Questions hdd

[nandobadam88]

My HDD is a Seagate ST500LM030, WD10JPVX-08JC3T5, HGST HTS541010A99E662

1) How does file degradation occur within 2.5" HDDs stored unused? Is it similar to SSDs and flash memory? After a year or so, do the data within the chips become corrupted or lost? This is due to storage conditions far from ideal, for example: temperature varies 31-38°C, humidity 55-66%, not counting rainy days.

2) Can 2.5" HDDs be used for long-term archiving or not? Only 3.5" HDDs are designed for this purpose because they are more robust.

3) I read that long-term archiving of files and 2.5" HDDs requires controlled humidity and temperature (25°C to 50%). In tropical countries like Brazil, with temperatures varying 31-38°C and humidity 55-66%, not counting rainy days, will this 2.5" HDD, if powered on once a year for a few minutes, have a certain durability and resistance. 1) What happens if the data remains intact in this situation, or if it is used for several hours every day under the same humidity and temperature conditions?

2) A 2.5" HDD, after being switched off for many hours, is positioned 2 cm away from a large 29" CRT TV (which is switched on) and a desk fan (which is switched on). These devices contain magnets and coils; will they cause magnetic loss and damage to these 2.5" HDDs?

 

[ChatGPT]

Hi nandobadam88 — good details, thanks. I’ll answer point‑by‑point for your Seagate ST500LM030 and your climate (31–38 °C, 55–66% RH).
1) How does file degradation happen on a 2.5" HDD (ST500LM030) stored unused? Is it like SSD/flash?

• Not the same as SSDs. SSDs/flash lose charge in cells (charge leakage) and need periodic rewrites; HDDs store data magnetically so they don’t suffer the same short‑term charge loss behavior. However magnetic media still slowly ages (thermal agitation, occasional particle/radiation events) and can develop “bit‑decay” over years, and environmental stress (heat + humidity) accelerates that process.
• The ST500LM030 uses modern high‑coercivity thin‑film platters (designed to resist normal stray fields), so ordinary household magnetic sources are unlikely to erase it — but that doesn’t protect against thermal‑ or corrosion‑driven problems.
• After a single year in your stated conditions, data loss is unlikely if the drive was healthy when written; but the risk is higher than if the drive were stored cool/dry. The main threats over years are: slowly increased raw bit error rate, bad sectors appearing, and corrosion of electronics/connectors if humidity/condensation occurs.

2) Can 2.5" HDDs be used for long‑term archiving, or only 3.5" drives?

• Yes, 2.5" HDDs can be part of a long‑term archive (many people use them), but they’re not inherently superior to 3.5" drives for multi‑year archival. 3.5" desktop/enterprise drives often have higher mechanical robustness and are preferred for large, stationary archives; 2.5" laptop drives are compact and cost‑effective but are more optimized for mobility. Use 2.5" drives if you accept the tradeoffs and add precautions (redundancy, checks, migration).

3) If powered only once a year for a few minutes in your climate vs. used several hours every day — which is better for durability/resistance?

• They are different risks — neither is strictly “better” in all respects:
  • Infrequent powering (cold storage + yearly checks) minimizes mechanical wear (less spindle/ bearing hours) but gives the magnetic media and electronics long uninterrupted exposure to your warm/humid environment which accelerates thermal bit‑decay and corrosion risk. Annual checks are useful for detection, but they don’t “reverse” magnetic ageing.
  • Daily powering/use increases mechanical stress (start/stop cycles, more hours on bearings, more heat while operating) and therefore raises mechanical failure risk, but regular use also exposes the drive to continuous error detection and gives more opportunities to detect and copy out failing data quickly.
• For your tropical conditions I recommend: keep drives mainly in cold/power‑off state but increase verification frequency (every 6–12 months rather than once per year), use redundancy, and migrate critical data more frequently (target ~3–7 years between full migrations) — that combination reduces both magnetic and mechanical risks.

4) Will a 29" CRT (powered on) or a desk fan (powered on) 2 cm away demagnetize or damage the HDD after it’s been switched off many hours?

• Modern 2.5" drives (like the ST500LM030) use high‑coercivity media and shielding; everyday household devices are unlikely to demagnetize the platters at normal distances. A turned‑on CRT produces a brief degauss pulse on power‑up that is stronger than its idle field — that pulse could cause a transient if the drive were actively reading/writing right at that moment very close by. The safe practical rule is: don’t run reads/writes with the HDD right against a powered CRT; move the drive 10–30 cm away while the CRT is on. If the HDD is powered off and heads parked, a CRT or fan at ~2 cm is still unlikely to cause permanent demagnetization, but keeping modest distance is prudent.

Practical checklist & recommended actions (short and actionable)

1. Redundancy: keep at least 2 independent copies of important data (3‑2‑1 rule).
2. Verification cadence: in your climate verify every 6–12 months (power up, run SMART, check sample files and checksums). If everything is OK, copy the data to a fresh drive every 3–7 years.
3. What to run when you power up:
   • Check SMART (CrystalDiskInfo). Watch Reallocated Sector Count, Current Pending Sector, Uncorrectable Sector Count, G‑Sense/Impact.
   • Verify file integrity with SHA‑256. Example PowerShell command: Get-FileHash C:\path\file.iso -Algorithm SHA256 (save hashes and compare later).
4. Storage protection: store drives in anti‑static bags or airtight containers with silica‑gel desiccant; use insulated boxes to buffer temperature swings and reduce humidity exposure. Avoid placing drives where condensation can occur.
5. Proximity to magnets: keep drives away from strong magnets, powered CRTs, or large speaker magnets while the drive is active. Power‑off + modest distance = safe for normal household equipment.

If you want I can:

• Give a one‑page “energize drive” checklist you can print, or
• Provide a small PowerShell script to compute and store SHA‑256 hashes for a folder and a matching verification script you can re‑run at each check.

Which would you prefer?