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Just dropped my HD. RIP?

Sairo

Sairo

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 25, 2012
117
0
The Netherlands, Almere
Like the title says; I just dropped it!! =(
Was trying to reach for my clothes while they shove of my HD and it went free falling maybe 2 meters. Now its making a loose noise when shaking it.
Its a Toshiba MK7559GSXF out of an MBP 2011.
I Googled but couldnt find so I hope you guys know.

How long does Toshiba give warranty?
Is there a warranty for (dropped) drives by Toshiba?
How can I (try to) claim warranty? Cant find it on their website.

I dont have my external enclosure yet so I cant figure out if its still working but I doubt it. This may also answer your question of you where wondering why I had it laying around + my closeth was the driest place in could found.

Pore me has to save longer now for my SSD and a new storage drive.
 
Stranger things have happened
At least put it in an external enclosure to verify it isn't working
Not sure how much I would trust it if it is, but still, don't toss it yet without trying it
 
MacDawg said:
Stranger things have happened
At least put it in an external enclosure to verify it isn't working
Not sure how much I would trust it if it is, but still, don't toss it yet without trying it
Click to expand...

Will do so. I hope my case arrives tommorow

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daleski75 said:
Bin it and grab yourself a new one.
Click to expand...

Just bought this one for à nice Price. Im in widdow mode.
 
If you need files off of it, I'd at least put it in an enclosure and give it a try. I don't think I'd rely on it for future use (even if it does work, after a fall like that there's no telling if it will continue to work later on), but it would at least be worth seeing if you can copy the files off of it onto a new drive.
 
Dropped does not mean dead.

If you really want to know, throw it back into your 2011 MBP and find out. Simple.
 
Sairo said:
Will do so. I hope my case arrives tommorow

----------



Just bought this one for à nice Price. Im in widdow mode.
Click to expand...

Does it look like you dropped it?
If not, send it to Toshiba anyways - maybe you'll get lucky
 
sweetbrat said:
If you need files off of it, I'd at least put it in an enclosure and give it a try. I don't think I'd rely on it for future use (even if it does work, after a fall like that there's no telling if it will continue to work later on), but it would at least be worth seeing if you can copy the files off of it onto a new drive.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had a "dead" drive in my old PC, left it on a shelf in my closet for like 6 months and randomly tried it out and it was working again. All I did was pull files and then trash it, but it certainly can't hurt to see if you can salvage anything off of it.
 
Most drives say right on the label that it's normal to hear a rattle hoise when you shake them. If it wasn't dropped on a real hard surface I would say it is still good. When powered off the heads of the drive are parked anyways.
 
Sairo said:
No damage noticable it was in à piece of plastic.
I cant find the warranty/send to page thats The problem.
Click to expand...

OEM drives do not have individual warranties from the manufacturer of that item.

You can try putting it back into your MBP, taking it to the Apple Store and seeing a Genius. They might replace it for free if you're lucky.
 
MH01 said:
Dropped does not mean dead.

If you really want to know, throw it back into your 2011 MBP and find out. Simple.
Click to expand...

It all adds up though. HDD's all eventually gather debris on the disc simply due to their mechanical nature. Dropping em doesn't help as mechanical shocks can cause more debris

I'd try getting your files off it, but I wouldn't trust it.
 
The Mercurian said:
It all adds up though. HDD's all eventually gather debris on the disc simply due to their mechanical nature. Dropping em doesn't help as mechanical shocks can cause more debris

I'd try getting your files off it, but I wouldn't trust it.
Click to expand...

HDD's are sealed units assembled in "clean rooms". I am not sure what debris you are talking about. But I could just be learning something new. But I seriously doubt that is possible. Most HDD tolerances are so small these days that you can't fit a human hair under the read head.
 
01mggt said:
Most drives say right on the label that it's normal to hear a rattle hoise when you shake them. If it wasn't dropped on a real hard surface I would say it is still good. When powered off the heads of the drive are parked anyways.
Click to expand...

Dropped it ON my matt.
When i get my enclosure well know.
 
1. The drive head is usually parked away from the platters when the drive is not powered on. This is the state that a laptop's "drop protection" sensor will usually put your hard drive in when it detects a drop.
2. Stop shaking your hard drive and try it out.
3. 2.5" hard drives are designed to withstand drops up to a certain point - instantaneous shocks of Gs in the mid to high hundreds while not in operation.
 
Sairo said:
Now its making a loose noise when shaking it.
Click to expand...

1.) Stop shaking it on purpose.
2.) this noise that sounds like something is loose is actually quite common for 2.5" drives, even those that haven't been dropped. That alone doesn't mean anything. Some drives even state this on the label.

Was the drive on when it fell? If it was off and powered down, and there's no damage to the external casing (dents) then there's a good chance it's ok. Put it in an enclosure see if it powers on and is recognized. If it won't, or it makes strange noises that it didn't used to, then you might have a problem.
 
I've opened many drives, and have never once seen "debris" on the platter - barring catastrophic failure of the voice coil or other part.

I too, am not buying this "accumulated debris" theory - maybe on an old tape drive, or 5 1/4 floppy... but inside a hard drive? :confused:
 
01mggt said:
HDD's are sealed units assembled in "clean rooms". I am not sure what debris you are talking about. But I could just be learning something new. But I seriously doubt that is possible. Most HDD tolerances are so small these days that you can't fit a human hair under the read head.
Click to expand...
HDDs are not fully sealed, there are some "air holes" that the user is not supposed to seal shut. It's this feature that prevents HDDs from operating under very high altitudes.
 
jcpb said:
HDDs are not fully sealed, there are some "air holes" that the user is not supposed to seal shut. It's this feature that prevents HDDs from operating under very high altitudes.
Click to expand...

The "breathing holes" are there to allow for pressure equalization inside the enclosure. The read/write heads need a cushion of air to "float" upon so that they do not crash into the platter surface while the platters are spinning. The rotation of the platters causes the lift necessary for the heads to "hover" above them - similar to how an aircraft's wings generate lift. If the air in the external environment is too thin (high altitude) there would be insufficient air to keep the heads "hovering" over the platters as they spin. These holes are still sealed by a HEPA filter; it is unlikely that dust or debris will enter from the outside environment unless the filter is damaged or comes defective from the manufacturer.

Given the tight tolerances of modern hard drives, the space between the read/write head and platter surface are too small for even dust or smoke particles. (about 3 nanometers) Any debris that "accumulates" inside the HDD enclosure could easily destroy the drive. Given the reliability of mechanical HDDs, this is not a likely scenario. Otherwise we'd have drives crashing left and right constantly.
 
jcpb said:
HDDs are not fully sealed, there are some "air holes" that the user is not supposed to seal shut. It's this feature that prevents HDDs from operating under very high altitudes.
Click to expand...

I understand this. By sealed I mean sealed off from any outside debris that could ever possibly get in.
 
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