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Shoutout to the guy who told me to try the freezer trick on a dead laptop drive
Had a client bring in a laptop with a drive that wouldn't spin up, no clicks, just dead silent. They really needed some old tax files off it. I was about to call it a total loss, but I remembered a forum post from like 2010 where someone said to seal the drive in a zip bag and stick it in a freezer for an hour. Tried it as a last ditch thing, hooked it up cold, and it spun right up long enough for me to pull about 90% of the data before it died for good. Felt like magic, even if it's a temporary fix. Anyone else have a weird 'hail mary' trick that actually saved the day?
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amy_craig281mo ago
Wait, but if you seal it in a bag first, doesn't that stop the condensation from getting in? I've done it a few times on old drives that were already toast, and it worked every time for a short window. The key is to keep it sealed until it's plugged in and ready to go. Sure, it's a last resort, but it beats just giving up on the data.
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charles6402mo ago
That trick can work but it's super risky. The condensation when it warms up can kill it for good.
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cole5492mo ago
Yeah I learned that the hard way with a PS4 a few years back. Left it in a cold car overnight, brought it inside, and turned it on right away. The board was covered in tiny water droplets you couldn't even see. Fried the whole thing. It's not worth the gamble unless you let it sit for a full day to completely dry out.
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