Re: reading older disks

[David Brownlee <abs%absd.org@localhost>]

On 22 August 2018 at 08:20, John Nemeth <jnemeth%cue.bc.ca@localhost> wrote:
> On Aug 22,  9:12am, Benny Siegert wrote:
> } On Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 9:36 PM Mike Pumford <mpumford%mudcovered.org.uk@localhost> wrote:
> } > Not really its been a pretty universal experience of very old systems
> } > for me that they don't like being stressed or powered off. :(
> }
> } In particular: In hard drives that run continuously for months or
> } years, the centrifugal forces gradually displace the lubrication of
> } the spindle outward. When the disk powers down, the axis may get
> } stuck.
>
>      I believe modern disks are less prone to stiction.  However,
> the original poster did say these are old disks.  The "solution"
> is to power it up and "gently" shock it, i.e. lift one end about
> an inch and drop it.
>

I still remember a Sun engineer "adjusting" a Quantum 105 disk which
had failed due to stiction.

He'd bought a replacement disk, but asked if there was any data we'd
like off the old disk.
We said there was some which would be nice but not critical.
He said "OK, I can try something, but I need to you be happy to accept
that all data is lost on this old disk"
"Yes"
"Absolutely happy that the data is gone"
"Yes"
<bang> <bang> <bang> (Slams the end of the disk vigorously into the
floor, then connects it back to the SS1+)
(We hear the disk spinning up and the machine starts to boot)
"OK, if you want a copy of any of your lost data, now is the time"

David