Can an external hard drive be stored in the attic?

P

padremo

New Member
Hi. I've just backed up my data to an external hard drive with the intention of keeping the drive in a friend's attic - is it OK to to this as I'm wondering whether the humidy and heat (and cold in the winter) will render the drive useless?

I think hard drives are sealed units but was wondering if it's still OK to store them in attics?

Thanks,
Roberto.
 
Hmm... depends on the drive, some will be fine, but some are really fragile, and its not necessarily the heat or the cold that will kill it, but the change between to two...

Why not just put it under your bed or somewhere you wont forget about it?...
 
honestly i would like to know the reason for wanting to store in a friends attic?

throw it in your sock drawer or closet and call it a day.
if its top secret then:D there is software to encrypt the hd.
 
The reason for putting it in the attic is in case we get burgled - it's happened to me before where the burglars emptied all the drawers onto the bed!

Also, it'll be in a fireproof safe in case of a house fire.
 
if ya have a bank account then i have a free safe deposit box. a hd will fit easily. i would not leave for someone else. a bigger safe deposit box at the the bank for say $4.00 a month. i keep stupid in there like family will, demands, decisions, insurance papers and where everything is at.

check the bank and see whats available.
Family and you will be the only ones that would be allowed access.
and family will have access only if something happens to you.

just for the record, i have documents scanned and stored on a usb microdrive.
you can get a good size for reasonable price or even store info on a pocket dvd.
 
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Should be OK as long as you store it in some box which keeps water and dust out.
The drive is (for practical purposes) a sealed unit, but you should also try and avoid the accumulation of dust on the PCB. I'd expect some mighty amount of dust if it lays open in the attic for a couple of years.
 
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