Power Management PM7500

[Tim Seufert]

On Dec 30, 2003, at 4:38 AM, Atro Tossavainen wrote:

>> A better method is to impart some rotational whiplash while holding 
>> the
>> drive in your hand with the platters roughly parallel to your palm.
>
> What about just heating 'em up?  I've had several old drives that have
> refused to spin up after a _long_ period of constant use and subsequent
> turning off, and I've usually managed to get them to start up again 
> when
> they have warmed up.  It's not necessary to have a Finnish sauna for
> this, though - I've found that the heat that a disk absorbs from a
> running computer in maybe an hour is usually enough.

Yes, often stuck drives have stiction, a problem where the lubricant 
which helps prevent the heads from abrading the platters sticks them to 
the platters when the drive spins down.  Warming the drive up will make 
the lubricant more fluid and may allow the startup torque to overcome 
the stiction.