Can I try putting it in the fridge then?!

yes, if you wanna kill your data due to condensation that would form on the platters.

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My firmware database:
https://mega.nz/folder/O01DkBRI

Both Seagate and Hitachi have HDDs with an operating temperature range as low as -30degC. The non-operating temperature range is as low as -40C.

http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/supp ... 48541e.pdf
http://www.hgst.com/tech/techlib.nsf/te ... N4K100.pdf

In fact I recall that Doomer operated a standard drive at -20C for a short time without any damage.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

I do not think the real problem would be the low temperature of the fridge, rather than condensation would form on the platters.
Condensation might kill heads, then bad heads could cause further damage to platters

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My firmware database:
https://mega.nz/folder/O01DkBRI

Send the drive to someone from the "old times";
Anyone familiar with HRT, HDD.EXE, PC-3000 ISA, etc would be able to do magic on that old drive.
You need firmware tools, not fridge.

Doesn't the drive have 3 dead heads? Or can a weak head produce the same symptom, and if so, would a hot swap enable these weak heads to be accessed?

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

I used to think the same as you. However, according to Doomer, condensation cannot form unless a surface and the surrounding air are at different temperatures. Yet, if you read Seagate's product manuals, one of the reasons for the breather hole is to "allow condensation inside the hard disc to escape". This sounds a little ambiguous to me.

Barracuda 7200.10 PATA Product Manual:
http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/supp ... 02369f.pdf



EE25.2 Series Product Manual:
http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/supp ... 48541e.pdf

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

Given 25C room temperature, 40% relative humidity, and volume of a hard drive 0.0001 m3, it holds about 0.001 gram of water inside the drive.
If you cool it down to -20C, about 0.0009 gram will condense, assuming the breather hole is sealed (I don't think the breather hole is of much use in this case, as there will be not much air exchange between inside and outside the hard drive).

Not sure we should be worried about this amount?

I would think that even the minutest amount of condensation on a platter would crash a head.

I wonder if this could be a subject for MythBusters, although it's probably a bit too geeky for the general audience, unless Jamie could work out a way to blow something up.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Ok, I think I'll forget about the fridge!



Is this something I can try or should I send it to the experts? Presumably it involves swapping boards while maintaining power.