Re: What is a HD crash?

[behrenss@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Soenke Behrens)]

Greg R. Achenbach (gachenb@eis.calstate.edu) wrote:

: OK, I'm new to this HD stuff.  I just got a GS recently and want to get a 
: HD.  I found one (CMS 40) for $75.  The owner said that it crashed.  She 
: got it repaired and is now afraid to use it for fear of loosing more 
: 1. What is a HD clash?

Normally that would mean a headcrash, i.e. the head touches the disk surface
while the drive is spinning. Since this destroys the drive (or a part of it),
"repair" (with getting the data back) is incredibly expensive. Afterwards,
the disk is thrown away. If you don't want the data back, "repair" just means
giving you a replacement drive ... usually "repair" costs more than a new
drive here as well :)

Now, some users don't know what a HD is, so they use the phrase "HD crash"
for the following scenarios also:

- The electronic gets damaged. Repair means fixing it or, more likely,
  replacing it.
- The file-system gets damaged. Repair means low-level formatting the drive.
  Probably the most common cause of all those "HD crashes" out there that are
  really just damaged data contents. Teach me to understand the mind of a
  user ... :)

: 4. Does this sound like a good deal?

No. That's much more than a new drive would cost. The going rate for (internal)
new drives is around $1.2 per MB. Of course, if this is an external drive,
it might be a good deal ... if the casing is worth $50 to you. I'd say the
drive is worth half the new price (since it got "damaged" .... hehe :), i.e.
$25.

: 5. What else should I look at when I go see this thing?  (I don't have a 
: SCSI card yet to be able to test it out)

Check the electronic board visually for being intact (what about the area
around the screws??). Spin the drive up, see how loud it is. Does it change
pitch when swiveled during operation? That can tell you if the mechanic is
still running smoothly.

But I wouldn't expect any problems with that drive, really.

Soenke

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