[SOLVED] If a secondary HDD dies, can it harm the rest of the system?

[metselaarsam]

Hello everyone,

I recently got a hard drive from a very generous colleague, but I am afraid the hard drive is nearing the end of it's life cycle. It makes audible clicking noises and a quick Google search proves that this usually means that the hard drive is on its way out. This hard drive is purely for storing games however, so I was thinking to myself that I might just use it until it gives up since there isn't gonna be any import information written on it.

So I am just quickly making this threat to ask that if this hard drive were to fail, keep in mind this is not a boot drive nor does it have any data on it to keep Windows running, could it hurt the rest of my system in any sort of way or is it just going to pop out of existence one day?

Thanks!

 

[popatim]

Not unless the electronics of the drive shorts out and kills the power while the other HDD is reading or writing which can cause the heads to crash & hit platters, often ruining the drive.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Or if it has a serious short, and fries wiring and circuits throughout the system. I've seen a bad drive fry the SATA cable to the power supply and toast the motherboard, but that's probably pretty rare.

 

[popatim]

Wow, that had to be one crappy PSU..

 

[Darkbreeze]

It was an Ultra branded PSU from Tiger Direct. Back in about 2006.