Keeping your hard drive on its side instead of flat - Is it safe?

[cw42]

I was thinking of getting an external hd enclosure that sits vertically. Then I came to think keeping your hd may shorten the life spam of the hd. It just dosn't seem like a good idea since it has to fight against gravity when compared to keeping a hd flat.

What do you think?

 

[Jeff7]

It'll do just fine. Some major PC companies ship systems with hard drives mounted vertically.

And I don't think it'll have to fight gravity - after all, as one side of the disc is turning up against gravity, the other side is falling with gravity's pull.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Actually, I believe that some people think it's better since there's a lesser chance that the drive head will come crashing down onto the plates.

 

[shabby]

As long as you dont move the hd when its turned on any position will be fine.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Car computers have the drives mounted vertically so that going over bumps doesn't make the heads hit the platters. Of course, if there's an earthquake causing the ground to move horizontally, you are screwed!!!

 

[cw42]

interesting. thanks for the replies!

 

[corkyg]

No problem. Lots of external drives such as Maxtor are mounted in vertical cases.

 

[Baked]

You won't notice a difference. I put my ext. HD vertically on the stand provided. It actually helps the cooling since more surface is exposed.

 

[suse920]

wont matter. Many pcs have shipped with vertically mounted drives.

 

[FlyingPenguin]

All modern HDDs are designed to lie in any of the 6 cardinal orientations (never allow a drive to lie at a diagonal). Go back 6 years and some drives were not designed to be upside down but now any of them can be.

 

[Zero Plasma]

It will have 5 bpkps. (bpkps= baby panda kills per second)


It'd be fine.

 

[Atlantean]

I have 3 drives in my current computer that are mounted vertically. They seem to work quite well like that plus its at the front of my computer where there are 2 fans blowing on them constantly.

 

[BFG10K]

I personally wouldn't do it but that's not to say it won't work fine.

 

[imported_whatever]

Originally posted by: shabby
As long as you dont move the hd when its turned on any position will be fine.

ever done this? i have, and it is surprising how much of a gyroscopic effect they have. the drive worked fine after, you just need to make sure to not jolt it.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Originally posted by: whatever

Originally posted by: shabby
As long as you dont move the hd when its turned on any position will be fine.

ever done this? i have, and it is surprising how much of a gyroscopic effect they have. the drive worked fine after, you just need to make sure to not jolt it.

The one in my laptop doesn't.... it's a 7200 RPMer even.

 

[SVT Cobra]

w00ps ive jolted my two rapotrz that i have mounted vertically (for better airflow at and around them from my bottom two intake fans) many a times moving my water cooling system around while they were running......

guess they are still okay
*goes to check on them like a mommy would with her children*

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

They'll work just fine vertically.