bad hard drives

[ayalas 0]

Is there anything we can do with this bad harddrives that dies out on the dvrs after a while? I have like 5 of them that have died out on me since 2004 should i just throw them out is there anything else they can be use for.

[Birdman Adam 0]

Nothing really useful...

 

The disks on the inside are cool (like mirrors). Then there are some strong (but small) magnets in there. If the head still works you could make a hard drive speaker:

 

 

How to do it (the actual site is down):

 

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Sq43j8NdpFQJ:www.afrotechmods.com/cheap/hdspeakers/hdspeakers.htm+http://www.afrotechmods.com/cheap/hdspeakers/hdspeakers.htm&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com

 

Basically take the audio output from anything & amplify it so that you get 3~8V, hook that up to the coil that controls the head. You can even split the audio so that smaller drives can be tweeters, & larger ones can be midrange or the subs.

[rory 0]

Like 5 in the same computer/dvr?

Personally Ive never had a hard drive die on me other than the only time I ever ran my PC without a voltage regulator/line conditioner, that was over 10 years ago. More recently an old one I put in died, but it was already kicking the bucket when I got it (free).

 

Make sure you are using a Voltage Regulator/Line Conditioner, or expect frequent failures.

Excessive heat also kills drives.

[Campbell 0]

They make good paperweights!

[Tailbone215 0]

Might want to try adding a cooling fan or two to the DVR as your problem is heat. Keep it cool and it will last practically forever.

[Soundy 1]

You can always check the warranty status on them - most drives have three years, some five. I realize that won't apply to a drive from 2004, but with newer ones, it never hurts to check.

[SectorSecurity 0]

Are you sure they are actually dead? I would have someone with some computer experience check them to see if they can still be used, if not drive a nail through them and chuck them.