[SOLVED] How Long Do internal HDDs last on shelf without using?

[ismmostaar1]

Hi
im about to back up some important media files, i know the common way to do it is through external hard drives
at this moment im a bit tight on the budget but i got a very good deal with this 3TB internal hard drive
im only gonna be using it only few hours every once or twice a year, (plug it in + back up files in it + plug it out + put it in a safe box)
is this gonna be safe at all as those moving part in this HDD will not be moving for so long , i need those files to be stored for 2-3 years
how long do you think this HDD would keep working properly with my important media files stored in it ?
thank you so much in advence.

 

[4745454b]

If it's not moving there shouldn't be any wear on it. So it should last longer than if it was in use. There will be start up use on it however which can be very bad. But I wouldn't worry about it. The external drives are the same drives in a box that connects via USB. If those can be used a bare drive can be uses as well.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

The hard drive probably won't break given it's little to no stress. However, data rot is a concern.

If you look on the internet you get all sorts of conflicting info. It seems at least 5 years is a minimum.
You can buy special archival hard drives that should last longer.

 

[USAFRet]

Will this shelf drive be the only copy of this data?
If so, don't do that.

It's all well and good to say that a typical drive will last a few years on the shelf.
But if YOUR drive is one that died 6 months ago....too bad, so sad.