Re: [SLUG] Hard Drive Repair

From: Derek Glidden (dglidden@illusionary.com)
Date: Mon Jul 15 2002 - 15:07:45 EDT


On Mon, 2002-07-15 at 14:43, Matt Miller wrote:
> On Mon, 2002-07-15 at 14:20, Derek Glidden wrote:
> > I've had some luck with older drives that refuse to spin up by either a)
> > giving them a gentle but firm rap against the heel of my hand (grip
> > firmly in one hand, slap it into the palm of your other hand) before
> > turning it on, or b) while turning it on, torque it in your hand really
> > hard in the same plane as the platters would be turning.
>
> Would it be prudent to say, "AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" like the Fonz, when gently
> rapping the drive?

Absolutely not! Malfunctioning computer hardware DOES NOT RESPECT
jocularity!

If anything, you should set it on the table and let it know, loudly and
in no uncertain terms, what you are going to do to it, its friends, its
relatives, and any nearby hardware that merely looks similar, if it
doesn't cooperate. If it still doesn't work, set it inside the
microwave (but don't turn it on!) and close the door on it. Let it sit
there for a minute or two to think about it, then try again. If it
still isn't working, get out the power tools and lay them on the table
nearby and let it get a good look at them. At that point, if it's still
not working, you can pretty reliably say it's completely dead and do
whatever you want with it. (Generally I start using the power tools...)

Malfunctioning hardware only respects the firm hand of ultimate
authority. I can't count the number of hardware "failures" that I've
seen that were simply the result of the operator losing their Alpha Male
status in the heirarchy. "Hardware failures"? Pshaw! It's Fear and
Weakness that result in most of the problems!

-- 
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