Searching this forum just results in similar threads where people claim that condenstion forms on the platters. Yours appears to be the only dissenting voice, but you don't say much more than "physics doesn't work that way". So not much useful stuff here ...
OTOH, here is what I get when I search for "condensation" at ixbt.com:
http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Ah ... %8F+doomerHere are two threads on the subject:
http://forum.ixbt.com/topic.cgi?id=11:22373http://forum.ixbt.com/topic.cgi?id=11:36520-34Unfortunately neither Google nor Babelfish were able to translate the resulting URLs directly, so I needed to cut-and-paste bits of the conversation into the translator. I could have misinterpreted the resulting output, but ISTM that there was no real consensus. However, AIUI you claim that condensation doesn't form because there is no significant temperature difference inside the HDA. At least one other individual claims that condensation is likely to form because of the temperature gradient that results from a difference in the rate of cooling of the platters and the surrounding air. For example, a user might transfer a drive directly to his freezer after having just removed it from his computer on a hot summer day. I presume this is one of the reasons why HDD manufacturers actually specify a maximum temperature gradient (in degrees per hour). However, it is unclear whether this spec is to prevent condensation, or to prevent damage to the drive due to thermal shock.
Given that Hitachi's EnduraStars are able to operate at -30C, this would tend to confirm that condensation is not an issue, even at sub-zero temperatures. This then begs the question, what is different about them? Morever, if there is no condensation, then what prevents regular desktop drives from operating at sub-zero temperatures if their materials can withstand -40C?
BTW, why does Google translate the Russian word for "drive" as "screw"?