I have a dead 80gb Maxtor that worked 3 years ago, but it is dead enough its not even detected now.

nforce4max wrote:

Some drives just don't die easy, I've salvaged a few drives that have been out in the rain rust and all. The crappy ones always die fast and early no matter how well they are stored.

Yeah, I think most of the true duds have since passed on. Meanwhile, my 1987 MiniScribe 8425 20MB MFM HDD is seemingly still in good condition despite spending a number of years in a box in the attic of my house. That place turns into a furnace at worst during the summer and an igloo during the winter (no AC/heat and who knows how little insulation that room has). It very rarely gets powered on, but, the last time I did power it on, it passed its seek test. I don't know how good the drive is since I don't have an MFM controller to find out its true condition with, but something tells me that it might still be somewhat good.

nforce4max wrote:

Some drives just don't die easy, I've salvaged a few drives that have been out in the rain rust and all. The crappy ones always die fast and early no matter how well they are stored.

This was also the point I was (poorly) trying to make in my post about the server's HDD's OK they are being used but they are exposed to the same environmental conditions some die, some don't. Storing drives, some will die, some wont. It'll be a roll of the dice either way no matter how well you store them.

I keep mine in anti static bags (sometimes 2 to a bag) in a draw. Its cool, dark, and somewhat air tight/dust free. That works well enough for me

chinny22 wrote:

nforce4max wrote:

Some drives just don't die easy, I've salvaged a few drives that have been out in the rain rust and all. The crappy ones always die fast and early no matter how well they are stored.

This was also the point I was (poorly) trying to make in my post about the server's HDD's OK they are being used but they are exposed to the same environmental conditions some die, some don't. Storing drives, some will die, some wont. It'll be a roll of the dice either way no matter how well you store them.

I keep mine in anti static bags (sometimes 2 to a bag) in a draw. Its cool, dark, and somewhat air tight/dust free. That works well enough for me

Don't forget about humidity. I keep a small vat of calcium chloride on my eletronics drawers.

Jolaes76 wrote:

Connor drives

well, Connor (Macleod) drives die only by loosing their heads. 😀 Conner is another story. It is a great sum-up anyway.

aww yeah!

Actually I have a Conner CP-3000 from 1991 with both of its ferrite heads not chopped off, still running great with not even a single cluster gone bad 😁
It was used for 3 years, then the PC was stored in a garage for 20 years and then booted at the first atempt.

Luck of the draw but there are so many that it does not matter really.