External Harddrive question.

[Telstra]

Is it true that if you store your external harddrive without using it for many years(no power)
all your data will be lost due to lost of magnetic fields?


I heard someone saying that but wondering if it is true.

 

[looseliam]

It is my understanding that the magnetic field does weaken over time which could render the data unreadable.

 

[Telstra]

If so, how often do you turn on the harddrive to save the magnetic filed.

One every 12 months or ... ?

 

[andysayshi]

I've had drives that have been inactive for several years that work perfectly well. I suspect the mechanics of the hard drive are more volatile with long periods of inactivity than the electromagnetic properties of the drive platters.

I would never store important data (without a backup) on a drive once it reached 5 years of age.

 

[Telstra]

I've had drives that have been inactive for several years that work perfectly well. I suspect the mechanics of the hard drive are more volatile with long periods of inactivity than the electromagnetic properties of the drive platters.

I would never store important data (without a backup) on a drive once it reached 5 years of age.

Thankyou. My fridge magnets seems to last forever.

 

[looseliam]

If so, how often do you turn on the harddrive to save the magnetic filed.

One every 12 months or ... ?

I can't say for sure. If I have to store data for the long-term, I still use tapes.

 

[Corny]

the remanence resists for ~10-30 years depending to what kinds of magnetism the HD is exposed.
keep in mind that it is more likely for the inner mechanics to fail during that time.

magneto optical (MO) drives offer a longer data persistence. nobody uses them however