Question Doubts about damage to my external HDD ?

[cloudff7ps1]

I finished copying the files to my 2.5" external HDD. I ejected the HDD in Windows 10 but the enclosure's LED was on, and then I went to pull the USB 3.0 cable but when the cable came out of the PC port my hand hit the side of the HDD enclosure and it moved slightly across the table. Did this event cause damage to the HDD within it?

 

[USAFRet]

my hand hit the side of the HDD case and the case moved slightly to the right of the table. Did this event cause damage to the HDD within it?

There is only one response, and one word applicable here.

No.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

because? any protection?

 

[USAFRet]

because? any protection?

An unmounted drive is far less subject to 'damage' from moving around, than one that is actively spinning and writing data at that moment.

The movement you caused is probably less than picking it up, and putting it in a backpack to take to school or work.

If drives were as fragile as people seem to think, we would never have been able to have laptops with spinning drives.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

Is it normal to eject the HD in Windows 10 and the case LED remains on, the HDD has not turned off?

 

[USAFRet]

Is it normal to eject the HD in Windows 10 and the case LED remains on, the HDD has not turned off?

There is no "normal".
Every external case is different.

The light may just indicate power.

 

[USAFRet]

But as always...keep good backups.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

The LED case is ON but the HD has not been ejected?

 

[USAFRet]

The LED case is ON but the HD has not been ejected?

Not sure what type of answer that you're looking for.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

the answer if the HDD was in safe mode even with the case LED on

 

[USAFRet]

the answer if the HDD was in safe mode even with the case LED on

Probably.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[cloudff7ps1]

you see any enclosure case not power off LED after eject in windows?

 

[USAFRet]

you see any enclosure case not power off LED after eject in windows?

Yes.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

ejecting in Windows 10 puts the HD in safe mode for crash damage? what your opinion?

 

[USAFRet]

ejecting in Windows 10 puts the HD in safe mode for crash damage? what your opinion?

It is unmounted. The OS can do nothing to it.

Of course, this does not help if you knock it off the desk onto a concrete floor.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

Since which year was the "parking" technology for 2.5" HDDs introduced in all brands and models?

In Windows 10, there is an option to safely eject the drive from the Windows tray. When this option is activated, does the HDD enter parking mode or not, or does it only enter parking mode when it is completely turned off? This guarantees protection against accidental knocks when unplugging the USB 3.0 cable, although some external HD cases do not turn off the LED after ejecting in Windows.

 

[USAFRet]

Since which year was the "parking" technology for 2.5" HDDs introduced in all brands and models?

I do not know.

You have access to the same google that I do.

 

[BFG-9000]

Self-parking predates 2.5" drives. It was a highly-touted feature of some of the last MFM/RLL disks, so you would no longer need to remember to issue the DOS "Park" command before shutting off the computer. All IDE disks came with it since 1986, using a really clever mechanism--when power is cut, the momentum of the still rotating disc uses the motor as a generator to power the movement of the head arm to its parking area.

Of note, before SSDs became popular, many 2.5" drives had a "free-fall sensor" which would forcibly park a still-powered-on disk if a drop was detected, in time to prevent damage from a >8" fall. Such a thing would not help with direct impacts.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

Self-parking predates 2.5" drives. It was a highly-touted feature of some of the last MFM/RLL disks, so you would no longer need to remember to issue the DOS "Park" command before shutting off the computer. All IDE disks came with it since 1986, using a really clever mechanism--when power is cut, the momentum of the still rotating disc uses the motor as a generator to power the movement of the head arm to its parking area.

Of note, before SSDs became popular, many 2.5" drives had a "free-fall sensor" which would forcibly park a still-powered-on disk if a drop was detected, in time to prevent damage from a >8" fall. Such a thing would not help with direct impacts.

Some people say that ejecting the external HDD (2.5" HDD + Orico or Kesu case) through Windows 10 puts the HD in safe parking mode. Other people say that ejecting in Windows 10 only closes processes and stops file transfer and reading but does not put it in parking mode. I contacted Seagate's chat but they didn't even know how to answer. Is there a study article on this specific subject? What really happens? This parking mode was introduced in 2.5" HDs from which year on all HDs of any brand?

 

[Misgar]

It was a highly-touted feature of some of the last MFM/RLL disks

Many thanks for taking me back to my first 30MB 5.25in RLL hard disk, then a pair of 3.5in 20MB Lapine Titans.

but does not put it in parking mode

If I have any doubts after closing an external 3.5" or 2.5" disk with "Safely Remove Hardware", I gently touch the USB housing and see if I can still feel the platters spinning. This is much easier on 3.5in drives. Better still, shut down the whole computer before disconnecting the USB drive. Even then, if the drive has its own external +5V or +12V power supply, there's still a chance the heads might not be parked.

Did this event cause damage to the HDD within it?

Instead of theorizing about possible damage, why not subject the drive to a long S.M.A.R.T. scan? Thinking about it until you're blue in the face won't prove anything.

Download an evaluation copy of Hard Disk Sentinel and run a non-destructive "Read test". This can take several hours to complete on a high capacity disk, or even longer if there are faults.

If the scan result comes back like this, with loads of yellow and red blocks, your drive is toast.
Note the elapsed time of 10 hours 10 minutes for this test on a badly damaged 74GB hard disk.

Of course your drive could drop dead tomorrow, even if it's 100% "healthy" today. Make backups.

When travelling, I take a few Crucial X6 portable SSDs, instead of 4TB hard disks. No more head crash worries.

I've seen sights such as this when pulling old hard drives apart, so who knows, perhaps you have damaged your hard disk with that slight knock.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

my hdd is 2.5" + enclosure case usb 3.0

 

[BFG-9000]

All of my external drives noticeably shut off when Eject is selected in Windows. This is especially obvious with the toaster-style docks and a 2.5" 10,000rpm WD VelociRaptor disk in them because those are loud and there is no case on a dock. Try putting your ear next to the case when you click Eject to see if you can hear it shut off.

Sometimes when I move an external disk to internal, Windows will still allow me to Eject it, and I can definitely hear it power off then even though it's still connected to live internal power. I have to reboot the system to get the drive back.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

All of my external drives noticeably shut off when Eject is selected in Windows. This is especially obvious with the toaster-style docks and a 2.5" 10,000rpm WD VelociRaptor disk in them because those are loud and there is no case on a dock. Try putting your ear next to the case when you click Eject to see if you can hear it shut off.

Sometimes when I move an external disk to internal, Windows will still allow me to Eject it, and I can definitely hear it power off then even though it's still connected to live internal power. I have to reboot the system to get the drive back.

hit my hand case of hdd after of eject in windows 10 damage hdd?

 

[Misgar]

hit my hand case of hdd after of eject in windows 10 damage hdd?

Um, err, what??? I though we'd already covered this point. I'm sorry I didn't make things clearer.

I assume you meant "I hit my hand on the hard disk case after ejecting it in Windows 10 and may have caused damage to the HDD".

Repeating the question is a bit like asking if a light bulb is broken, but not bothering to check by switching it on.

You're the only person who can answer the question. Have you run a long S.M.A.R.T. test yet? Alternatively, see if you can copy the entire contents to another drive.

Now if you'd hammered a nail through the hard disk, I could have given a more definitive answer and be reasonably certain it was dead.

As it is, the drive is probably OK, but the only way to sure is to test it.

 

[BFG-9000]

I am pretty sure we can all agree that while the likelihood of damage is low if the drive was still running, it is nil if the drive was powered off and thus parked.

You seem to be more concerned about whether what "some people" say about what Windows does is reliable or why Seagate doesn't know about how another company's product works, when none of that matters.

You have the external drive, and could hear for yourself if it is still spinning after ejection when the LED is still on. How it is supposed to sound on ejection is the same as if you had simply unplugged the power cord. None of the other people you are asking questions of can test for this.

If it was impacted while spinning, then the only way to be absolutely sure is to disassemble the drive and inspect the platters under magnification, since some impact damage can still work fine for awhile, only to flake off later and bounce around in there at 7200rpm to sandblast the entire surface (if you have ever had a drive progressively develop more and more bad sectors rapidly, this is probably why). This is a destructive test, so even if you should find no damage, the drive will no longer usable--but then you will have your answer. As you'd expect, most people would instead just keep using it and hope for the best.