Need Help!!!!, ANTS in my Hard Drive!!!

[sham63]

This reminds back in the day I had a Canon Lide 20(I think) that had real small ants in it. I mean a lot of them. The odd thing is there were no other by or in my computer, nor the room it was in. I never knew how they got in there and survived. I just put it in a garbage bag and threw it away. I still live in the same house and that has not happened again. I wonder if they got in during manufacturing. Here is a link, who would have thunk it.

Why Crazy Ants Swarm Inside Electronics
http://www.livescience.com/37720-crazy-ants-invade-electronics.html

 

[Hugo Drax]

I remember having issues with my computer when attempting to run a program and it turned out it was a roach that shorted out the flyback transformer that was used for the williams tube memory. that was a costly repair.

 

[caylean]

How they got inside? By now I think they are not really INSIDE the HDD.

The HDD is a Samsung HD753LJ and has on its Metal 'Shield' on Top in the left bottom area a small blowhole. It seems there is a gap between the Metal Shield and the black HDD Case beneath, using x10 magnifying lens I guess I am right about that ... and THERE the Ants properbly came out... and NOT out of the tiny black hold below.
Furthermore the most Ants were under the PCB.

My guess is now, that the PCB was shortened somehow when i had turned on the HDD in the Morning.

Now my Question is, can I, a simple noob get myself a used HD753LJ on the electronic bay (to my surprise there are still new ones) and exchange it?
From what I see, there are 5 screws to unlock and I should be able to exchange it with.
About that, does one of you knows where to find out if Samsung HDD's of that series are having the same pcb?

I would really HATE to lose the hdd.. found that my Images I had saved to copy.com (sh*t only that i have to download that now also, as they are shutting down their service -.-) ... Getting all my Apps and stored files back would be a huge relief... so I am not really willing to give up on that drive

 

[Blue_Max]

How many bets says what he calls a "hard drive" is the entire tower of the computer itself... that always bugged me when I sold computers years ago.

They'd call it a "CPU" as well. Oy!

 

[mikeymikec]

Your ants may have gotten inside some holes, but they are not inside the hard drive. Some drives are hermetically sealed. Some utilise a breather hole with filter system. Your ants are not getting past that.

"They cut the power..."
"How could they cut the power?! They're animals, man!"

 

[MongGrel]

I figured an Antman reference would pop up

 

[Paladin3]

How many bets says what he calls a "hard drive" is the entire tower of the computer itself... that always bugged me when I sold computers years ago.

They'd call it a "CPU" as well. Oy!

This.

 

[PliotronX]

I figured an Antman reference would pop up

He's just keeping fit!

 

[piasabird]

Maybe try freezing the drive. That will not keep new ants from getting in. Try not eating around the computer. Get some ant bait.

Switch to SSD.

 

[piasabird]

Most hard drives are sealed. However, they can still crawl all over circuit boards or your power supply and what not.

 

[caylean]

How many bets says what he calls a "hard drive" is the entire tower of the computer itself... that always bugged me when I sold computers years ago.

They'd call it a "CPU" as well. Oy!

Uhm.. Nah, I am pretty aware of what CPU, HDD and whatnot is. I might messe up shit when it comes to CPU/GPU Combifuckwhatnot, but all in all I am able to disassemble and assemble a Computer without breaking shit.

I might now have the tools now these fancy grounded Gloves or whatever some Techs use to not fry any circuts, but well, so far in the past 18 years I am fooling around with computer I have NOT killed one of them ... the two years before that are not counted, that were 80286 Computer with 60M HDD's (time will come and I'll really will try to use "stacker" to double the capacity ... I doubt it'll work ) that would break your feet when you let them drop... of them I indeed killed two D: .. and for fucks sake I was just 14 and it seemed a good idea to just check out everything ....

Looking for help and defending myself only *sigh* .. Well, I'll go with a replacement PCB of an electronic bay used HDD of the same model.... lets hope I can get some Data back and it is indeed as easy as it looks to exchange :\

 

[Blue_Max]

Heh... your experience sounds like mine. I learned about static the hard way when I just *had* to pull out my perfectly-working brand new 2400 baud modem, just to hold in my hands and marvel. One snap sound when putting it back in and it never worked again.

It would be a couple years before I would use my own kid-money to finally get another one, a 14400 model. Now THAT was online gaming!

Note: Don't f*ck with computer hardware on carpet in a fluffy sweater.

 

[sm625]

I might now have the tools now these fancy grounded Gloves or whatever some Techs use to not fry any circuts, but well, so far in the past 18 years I am fooling around with computer I have NOT killed one of them ...

You can never be sure about ESD damage. Its effects are not always instaneous.

This type of damage could take years before it finally blows completely open and causes the part to cease functioning.