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PCBUILD - Personal Computer Hardware discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
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Mon, 21 Jan 2002 01:58:22 -0800
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  While I've seen a recommendation that drives be formatted in the
orientation in which they will be mounted, I've only *once* see
drives that were actually damaged by badly-chosen orientation.  They
were minicomputer drives, larger than most PCs, with a head mechanism
that slid back and forh in a straight line.  (By comparison, modern
PC hard drive heads are extremely light, and mounted on a pivot arm
instead.)
  These old drives had been mounted on end, so that a retraction of
the heads got an unanticipated assist from gravity.  Apparently, the
heads would retract past the sensor that was intended to confirm that
they were fully retracted, and so the drive would attempt to apply
full "retract" force to head mechanisms that were already a little
more than fully retracted....

  As said, there are a number of reasons why modern PC drives are not
likely to suffer this fate, or any other, due to physical
orientation.

David Gillett


On 20 Jan 2002, at 22:21, David Jonathan Justman wrote:

> In one of my techie books, I think Jean Andrews' Exam Prep for the
> A+, it says that running the hard disk on its side will damage it.
> Some problem with balance.  I can try to hunt up the reference if
> it's important.
>
> Good luck.
> David Jonathan Justman
>
> On 20 Jan 2002, at 10:08, andre chiasson wrote:
>
> > Can a Hard disk be installed on the side or upsidedown and perform properly?
> >   Furthermore, if a disk is installed on it's side or upsidedown, what would
> > be the inconvenient during transportation?
> > This question was asked to me by a traveling musician.

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