Internal HDD safe from power surges if I keep it unplugged from mobo?

[glencoe]

Hi, I have an older IDE 3.5" HDD I want to use as a second internal hard drive for backup.

(Aside: I don't want to buy an enclosure to make it an external HDD. I know this is safer, but I already have some external HDDs, and I don't want to spend $20 on an IDE 3.5" enclosure.)

I know this offers me no extra protection against fires, flood, computer theft, etc, and I'm fine with that. My only concern is power surges.

So, what if I left the hard drive resting inside the case completely unplugged? (That is, every month I would plug it in, back some stuff up on it, and then immediately unplug it.) Would that protect the HDD from power surges? Or do power surges also get conducted through the metal of the computer case?

Thanks in advance!

 

[CountMike]

Of course it would unless whole computer catches on fire.

 

[RolandJS]

I recommend purchasing and using an UPS, wattage-rated somewhat higher than your computer/ext mon/printer wattage needs. [Un][Plugging] may lead to hardware loosening and failure. Concerning fire, floods, theft: unless you have offsite ext media storage, such will effectively bring you back to Square One.