Worth A Try

Simson Garfinkel blogs about getting hard disk drives working by putting them in your kitchen freezer.

I've worked this trick since the mid-1990s. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't; but the price is right.

I always place the drive in a "zip-lock" bag — get as much air out as possible. Any moister in the air will freeze, of course.

Hard drives are designed to passively move heat. I have always felt that an hour or two was long enough. Then, I try mounting the drive while it is still freezer cold, but I also try as (and after) it has warmed back to room temperatures.

When a hard drive is obsolete or beyond repair they are always good for a few rare-earth magnets!