kperson@plains.UUCP (Kerry Person) (05/02/90)
In article <24435@usc.edu> wan@pollux.usc.edu (Qiang Wan) writes: > >I saw many people put their PC main bodies beside their desks, >with the box sitting vertically. I am wondering if it is >harmful to the disk drives (especially the hard disk drives) for >them to operate in the vertical position. Nowhere in the manual >of the hard disks seem to carry warning against dispositioned >placement. > >q. wan My MiniScribe 3650 has been running vertically for 2 years now without a problem. My computer manual says that if I do this, to make sure that the system is within +/- 5 degrees of vertical. Just to eliminate any possible alignment problems later, I low-level formatted the drive in that position, as well. Although I do occasionally set it horizontally when swapping stuff around inside, and it runs OK that way, too. Kerry kperson@plains.nodak.edu nu157112@vm1.nodak.edu
sigma@pawl.rpi.edu (Kevin J Martin) (05/02/90)
Vertical is acceptable for most drives, but note that UPSIDE DOWN is almost always a "prohibited orientation" and will void your warranty. Not that I think anyone would try this for any good reason... -- Kevin Martin ||| sigma@pawl.rpi.edu ||| usergkj1@RPITSMTS.BITNET "Someone take these dreams away that point me to another day! A duel of personalities that stretch all true realities" - Joy Division
kleonard@gvlv1.gvl.unisys.com (Ken Leonard) (05/03/90)
In article <24435@usc.edu> wan@pollux.usc.edu (Qiang Wan) writes:
*
* I saw many people put their PC main bodies beside their desks,
* with the box sitting vertically. I am wondering if it is
* harmful to the disk drives (especially the hard disk drives) for
* them to operate in the vertical position. Nowhere in the manual
* of the hard disks seem to carry warning against dispositioned
* placement.
----------------
Well, at least _one_ PClone maker thinks there may be problems...
We just received a ZEOS box (a DAMNFINE piece of goods, IMHO) with an
internal hard drive. And there was a VERY PROMINENT manual-page with
a VERY STRONG warning about box-vs-drive position.
---
It seems that hard drives DO NOT like to work UPSIDE DOWN?!?!?
--
Now, the case we INTENTIONALLY ORDERED is a LARGE DESKTOPPER, and
NOT a STANDER UPPER. And this case has a BUNCH of drive bays.
Two (I think) of the internal bays, definitely the one with the
present hard drive, are VERTICAL when the CASE IS HORIZONTAL.
--
Which means that standing the box ON END may lead to the having
the DRIVE UPSIDE DOWN.
--
Which is actually pretty well explained in the warning page ZEOS
packed with the beastie.
--
And which would not be hard to fix since the bay and drive in question
use standard mounting rails and have a reasonable bit of room to flip
the drive and still run the cables OK.
--
But the easiest way to mount the drive, which exposes the controlcard
jumpers and testpoints when the case cover is remove, WOULD put the
drive UPSIDE DOWN if we stood the case ON END with the POWER switch
closer to the top. (The floppy bays are very about midpoint, so end-up-ness
would not make any difference for floppy access.)
--
So, I guess it WOULD be a good idea to look inside ANY desktopper box
and see how the hard drives are mounted (and flip them if necessary)
before standing a desktop case on-end.
------------------
regardz,
Ken