What is the exact science why HDD does not empty when stored unpowered for decades ?

Posted on 2025-05-16, 09:31

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Hello Can an electronic specialist working with this subject explain this : Why precisely HDDs can be stored unpowered for decades and still retain data 100% compared to SSDs (and CF cards) which are said to lose data and become empty when left unpowered for decades. Since first consumer SSDs …

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Re: My first retro gaming PC build - hold my hand

Posted on 2025-05-16, 06:03

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I also wonder why you'd call it "digital" and hard drive - "real". Ultimately both store digital data as bits(0/1) on physical media, it is just that the media is different. And both have limited time they can store the data. Only HDD uses physical method when writing data: ( SSD is purely …

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Re: My first retro gaming PC build - hold my hand

Posted on 2025-05-16, 04:41

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

It may also be worth replacing the HDD with small SSD right away, unless you specifically want period-correct slow as hxxl experience. It is also a likely failure point - old HDDs are not very reliable at this point. Getting rid of it right away may save a lot of frustration later... Why people …

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Re: Have you seen this motherboard?

Posted on 2023-11-28, 06:54

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Aopen was a budget component manufacturer and it was one of the cheapest one you could buy. I had once a cheap 56x Aopen CD-drive in early 2000 when I was like 15 years old. From my experience I personally stay away from: Aopen or Acer products they usually are not that enjoyable. ( and people know …

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Re: Matrox Millenium G550, good retro gaming gpu?

Posted on 2023-10-31, 10:52

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by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I have Matrox G550 in storage with its "authentic dual cable" and Matrox's own proprietary connector. Never got it to work probably because its special dual cable or card itself is broken. Long ago bought MSI 5900XT AGP (mfg.2004) as a very high end Win98SE graphic card. Otherwise I have: - Geforce …

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Manufacturing amount of large 17,3" laptop models ?

Posted on 2023-01-04, 11:55

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by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Hello Any rough estimate numbers about how many pcs of larger laptop models are manufactured ? Always problem with 17,3" laptops when buying: keyboards, caddies or other spare parts. ( Starting from >2022 companies sell only mid size solution 16" laptops like: lenovo P16 and HP Fury 16. ) Is it like …

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Re: where to get the hardware?

Posted on 2023-01-03, 11:10

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by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

If free: - Befriend with local people age fork somewhere around: 35-70 y.o that could have old computers laying around and accumulating dust. Younger than that don't have vintage desktop computers and older than that have never used computers. Forget finding old retro computers from recycling …

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Re: where to get the hardware?

Posted on 2023-01-03, 09:48

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Yes I'm 36 born in 1986 and I feel myself very old talking about these computer stuff. I feel like Abe Simpsons(TV-series) baffling about these things. I'm just too old. I have lived through: PCs: 386,486,pentium 1,2,3,4,core2...., AMD duron, athlon,... Video games: nes,snes,n64,gamecube,wii,wiiu, …

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Re: where to get the hardware?

Posted on 2023-01-03, 09:28

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by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Yes that is what I'm talking about. Times have now probably changed to better. Todays 2020 PC-gamers are now professional heroic e-sportsmen that have idol status among youngsters. Back in 1980-90s it was not a good time to be a PC-hobbyist people used the "Nxxd" and "Gxxk" insults everyday. …

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Re: where to get the hardware?

Posted on 2023-01-03, 07:07

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by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I have decades hoarded parts for like to modest "10 pcs" full build desktop computers of 1990s-early 2000s. But that is only because I was born in 1980s and I have naturally saved all PCs that I have ever had my hands on to. A lot of people throw PCs to trash because they are large and heavy because …

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Re: I finalized the modern built 1990s retro ISO-SE keyboard.

Posted on 2022-09-26, 14:03

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Oh and I can not emphasize the odd stock of China made keycap sets they happen to appear and disappear quickly from market. - If you find and like some Chinese keycap set particularly you better act quick and buy it because once it is sold out it usually never appears again for restock. ( Similar as …

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Re: I finalized the modern built 1990s retro ISO-SE keyboard.

Posted on 2022-09-26, 13:42

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

USB and use it with a modern computer. ( I have real old genuine DIN and PS/2 keyboards for vintage PCs.) - Amazing thing is that with GMMK-software you can control boards RGB-LEDs and select your own favorite backlight color. I use light blue as backlight color. Many chinese boards: hot swappable …

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I finalized the modern built 1990s retro ISO-SE keyboard.

Posted on 2022-09-26, 12:27

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Hello Made some final changes here it is done and happy with it. Looks like old 1990s keyboards. 1.) Chassis Body= Glorious GMMK V1.0 full-size ISO barebone 105 keys. Would have wanted white color chassis but Glorious only sells black color for full size ISO barebone :-( 2.) Switches= Glorious panda …

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Modern 2020 laptops vs 2010 models ?

Posted on 2022-09-26, 07:53

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Hello Using a 2011 year Win7 laptop HP Pavilion DV7 with: ( Bought as a new and now 11 years old laptop with main fan replaced 1x time.) - CPU: AMD A6-3410MX (1.6 GHz-2.3 GHz). - RAM: 16 GB (8 GB x 2 ) Kingston HyperX DDR3-1866 CL11-11-11 @1.5V. - SSDs 2.5": Kingston HyperX Savage 480 GB and Samsung …

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Re: Matrox Mystique 220 Business?

Posted on 2022-08-19, 05:58

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I have 2 pcs business PCs from 1997 MikroMikko ErgoProE 233MMX Pentium and 200MHz PentiumPro ( a.k.a Fujitsu in some countries.) they used mainly Matrox cards. + MikroMikko was built in Finland. Even circuit boards have "Made in Finland" like some old Nokia mobile phones. Matrox was the graphic card …

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Re: eBay Experience....

Posted on 2022-08-19, 05:47

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by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

There are overwhelmingly more positive than negative experiences in Ebay in the end. - Lots of old items that you would have never ever in your lifetime got in to your hands without Ebay. Bad experiences are like 5% for me and 95% they are excellent. Lots of good memories and future transactions too …

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Re: eBay Experience....

Posted on 2022-08-17, 07:53

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

World is full of old abandoned Win95 / 98 serial keys. Guide the buyer to these obsolete keys. Maybe a junior buyer who is in this modern Win10 world where serials really actually matter. Old Windows keys are not worth anything. If you are lucky you can even guess old serials and then there are test …

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Re: History of Polish computer trade fair 1986-20xx. HD video/hires images from Giełda Komputerowa na Grzybowskiej (1993

Posted on 2022-07-22, 08:23

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by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Yes. "Modern" nitroglycerine(smokeless) gun powder using guns are not allowed inside EU. Starting from guns such as: - Mosin–Nagant M1891. (and newer...) - Gewehr 1888. (and newer...) You can only own wild west and pirate guns which have so thin barrel that it will explode if you would try to use …

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Re: History of Polish computer trade fair 1986-20xx. HD video/hires images from Giełda Komputerowa na Grzybowskiej (1993

Posted on 2022-07-22, 05:17

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by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Did the weapons come from: Yugoslav wars 1991-2001 or Chechen wars ? - These weapons have circulated a lot I heard they reuse these in Ukraine. That Belarus-Serbia zone continues to be a weapon hot spot for many decades. Must be piles and piles of weapons for sell. Others like EU-countries have had …

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Re: History of Polish computer trade fairs 1986-20xx. (includes HD video from Giełda Komputerowa na Grzybowskiej).

Posted on 2022-07-21, 05:26

by

by user33331

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I think pirated VHS tapes (1980-2000) were also a "sell magnet" back then and one reason why these markets do not exist today. + Finnish people used to go to Estonia to buy VHS and later pirated CD music, movie, games. Adult VHS tapes were popular. But all together times of product development R&D …

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