Placing a hard drive on its side

bleecher · Nov 28, 2007, 07:32 AM

I just bought this external hard drive ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136022 ) and am wondering if it is okay to lay it down on its side while I'm using it. Some people have told me that I shouldn't do this, but I have no idea.

Also, do you guys have any tips on how to preserve the life of the external hard drive?

JC316 · Nov 28, 2007, 07:55 AM

I don't see why you couldn't lay it on it's side, it should be fine.

JousteR · Nov 28, 2007, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bleecher

I just bought this external hard drive ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136022 ) and am wondering if it is okay to lay it down on its side while I'm using it. Some people have told me that I shouldn't do this, but I have no idea.

Also, do you guys have any tips on how to preserve the life of the external hard drive?

Most of the external H/D's come with a stand for side use..
I shouldnt see why you can't man..?

hat · Nov 28, 2007, 10:49 AM

You should be ableto lay it on whatever side you want, as long as it's not on when you are moving it.

Mussels · Nov 28, 2007, 11:01 AM

its just more likely to fall over. no more than that.

lemonadesoda · Nov 28, 2007, 12:41 PM

The reason why most of these devices are upright mounted is due to cooling. There is a small fan at the top to exit hot air that rises.

If you put it on the side the cooling performance will not be as good. This MAY cause problems esp. high use/summer/hot environments.
Some NAS devices are passively cooled. Check out the FREECOM "network drive". This is just one example. There are others.

http://www.freecom.com/ecproduct_det...sCatID=1146196

http://www.freecom.com/ecproduct_det...sCatID=1147759

Their metal cases are good... they get quite warm... and conduct the heat OUT of the case, unlike plastic cases, that insulate, and REQUIRE an effective fan to remove the heat.

newtekie1 · Nov 28, 2007, 01:52 PM

I didn't think the MyBook series was actively cooled. My friends 160GB certainly wasn't, and it overheated because of it. I ended up tearing it apart for him and mounting the drive internally so it wouldn't fry.

PVTCaboose1337 · Nov 28, 2007, 01:56 PM

The thing is with this, I have done it for years on my computer, and on some of the older Dell P4 series, the HD is vertical. It is bad for it, but my PIII still runs fine with it like that.

bleecher · Nov 29, 2007, 02:47 AM

Thanks for the responses. I just have one more question.

The western digital manual says that to turn off the drive I should click the safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray, select safely remove USB Mass Storage Drive, and when when a message is displayed that it is safe to remove the drive, press the power button to turn the drive off.

However, when I select safely remove USB Mass Storage Drive, the message is displayed and my drive automatically turns off (the lit green circle turns off and I hear the drive stop spinning) Does this mean that I don't actually have to click the power button before I disconnect the drive?

keakar · Nov 29, 2007, 03:33 AM

the only position that i would avoid for your hdd is laying flat with the top side facing down, i have heard it wasnt good to mount a hard drive in that position but putting it on its side or standing up on end is fine to do providing it doesnt interfere with cooling issues.

its ok to remove the external drive as long as the drive is not processing data it is safe to remove.

only problem comes if its still doing something when you unplug it, then files can be lost or the data can get corrupted on the drive and maybe it could somehow mess with data on your systems hdd.

it would be like turning off your computer in the middle of a program update.

aximbigfan · Nov 29, 2007, 04:31 AM

NO!

The Wd Mybook is induction cooled. It is designed to have one side facing up. If you lay it on its side hot air has no where to escape.

The wd manual says specifically not to do that.

You may lay any other hdd on its side though.

chris

bleecher · Nov 29, 2007, 04:56 AM

The instruction manual doesn't say anything about not laying the hard drive on its side. Also the hard drive came with small circular "stickers" (don't know the term) to provide a more stable base. These stickers fit perfectly into four holes on either side of the case. I'm guessing that it's alright.

Mussels · Nov 29, 2007, 12:08 PM

it is safe for it to be on its side or upside down. The drives are designed to go 'the normal way' because thats the 'safest' way - when the drive loses power, gravity assists the spring, taking the read head aaway from the drive platter. upside down, it merely has to rely on teh spring, giving it an extre 0.0001% chance of failing.

Also as i said, its easier to knock over! thats my only concern with vertical drives.

aximbigfan · Nov 29, 2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bleecher

The instruction manual doesn't say anything about not laying the hard drive on its side. Also the hard drive came with small circular "stickers" (don't know the term) to provide a more stable base. These stickers fit perfectly into four holes on either side of the case. I'm guessing that it's alright.

hmm...

I delt with one of the earlier generation of those drives, and they said not to put them on their side do to the way the vents were layed out.

I guess they changed that in the laster editions.

Chris

lemonadesoda · Nov 29, 2007, 07:36 PM

I think they changed the design because so many people dont RTFM and so many devices were failing.

Nov 28, 2007, 07:32 AM	#1
bleecher Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 46 (0.02/day) Thanks: 22 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Placing a hard drive on its side I just bought this external hard drive ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136022 ) and am wondering if it is okay to lay it down on its side while I'm using it. Some people have told me that I shouldn't do this, but I have no idea. Also, do you guys have any tips on how to preserve the life of the external hard drive?

Nov 28, 2007, 07:55 AM	#2
JC316 Knows what makes you tick Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: DFW/ Texas Posts: 6,047 (2.26/day) Thanks: 714 Thanked 912 Times in 696 Posts System Specs	I don't see why you couldn't lay it on it's side, it should be fine. __________________ Core 2 Duo Overclocking guide Athlon 64 overclocking guide “If I were to do this, it'd be my luck that the door would rip off the hinges, burst into flames, and rape my face with fiery hot death.” -El Fiendo

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Nov 28, 2007, 10:49 AM	#4
hat Maximum Overclocker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 12,236 (5.15/day) Thanks: 2,054 Thanked 2,039 Times in 1,549 Posts System Specs	You should be ableto lay it on whatever side you want, as long as it's not on when you are moving it. __________________ My Heatware “Inb4 smartphone LN2 overclocking.” -radrok

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Nov 28, 2007, 11:01 AM	#5
Mussels Doctor Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bendigo, Australia (NOT THE USA) Posts: 34,558 (10.97/day) Thanks: 3,700 Thanked 8,693 Times in 6,392 Posts System Specs	its just more likely to fall over. no more than that. __________________ Edumacational thread about PC Audio My external HDD's.5x samsung 1TB + 2x Seagate 1.5TB = 8 TB external storage 32 Bit OS vs 64 bit OS information How to get hardware accelerated H264 playback (DXVA) Netbook Owners United!

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Nov 28, 2007, 12:41 PM	#6
lemonadesoda Eligible for custom title Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,337 (2.17/day) Thanks: 749 Thanked 960 Times in 710 Posts System Specs	The reason why most of these devices are upright mounted is due to cooling. There is a small fan at the top to exit hot air that rises. If you put it on the side the cooling performance will not be as good. This MAY cause problems esp. high use/summer/hot environments. Some NAS devices are passively cooled. Check out the FREECOM "network drive". This is just one example. There are others. http://www.freecom.com/ecproduct_det...sCatID=1146196 http://www.freecom.com/ecproduct_det...sCatID=1147759 Their metal cases are good... they get quite warm... and conduct the heat OUT of the case, unlike plastic cases, that insulate, and REQUIRE an effective fan to remove the heat.

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Nov 28, 2007, 01:52 PM	#7
newtekie1 Semi-Retired Folder Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 17,754 (6.48/day) Thanks: 780 Thanked 5,116 Times in 3,707 Posts System Specs	I didn't think the MyBook series was actively cooled. My friends 160GB certainly wasn't, and it overheated because of it. I ended up tearing it apart for him and mounting the drive internally so it wouldn't fry. __________________ Rig1: System Specs. Rig2: A8-5600K@4.4GHz / AsRock FM2A75 Pro4 / 8GB Corsair DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 / HD7560D / Samsung DVD-Burner / 1.5TB WD Green + 3x3TB WD RED in RAID5 Rig3: Athlon X2 4200+ / M4A79 Deluxe / 4GB G.Skill Pi DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 / GT430 / Sony DVD-Burner / 500GB WD Rig4: Phenom II x6 1605T @ 3.6GHz / Asus M5A99X Evo / 8GB PNY DDR3-1600 9-9-9 / GTX470 & GTX470 / Samsung DVD-Burner / 1.5TB Seagate

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Nov 28, 2007, 01:56 PM	#8
PVTCaboose1337 Graphical Hacker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 7,478 (2.80/day) Thanks: 798 Thanked 1,174 Times in 834 Posts System Specs	The thing is with this, I have done it for years on my computer, and on some of the older Dell P4 series, the HD is vertical. It is bad for it, but my PIII still runs fine with it like that. __________________ CPU-Z validation sig pics temporarily blocked

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Nov 29, 2007, 02:47 AM	#9
bleecher Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 46 (0.02/day) Thanks: 22 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for the responses. I just have one more question. The western digital manual says that to turn off the drive I should click the safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray, select safely remove USB Mass Storage Drive, and when when a message is displayed that it is safe to remove the drive, press the power button to turn the drive off. However, when I select safely remove USB Mass Storage Drive, the message is displayed and my drive automatically turns off (the lit green circle turns off and I hear the drive stop spinning) Does this mean that I don't actually have to click the power button before I disconnect the drive?

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Nov 29, 2007, 03:33 AM	#10
keakar Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 2,267 (1.01/day) Thanks: 382 Thanked 301 Times in 216 Posts System Specs	the only position that i would avoid for your hdd is laying flat with the top side facing down, i have heard it wasnt good to mount a hard drive in that position but putting it on its side or standing up on end is fine to do providing it doesnt interfere with cooling issues. its ok to remove the external drive as long as the drive is not processing data it is safe to remove. only problem comes if its still doing something when you unplug it, then files can be lost or the data can get corrupted on the drive and maybe it could somehow mess with data on your systems hdd. it would be like turning off your computer in the middle of a program update. __________________ here are some guides that might help you: Guide to Proper Case Airflow Design How To Safely Clean The Dust From Your PC How to Build a Great Computer Desk for $50 in Under an Hour Helpfull Step by Step Troubleshooting Guide for Assembling Your First Computer Last edited by keakar; Nov 29, 2007 at 03:39 AM.

Nov 29, 2007, 04:31 AM	#11
aximbigfan Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 554 (0.23/day) Thanks: 51 Thanked 35 Times in 28 Posts System Specs	NO! The Wd Mybook is induction cooled. It is designed to have one side facing up. If you lay it on its side hot air has no where to escape. The wd manual says specifically not to do that. You may lay any other hdd on its side though. chris __________________

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Nov 29, 2007, 04:56 AM	#12
bleecher Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 46 (0.02/day) Thanks: 22 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	The instruction manual doesn't say anything about not laying the hard drive on its side. Also the hard drive came with small circular "stickers" (don't know the term) to provide a more stable base. These stickers fit perfectly into four holes on either side of the case. I'm guessing that it's alright.

Nov 29, 2007, 12:08 PM	#13
Mussels Doctor Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bendigo, Australia (NOT THE USA) Posts: 34,558 (10.97/day) Thanks: 3,700 Thanked 8,693 Times in 6,392 Posts System Specs	it is safe for it to be on its side or upside down. The drives are designed to go 'the normal way' because thats the 'safest' way - when the drive loses power, gravity assists the spring, taking the read head aaway from the drive platter. upside down, it merely has to rely on teh spring, giving it an extre 0.0001% chance of failing. Also as i said, its easier to knock over! thats my only concern with vertical drives. __________________ Edumacational thread about PC Audio My external HDD's.5x samsung 1TB + 2x Seagate 1.5TB = 8 TB external storage 32 Bit OS vs 64 bit OS information How to get hardware accelerated H264 playback (DXVA) Netbook Owners United!

Nov 29, 2007, 07:36 PM	#15
lemonadesoda Eligible for custom title Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,337 (2.17/day) Thanks: 749 Thanked 960 Times in 710 Posts System Specs	I think they changed the design because so many people dont RTFM and so many devices were failing.

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