always a concern. I had two HDD's crash over the years and didn't even move them at all.

So what do those failures have to do with this thread? Motor bushings eventually wear out, power surges, magnetic field issues, all moot on this conversation.

 

[MrAl]

So what do those failures have to do with this thread? Motor bushings eventually wear out, power surges, magnetic field issues, all moot on this conversation.

The main point was that HDD's are always a concern because they are mechanical, and mechanical stuff is always more of a problem than electrical stuff.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

The main point was that HDD's are always a concern because they are mechanical, and mechanical stuff is always more of a problem than electrical stuff.

I didn't get that main point from the OPs question. I understood the question to be about (and only about) whether the R/W heads will scratch the platter if it is bumped after Windows Eject feature was used in software but before it was unplugged.

Also, the advice about SSDs is obvious to most people but the practicality of buying one is not for people of every country - they are not all as fortunate as some of us. A small SSD can be a week's pay (or more) for some.

 

[MrAl]

I didn't get that main point from the OPs question. I understood the question to be about (and only about) whether the R/W heads will scratch the platter if it is bumped after Windows Eject feature was used in software but before it was unplugged.

Also, the advice about SSDs is obvious to most people but the practicality of buying one is not for people of every country - they are not all as fortunate as some of us. A small SSD can be a week's pay (or more) for some.

Hello,

It sounds like you are suggesting that nobody should ever recommend an SSD because they probably already know about them and that they might be too expensive for them. In fact, maybe you are suggesting that nobody should ever recommend anything to anybody because they probably already know about it and they may not be able to afford one.
Does that sound right to you?

 

[ZipZapOuch]

Does that sound right to you?

It sounds like answering the question the OP asked should be the priority. Changing the OPs question so you can insert an obvious answer to your newly created side-topic just doesn't help the OP.

Are you the guy on the vintage-mustangs.com forum who suggests just getting a new mustang when anyone asks for repair assistance?
.