Will shaking my Macbook Pro destroy it's hard-drive?

Discussion in 'MacBook Pro' started by aznfromthecongo, Sep 23, 2014.

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  1. aznfromthecongo, Sep 23, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2014

    aznfromthecongo macrumors newbie

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    #1
    Hello, I have a Mid 2010 Macbook Pro which is still running great, however, recently through plane rides and occasional accidents on my unstable, foldable table I have put my Macbook through some pretty severe jolts. I have read in the past that shaking any computer on a mechanical hard drive will cause the drive to become damaged and fragmented; does anybody have any information regarding a Macbook and potential hard-drive damage from shaking?

    My Mac seems to be running just as always for now, still should I expect to find performance issues some time in the future?

    Thank you,
    asianfromthecongo
     
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  2. 53kyle, Sep 23, 2014

    53kyle macrumors 65816

    53kyle

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    #2
    The only time that shaking the hard drive will break it is when it is spinning, and most hard drives nowadays, including the one in your computer, automatically stop when they detect jolty movement.
     
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  3. blooperz, Sep 23, 2014

    blooperz macrumors 6502

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    #3
    It's possible if it happens while the computer is turned on, even with the failsafes implemented to stop a drive if it detects movement...I lost a drive in this way when it fell off my couch (~1.5 feet). Doesn't sound like you've done any serious damage to yours though.
     
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  4. gochi, Sep 23, 2014

    gochi macrumors 6502

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    #4
    nope, never heard of this, unless its like jolted!
     
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  5. aznfromthecongo, Sep 23, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2014

    aznfromthecongo thread starter macrumors newbie

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    #5
    Macbook Hard-Drive Failure



    That is what most people are telling me, thanks for the help 53kyle!
    Do you know whether or not a hard-drive is spinning while loading up a webpage, forum sites for instance?

    Thank you again,
    asianfromthecongo

    ----------



    Thanks for the quick reply blooperz!
    Was the hard-drive you lost in a Macbook Pro as well?
     
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  6. Anitramane, Sep 23, 2014

    Anitramane macrumors 6502

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    #6
    It shouldn’t be a problem, if you are worried get an SSD.
     
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  7. aznfromthecongo, Sep 23, 2014

    aznfromthecongo thread starter macrumors newbie

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    #7
    Purchasing an SSD

    That's what I have been thinking about. Somebody over on Reddit suggesting running both a mechanical hard-drive alongside an SSD because data on a damaged mechanical hard-drive can still be recovered, however, on a trashed SSD data is gone forever.

    Because of this i've been contemplating getting a new SSD to install and store my important applications and documents on, then backing that up on a cloud; while keeping my mechanical drive as well, running it to store unnecessary/replaceable files on my Macbook.

    Thank you for the help Anitramane,
    asianfromthecongo
     
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  8. yjchua95, Sep 24, 2014

    yjchua95 macrumors 604

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    #8
    An SSD won't be damaged if you shake the MBP while using it, because the SSD doesn't have any moving parts.
     
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  9. aznfromthecongo, Sep 24, 2014

    aznfromthecongo thread starter macrumors newbie

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    #9
    I understand that, I was simply stating that the data on a broken SSD is unrecoverable.

    Thanks for the reply though yjchua95! Do you happen to have an SSD installed on your MacBook Pro by any chance?
     
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  10. Samuelsan2001, Sep 24, 2014

    Samuelsan2001 macrumors 603

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    #10
    My old 2010 macbook pro has one


    I put and ssd in my 2010 macbook pro in 2011, it is still running fine and fast for my brother. It really is the best single upgrade you can do to any computer, it'll boot in 15 secs and apps open almost instantly.

    If you go down this route the samsung evo ssd is the best current bang for your buck on amazon although the latest crucial drives are close. You only have sata 2 in that computer I'm afraid but it'll still be far better than a spinning HD.

    Don't forget to download and enable TRIM enabler to keep that SSD in tip top condition.
     
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  11. yjchua95, Sep 24, 2014

    yjchua95 macrumors 604

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    #11
    All my Macs have SSDs in it :)
     
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  12. blooperz, Sep 24, 2014

    blooperz macrumors 6502

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    #12
    Nope this was in a lenovo before I got my mac. But the same thing can happen to any spinning hard drive with moving parts. I would hedge your bets on a SSD like others have mentioned, not just for the lower risk of damage but because they are waaaay faster than a traditional hard drive. If you have something you absolutely can't afford to lose just back it up on an external drive when needed or keep it up to date with time machine. You can't always recover data from an traditional hard drive anyways so a SSD looks to be the safer bet, they don't wear out that fast.
     
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  13. jav6454, Sep 24, 2014

    jav6454 macrumors P6

    jav6454

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    #13
    Light shakes yes, but eventually it'll fail. I've had my HDD fail due to this.
     
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