Cold Weather may have killed HD

Smitty0881 · 02-06-2007, 05:49 PM

I'm running a 120Gig Seagate Laptop HD I bought from newegg.com. Everything was running fine and then this morning it stopped working. I turn on my carpc and I see the system doing the memory check and then screen just stays black. I've checked the IDE cable and even switched them out. When I unhook the HD from the board and turn the PC on it boots up and says something about no HD found so I know the board works. I think my HD my have got messed up by the cold MD weather. Is there anything I can do to fix it or do I just need to start looking for a new HD? Thanks.

Smitty

MP3DUB · 02-07-2007, 09:32 AM

How cold is it there right now? If it's much below freezing, take the pc inside for a while and see if it'll boot once its warm. Your hdd probably isnt dead, it just doesnt like the cold.

2k1Toaster · 02-07-2007, 10:07 AM

Well last night I saw your state was in the -5F weather colour which is -15C. That is pushing the envelope for some drives. I have gotten mine below -20C, but it is the the cabin too. I don't know where yours is located at, but just let it warm up, and it should boot right up.

EDIT: Looked at the current weather for Annapolis and it says your close to 15F. That should be ok. Again though just bring it up to room temp and try again.

Nomader · 02-07-2007, 10:19 AM

my 2.5 inches 40g has problems copying files when temperature reches 5 degrees celcius.. I think minus temperatures would be a problem..

Smitty0881 · 02-07-2007, 02:17 PM

I'm in Maryland and at night time its been getting down to about 10-8 degrees. I'll try bringing the HD in the house and letting it sit in the warm for a few hours and then trying it.

-Smitty

d_sellers1 · 02-08-2007, 01:57 AM

You could always put it in the microwave to warm it up a bit...

Derek

PS. I'm just kidding about putting it in the microwave. I take no responsibility if you actually do...

2k1Toaster · 02-08-2007, 02:22 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by d_sellers1

You could always put it in the microwave to warm it up a bit...

Derek

PS. I'm just kidding about putting it in the microwave. I take no responsibility if you actually do...

If you do put it in the microwave, take a picture of the sparks! Actually I don't think would harm the drive if it was just a little bit. All metal. YOur microwave would take a beating though, but hte drive should be ok. Maybe some burn marks on the platters, but that is what windows bad sector check is for!

Smitty0881 · 02-08-2007, 05:26 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by d_sellers1

You could always put it in the microwave to warm it up a bit...

Derek

PS. I'm just kidding about putting it in the microwave. I take no responsibility if you actually do...

Hey I did what you said and it set my kitchen on fire!!! What do I do now?!?!?

Just kidding

But I took the HD out of my car and sat it in the house for about 2-3 hours and tried it again but it didnt work. I think it needs to get a little bit warmer. I'm leaving it in the house all day today and I'll try this afternoon.

-Smitty

TheMaskedMan · 02-08-2007, 06:11 AM

Below 0C and hard drives do not mix.. I've had my share of laptop batteries start doing the click of death after forgetting them out in the car all night.

muldrick · 02-08-2007, 09:33 AM

hmmm, I'm in PA...using a 3.5" HDD, had no problems for 4 years.
Don't know if it's a "fluid" drive or not though.

Smitty0881 · 02-08-2007, 10:24 AM

Here's the actual Hard drive I ordered. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822146231

Smitty0881 · 02-09-2007, 06:18 PM

Well I tried it again and it didnt work. I think I'm gonna buy a Compact Flash card and boot from that and use an external HD to store all of my music and video files. Any suggestions on Compact Flash drives?

-Smitty

HDTechnology · 02-10-2007, 10:20 AM

have you tried pulling the H/D out and booting the computer?

May not be the H/D

If it comes up and says no OS or something after you pull the HD out it will be your HD.

If this happends, plug it back in, go into your bios and into your IDE listing, see if it comes up or if its conflicting with another IDE device. just move cables and stuff around see if something else works. maybe puttng it on IDE-1 instead of IDE-0 on the mobo.

If you buy a new HD though, make sure you regulate the cabbins temp to the boot, save you buying a hd every week lol

Smitty0881 · 02-10-2007, 01:50 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by HDTechnology

have you tried pulling the H/D out and booting the computer?

May not be the H/D

If it comes up and says no OS or something after you pull the HD out it will be your HD.

If this happends, plug it back in, go into your bios and into your IDE listing, see if it comes up or if its conflicting with another IDE device. just move cables and stuff around see if something else works. maybe puttng it on IDE-1 instead of IDE-0 on the mobo.

If you buy a new HD though, make sure you regulate the cabbins temp to the boot, save you buying a hd every week lol

When I pulled the HD off and booted it gave me the msg about no HD. I'll try messing with the Bios a little but I'm ready to switch to a flash card to boot from and an external HD to hold all of my data.

-Smitty

Road_Dog · 02-10-2007, 02:21 PM

The is another thread discussing Compact Flash and Solid State drives (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=83012). I think there are more discussions so you should search for them.

How long was your HD in warmer temperture? 24 hours is not unreasonable. Three days is.

Time is needed to uniformly warm the hard drive. Like thawing a turkey.

Have you thought about a removable hard drive to boot off of? Take it in at night to avoid this type of problem. Also avoid overheating in the Summers. And last, minimizes the damages in-case of theft. Just an idea