Vibrations - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

jobu · 01-22-2004, 12:53 PM

Hello all. I have a question about computer hard drives. I work in construction and yesterday we restarted a job that had been previously shut down. I had a problem with one of the neighbors. He owns a computer imaging company and he was very upset at us yesterday when we started our work. We were installing metal sheeting around the perimeter of the job site. Driving this sheeting into the ground can cause a lot of noise and vibration. The owner came out and started yelling at me because the vibrations were causing his hard drives to bounce up and down. He also said that the work we had previously done had ruined all his hard drives and that he had to replace all of them because of us. It seemed like a load of BS to me but then again I really don’t know. Can vibrations from something like this really ruin computer hard drives? Please let me know because I am getting ready to tell this guy what he can do with his hard drives.

Thanks

ToolBag · 01-22-2004, 01:10 PM

Well all I know is that if the vibrations are hard enough to make the platters bounce around or hit anything, it can surely cause a hard drive to die or fail. But I have had my computer fall off of a desk while running and it still worked. My vote would be no, he is talking out of his ass.

sailor · 01-22-2004, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ToolBag
Well all I know is that if the vibrations are hard enough to make the platters bounce around or hit anything, it can surely cause a hard drive to die or fail. But I have had my computer fall off of a desk while running and it still worked. My vote would be no, he is talking out of his ass.

Yeah, if you drop a drive, you can kill it--but most drives are built to withstand a hell of a lot more than you can dish out. I doubt thats what killed his drives.

Scorpion23 · 01-22-2004, 05:38 PM

I second this. If the vibrations are strong enough to kill his HDs then he'd also have a lot more damage than just to his computer.
Small vibrations can kill drives, but only over long periods of time. I doubt this construction project would've gone on long enough to cause that.

juanvaldes · 01-22-2004, 05:43 PM

Head Crash. It's very possible.

ratbastid · 01-22-2004, 06:32 PM

Oh it's possible, but.... ALL his hard drives!? I don't think it's very likely.

If they were ALL in the middle of an I/O operation at the instant you smashed your truck through his wall, then I could see it.

mystix · 01-23-2004, 07:01 AM

bull, if he had new drives, they wouldn't die so easily

jobu · 01-23-2004, 08:02 AM

thanks for the advice. it seems to me he is looking for some compensation from us.

ToolBag · 01-23-2004, 03:48 PM

What about asking him to look at his actual drives, see if they are working for yourself, or if it looked like he bashed them in with a hammer or something? make him prove it!

kel · 01-23-2004, 04:05 PM

He is just bitching because he wants you to keep the noise down.

It takes alot more then vibration.

01-22-2004, 12:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
jobu Crazy	Vibrations Hello all. I have a question about computer hard drives. I work in construction and yesterday we restarted a job that had been previously shut down. I had a problem with one of the neighbors. He owns a computer imaging company and he was very upset at us yesterday when we started our work. We were installing metal sheeting around the perimeter of the job site. Driving this sheeting into the ground can cause a lot of noise and vibration. The owner came out and started yelling at me because the vibrations were causing his hard drives to bounce up and down. He also said that the work we had previously done had ruined all his hard drives and that he had to replace all of them because of us. It seemed like a load of BS to me but then again I really don’t know. Can vibrations from something like this really ruin computer hard drives? Please let me know because I am getting ready to tell this guy what he can do with his hard drives. Thanks

01-22-2004, 01:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
ToolBag Insane Location: Chicago	Well all I know is that if the vibrations are hard enough to make the platters bounce around or hit anything, it can surely cause a hard drive to die or fail. But I have had my computer fall off of a desk while running and it still worked. My vote would be no, he is talking out of his ass. __________________ Jesus was a ruffies victim! Dan 3:20

01-22-2004, 05:38 PM	#4 (permalink)
Scorpion23 Psycho	I second this. If the vibrations are strong enough to kill his HDs then he'd also have a lot more damage than just to his computer. Small vibrations can kill drives, but only over long periods of time. I doubt this construction project would've gone on long enough to cause that. __________________ "Empirically observed covariation is a necessary but not sufficient condition for causality" - Edward Tufte

01-23-2004, 03:48 PM	#9 (permalink)
ToolBag Insane Location: Chicago	What about asking him to look at his actual drives, see if they are working for yourself, or if it looked like he bashed them in with a hammer or something? make him prove it! __________________ Jesus was a ruffies victim! Dan 3:20

01-23-2004, 04:05 PM	#10 (permalink)
kel WARNING: FLAMMABLE Location: Ask Acetylene	He is just bitching because he wants you to keep the noise down. It takes alot more then vibration. __________________ "It better be funny"

01-22-2004, 05:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
juanvaldes Banned Location: shittown, CA	Head Crash. It's very possible.

01-22-2004, 06:32 PM	#6 (permalink)
ratbastid Darth Papa Location: Yonder	Oh it's possible, but.... ALL his hard drives!? I don't think it's very likely. If they were ALL in the middle of an I/O operation at the instant you smashed your truck through his wall, then I could see it.

01-23-2004, 07:01 AM	#7 (permalink)
mystix Tilted	bull, if he had new drives, they wouldn't die so easily

01-23-2004, 08:02 AM	#8 (permalink)
jobu Crazy	thanks for the advice. it seems to me he is looking for some compensation from us.