How tough are HDDs

[Nik00117]

I have traveled the world for the past year going from Europe to America, and back, then back again then to Asia and lots of inbetween tops.

During that time I carried a 750 GIG and 500 GIG HDD in my suitcase, they have been bounced around and abused. I am going to be building a gaming rig in about a month and I then intend on testing it out.

There only protective casing was two zip lock bags. Vote will this work? Will they not work? Winners get bragging rights.

BTW I got no idea! I'm going lean on the side of YES since they were turned off.

 

[J03]

Well, if they where surrounded by clothes or whatever, then I think they will be OK.

 

[Nik00117]

Sometimes they were, sometimes they weren't really depended.

 

[gmcrepair]

It depends on the make, IBM - crap just a hint. 50% failure rate within a year.

 

[berry120]

Without knowing exactly what they've been through it's impossible to say.

 

[mikee]

I had a 250gb drive while I was traveling and i ran to catch an elevator and i had it in my hand and accidentally threw it like 15 feet onto a marble floor and it pulled through alright. They are surprisingly durable. But then again I had one in a cheapo external enclosure and it fell off my desk a few years back and land landed on my carpeted floor and just gave up the ghost right there.

 

[eslfish]

It will work. Just get some protection around them. Cloth! xD

 

[Kage]

Since they were not active and on in that time, there is a chance they have survived, and probably will work, if only for a little while.

If they were on and that was happening; I'd say they wouldn't work hardly at all.

I wouldn't use them without having a back up in place. Let's put it that way.

If I found an old drive even lying around, I would think twice before using it

 

[Nik00117]

If they do work only unimportant files are going go on there.

 

[lhuser]

They'll work. You have a way less chance of screwing up the HDD when cold-off than when on.