Hard Disk Drive Myths Debunked!
This guide was written in response to the numerous fallacies about the hard disk drive that are still being propagated in many forum discussions.
As you read through this guide, you may think that some of these myths may have been made up. We wished that was true. We collected these myths from various discussions we heard or read over time.
To be honest, many articles have covered these topics. It would have been easy for someone to do a quick search online before imparting their opinions to newbies. Unfortunately, it became apparent to us that some folks just prefer to trust their innate instincts over logic and knowledge. As such, these hard disk drive urban legends have remained more popular than the simple truth.
So, let's get down to basics and examine some of these common fallacies or myths and debunk them!
If you know of any myth that have not been covered by this guide, please tell us about it. We would love to add them to the current list of myths.
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Date |
Revision |
Revision History |
16-03-2004 |
1.0 |
Initial release. |
18-03-2004 |
1.1 |
Added Myths #18-20. |
07-06-2007 |
2.0 |
Revamped the entire guide. |
17-07-2007 |
2.1 |
Redid the layout of the guide. |
27-05-2008 |
3.0 |
Added Myth #21, Myth #22 and Myth #23. |
02-06-2008 |
3.1 |
Added Myth #24 and Myth #25. |
08-08-2008 |
3.2 |
Added Myth #26 and Myth #27. |
23-12-2008 |
3.3 |
Added Myth #28 and Myth #29. |
23-07-2010 |
4.0 |
Revamped the entire guide. |
09-09-2010 |
4.1 |
Added Myths #34 to #35. |
28-01-2011 |
4.2 |
Added Myths #36 to #38. |
03-06-2011 |
4.3 |
Added Myths #39 and #40. |
23-07-2011 |
4.4 |
Added Myths #41 to #43. |
04-08-2011 |
4.5 |
Added Myths #44 and #45. |
19-08-2011 |
4.6 |
Updated Myth #26 on freezing dead hard disk drives to make them accessible. |
19-10-2011 |
4.7 |
Added Myth #46 on 7200 RPM hard disk drives generating more heat than regular 5400 RPM hard disk drives. |
02-11-2011 |
4.8 |
Added Myth #49 on the need to overwrite your hard disk drive at least x number of times with zeros and ones to prevent any recovery of data. |
10-01-2012 |
4.9 |
Added Myth #51 on reviving a dead hard disk drive by hitting it on the sides when it spins up. |
11-04-2012 |
5.0 |
Added Myth #53 on a computer's weight when information is added to the hard disk drive. |
17-05-2013 |
5.1 |
Rearranged the guide to make it shorter and more readable. |
01-07-2013 |
5.2 |
Added Myth #58 on knocking on a malfunctioning hard disk drive to unlock its bearings and get it spinning again. |
10-07-2014 |
5.3 |
Added Myth #61 on AV-optimized hard disk drives causing data corruption when used in desktops or servers. |
03-09-2014 |
5.4 |
Added Myth #63 on the dangers on vacuuming the insides of your computer case. |