[LAD] [OT] Richard Stallman warns against ChromeOS

gene heskett gheskett at wdtv.com
Fri Dec 17 10:50:37 UTC 2010


On Friday, December 17, 2010 05:32:43 am Ralf Mardorf did opine:

> On Fri, 2010-12-17 at 11:05 +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> > I'm turning on my computer several times a day and my drives get
> > broken after 2 years
> 
> Last time this happened Gene recommended that I should hit the hard disk
> drive with a hammer on startup and it worked :). I was able to backup
> important data, but I couldn't backup all data. I noticed that after the
> HDD rest for a while, a week or so, it worked better when using the
> hammer, resp. I used a slat.

I don't recall using the word hammer without the rubber prefix.  That really 
is extreme, although I do have an old Maxtor 7120S that needs a pretty good 
bump to get it started.  Once running, it has no bad sectors yet.  The idea 
is that you give the drive a good bump, with the ball of your hand, or a 
small rubber hammer, striking the corner of the case so that the drives 
case is spun a few degrees in the same plane the disks inside turn.  This 
breaks the heads loose from the disks, which have become so polished that 
they stick to the disk like a set of machinists 'Joes Blocks' which are so 
highly polished that one can bring them together in whatever thickness you 
need to set a gage with, by twisting them.  They will remain stuck together 
until you twist them again breaking the atomic bond.  If the drives case, 
and the heads attached to it, can be given enough of a twisting motion 
relative to the disks, by a sideways blow on the corner of the case, the 
heads will come loose and the drive motor will then have enough power to 
get the disks started.  The heads will be flying on a film of air, as they 
are designed to do, before the disks have turned half a turn.  Soft wood 
might do as it would dent, cushioning the blow somewhat without damaging 
the case casting.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
There are no accidents whatsoever in the universe.
		-- Baba Ram Dass



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