Upside down HDD

[DIYspanner]

The underside of the HDD chassis in my ATX case has lugs for mounting a HDD but the one I have (WD Cavier SATA) will only fit in upside down due to its screw fix hole positions, the chassis lugs being that bit too short.

Can a HDD run long term in this position with out dire effect ?

 

[mattylad]

Hmm, the data may all fall out

Should be fine.

Manufacturers spec should say the permissible orientations - however remember that laptop HDD's can often be upside down.

 

[AronSearle]

They don't like being held at an angle, upside down is fine.

 

[empip]

Quote from :-
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers...umper-settings,-and-set-up-a-serial-ata,-eide,

1. Mount the drive in the system
   
   • Desktop Drives: The drive can be mounted in a standard 3.5"device bay. The drive can be mounted sideways, on end, or even upside down as long as the mounting screws are used properly. Use either the four bottom screws or four of the side mounting screws to support the drive. This will prevent vibration and provide additional electrical grounding.

-0-

 

[anomaly]

Look, this one works sideways!

 

[Calmore]

Modern HDD's will be fine whichever way they are mounted.

Anti vibration mounts are a good idea and it's important to make sure the HDD is well ventilated. Damage can occur if the HDD is moved while powered up due to the gyroscopic effect of the platters and motor; sharp shocks could cause the heads to crash into the platters.

However, HDD's are used in many in-vehicle PC's and rarely suffer any ill effects; just make sure you back your data up regularly as all HDD's eventually fail, whether it's 5 years or 20 years.