HDD power interrupt

  • Thread starter Thread starter Andre De Clercq
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A

Andre De Clercq

Besides potential loss/corruption of data, is there any mechanical
destruction caused by sudden power supply cutt-off on an HDD?
 
Paul said:
There is a description of head landing here.

http://www.storagereview.com/guide2000/ref/hdd/op/actParking.html

I guess we'll have to get someone with one of those "Raptor X"
drives with the see-thru window, to verify that is how it works :-)

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/22-136-011-03.jpg

Paul
Click to expand...


Andre:
Assuming you're working with a reasonably "modern" HDD, say one manufactured
during the past 8 years or so, I don't think a HDD will be physically
damaged by any sudden power shutoff (bearing in mind that we're talking
about a simple loss of power and not one that's connected with an electrical
surge of one sort or another). At least based upon my experience with
hundreds of HDDs over recent years we've never been able to establish any
cause-effect scenario along those lines. As you point out, loss/corruption
of data is always a possibility.

It is true that at one time - and this goes back a fair number of years -
this possibility did indeed exist primarily because the older-manufactured
disk's heads would not properly "park" when power was inadvertently lost.
And even here it was a rather rare occurrence that the HDD would be
physically damaged as a consequence. The much more common problem was
loss/corruption of data, much more prevalent than with today's drives.

Have you experienced problems along the lines of your query, or is this only
a theoretical question?
Anna
 
As Anna notes, the physical damage issues have been "handled" as that's
essentially what happens when the computer is turned off.

However, as you surmise, the potential problem is that files are open
and "buffered" data may be waiting to be written or in the process of
being written when the power is cut and that's when file and fat damage
happens.

If you feel you can address these issues, it's dooable... for example,
it could happen any time a memory key is unplugged.

Don't know your goal, but consider meeting the need with an external usb
drive... when you are ready to power it down, there is a "stop external
drive" icon in the systray.

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]
 
Thanks for all the replies. The application is rather different and relates
to and HDD video recorder which I want to fully shut down by power
interruption. Physical damage was my main concern.
 
If that's the case, it seems to me you would best take up the issue with the
manufacturer of your video recorder. While there might be some similarities
in the operations of the two technologies, i.e., PCs & video recorders - as
they would impact on the consequences of an untoward power outage affecting
the recorder's hard drive, surely it's more sensible for you to obtain
specific info re this issue from the entity familiar with that device and
not from this forum.
Anna


Andre De Clercq said:
Thanks for all the replies. The application is rather different and
relates to and HDD video recorder which I want to fully shut down by power
interruption. Physical damage was my main concern.
Beverly Howard said:
As Anna notes, the physical damage issues have been "handled" as that's
essentially what happens when the computer is turned off.

However, as you surmise, the potential problem is that files are open and
"buffered" data may be waiting to be written or in the process of being
written when the power is cut and that's when file and fat damage
happens.

If you feel you can address these issues, it's dooable... for example, it
could happen any time a memory key is unplugged.

Don't know your goal, but consider meeting the need with an external usb
drive... when you are ready to power it down, there is a "stop external
drive" icon in the systray.

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Anna, of course, but finding Sony AV technicians which are
knowlegeable about (their) HDD behaviour, is difficult. I know that the
same standard drives are used in the recorder as those used in the PC world,
so I suppose that the park behaviour wil be the same. And physical damage
was my concern...


Anna said:
If that's the case, it seems to me you would best take up the issue with
the manufacturer of your video recorder. While there might be some
similarities in the operations of the two technologies, i.e., PCs & video
recorders - as they would impact on the consequences of an untoward power
outage affecting the recorder's hard drive, surely it's more sensible for
you to obtain specific info re this issue from the entity familiar with
that device and not from this forum.
Anna


Andre De Clercq said:
Thanks for all the replies. The application is rather different and
relates to and HDD video recorder which I want to fully shut down by
power interruption. Physical damage was my main concern.
Beverly Howard said:
As Anna notes, the physical damage issues have been "handled" as that's
essentially what happens when the computer is turned off.

However, as you surmise, the potential problem is that files are open
and "buffered" data may be waiting to be written or in the process of
being written when the power is cut and that's when file and fat damage
happens.

If you feel you can address these issues, it's dooable... for example,
it could happen any time a memory key is unplugged.

Don't know your goal, but consider meeting the need with an external usb
drive... when you are ready to power it down, there is a "stop external
drive" icon in the systray.

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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