Stiction and Side Effects
The "freezer trick" involved sticking the drive in a waterproof plastic bag, and then into the freezer. If you left it alone for a few hours, the cold would cool the metal down enough to constrict it, and, in some cases, free up the disks to spin. The idea behind the freezer trick was to save the data by then quickly copying it to another device before another lockup occurred, Moyer said. Stiction, though, is largely a thing of the past. Modern and more complex drives have improved lubrication systems and "off-platter parking" (where the drive stores its head off the surface of the disk, like a phonograph, when not in use), to prevent this problem from occurring, Moyer explained. "As a result, stiction rarely happens with today's technology," he said.
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"The science behind this suggestion is actually solid," Moyer said. "However, with the advancement of technology, it's no longer appropriate and should not be attempted. That's because the potential for damage and/or data loss greatly outweighs any potential benefit of chilling your hard drive."For instance, a side effect of freezing a hard drive is corrosion, caused by the transformation of water vapor inside the drive to ice crystals. Upon removal from the freezer, that ice will melt and foul the delicate electrical components inside the drive. If the drive spins up before the ice has melted, catastrophic damage will occur and data may be permanently lost. Meaning that data recovery is impossible.
According to Moyer, today's read errors can cascade to the firmware, then to possible electronic or PCB damage, and then on to possible errors with the drive heads themselves.
DATA INSURANCE POLICY
The first and best line of defense is to back up your data on a separate external hard drive or BluRay Discs/ DVDs. Being sure to store your backup data out-of-the office and/or away from home. This is the most secure and the safest way to ensure your data is protected. Note: Storing your data in the "Cloud" is not a back up, unless the data you're uploading to the "Cloud" is a duplicate and resides on different media in a separate location.
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