View Full Version : Hard Drive on Fire
Sean Malone
10-25-07, 02:21 PM
I’ve been in IT for many years (and a computer geek for many years before that) and never heard of a hard drive actually catching fire.
Does this really happen?
cameraman
10-25-07, 02:38 PM
Define fire.
I have a hard drive that died when one of the larger chips on the board shorted out, melted and scorched the board. Technically that is a fire but it did not spread, damage anything else and it went out by itself.
So yes, tiny very short lived fires are quite possible.
Sean Malone
10-25-07, 02:59 PM
it happened at work so I don't really know the details. It burned out one of our Outlook servers (eh hmm, one that housed all exec emails).
Tin foil hat.
cameraman
10-25-07, 03:16 PM
Hope all your backup systems were happy at the time.:eek:
Andrew Longman
10-25-07, 03:45 PM
Electirc motor. Spinning at some unGodly friction producing rpm.
Both possible sources for ignition.
That's the extent of my knowledge on the subject :gomer:
nissan gtp
10-25-07, 03:57 PM
not much burnable --- plastic on a circuit board maybe
I saw a laser printer with real-live flames coming out once :rofl:, and have seen lots of boards with exploded components
Sean Malone
10-25-07, 03:59 PM
This 'fire' filled the server room with smoke, caused the fire dept to show up and emptied the entire building. I didn't know hard drives could do that. :eek:
Does this help?
There's something wrong with my disk!" said the man on the phone. He had called the software company for help and Dave, the support worker, obligingly talked him through the proper steps, but without success.
"Send me a copy of the disk so that I can see for myself what's wrong," Dave advised the distressed man. Dave hung up the phone and was completely astonished a few minutes later to see a picture of the problem disk coming through his fax machine!
:p
eiregosod
10-25-07, 04:03 PM
needs more mythbusters.
not sure what is combustible on a hard drive. maybe one of the resistors blew
cameraman
10-25-07, 04:05 PM
This 'fire' filled the server room with smoke, caused the fire dept to show up and emptied the entire building. I didn't know hard drives could do that. :eek:
You sure it wasn't the power supply?
Sean Malone
10-25-07, 04:08 PM
You sure it wasn't the power supply?
Could be. The only thing I'm going by was the verbiage in the email notification.
"Hard Drive on one of the servers caught fire."
Count on it being a manager type paraphrasing something the tech told him/her and completely changing the meaning. Happens every day where I work. :shakehead :laugh:
Sean Malone
10-25-07, 04:27 PM
Count on it being a manager type paraphrasing something the tech told him/her and completely changing the meaning. Happens every day where I work. :shakehead :laugh:
Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
Silicon smouldering, yes, actual flames, personally no.
I have heard of a Toshiba Tecra 700 catching on fire once, but I didn't witness it.
I have also seen about a 40% failure rate with Compaq Workstation 6000s (PPro 200 around 1997) that would smoke the wire to the speaker on initial power up.
This 'fire' filled the server room with smoke, caused the fire dept to show up and emptied the entire building. I didn't know hard drives could do that. :eek:
I know very little about hard drives, but fires are my thing.
Given my knowledge of hard drives (like: this computer has one...), I see very little in the way of fuel load for an internal hard drive. "Filling up the room with smoke" probably means something different to me too. An odor, a haze, or zero visibility? I've seen lots of eletronics related fires - we even had a rash of AC powered smoke detector fires :shakehead . My guess is a power supply problem or something else on the circuit board. Who made the determination of a hard drive fire?
oddlycalm
10-25-07, 06:51 PM
Could be. The only thing I'm going by was the verbiage in the email notification.
"Hard Drive on one of the servers caught fire." Translation: We have no idea what is going on but feel compelled to offer some sort of explanation.
oc
Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
I have often had "lusers" refer to the complete unit (box) as "the hard drive". :gomer:
Andrew Longman
10-25-07, 07:17 PM
Count on it being a manager type paraphrasing something the tech told him/her and completely changing the meaning. Happens every day where I work. :shakehead :laugh:
You need to send a message out that the server is down.
Why?
Server caught fire, hence the reason you evacuated the building today.
What's a server?
It's like the hard drive on your computer, only bigger.
Memo: Server hard drive caught fire
I'm going with our resident fire and safety officer Elmo, power supply/battery type of thing, at least so I can sleep tonight.
Speaking of Mythbusters, I learned yesterday that Jamie ran away from home for six months when he 14, has a degree in Russian Lit. and was born in the same town as my step grandma; Marshall, MI, but was raised in IN. And he really can't stand Adam but respects and values their professional relationship.
Chips run on smoke. Once you let the smoke out the chip stops working.;)
Sean Malone
10-26-07, 08:10 AM
You need to send a message out that the server is down.
Why?
Server caught fire, hence the reason you evacuated the building today.
What's a server?
It's like the hard drive on your computer, only bigger.
Memo: Server hard drive caught fire
I'm going with our resident fire and safety officer Elmo, power supply/battery type of thing, at least so I can sleep tonight.
Speaking of Mythbusters, I learned yesterday that Jamie ran away from home for six months when he 14, has a degree in Russian Lit. and was born in the same town as my step grandma; Marshall, MI, but was raised in IN. And he really can't stand Adam but respects and values their professional relationship.
Is jamie the guy with the 'stash or the bald dude? I thought I read that the guy with the 'stash has a resume that runs the gamut from underwater welder to zoologist or something like that. 4gotz.
Chips run on smoke. Once you let the smoke out the chip stops working.;)
Almost right... all electrical systems & devices run on smoke conveyed through the wiring. No smoke leakage = all is well... once the smoke leaks out, the devices will stop working. :laugh:
Andrew Longman
10-26-07, 09:30 AM
Is jamie the guy with the 'stash or the bald dude? I thought I read that the guy with the 'stash has a resume that runs the gamut from underwater welder to zoologist or something like that. 4gotz.
Jamie has the stash and beret.
Yes he's done a number of things from charter boat captain in the Carribean to chef to survivalist expert before he settled on model making and special effects.
Odd and interesting guy.
But Kari is my favorite on the show. ;)
extramundane
10-26-07, 09:59 AM
But Kari is my favorite on the show. ;)
Indeed. Friend of mine in SanFran has been to some of her art shows, she's quite the oddball apparently, but quite easy on the eyes.
The Missus thinks Adam is hot. I'm not sure whether to laugh, cry or puke on that one. :\
Sean Malone
10-26-07, 10:35 AM
Indeed. Friend of mine in SanFran has been to some of her art shows, she's quite the oddball apparently, but quite easy on the eyes.
The Missus thinks Adam is hot. I'm not sure whether to laugh, cry or puke on that one. :\
It drives me crazy when my wife picks a guy who I think is a complete dork. It's one thing to say "wow, Brad Pitt sure is cute", but Bruce Willis? Come on!!!
devilmaster
10-26-07, 11:10 AM
But Kari is my favorite on the show. ;)
http://pornhater.com/wp-content/photos/thumb_56132_kari_byron_01.jpg
The Missus thinks Adam is hot. I'm not sure whether to laugh, cry or puke on that one. :\
I'd keep the wife away from Mappy then.... they sorta look alike and he never wears pants..... ;) :runs:
rosawendel
10-26-07, 01:54 PM
how about this?
http://www.sjlupload.com/photos1/member_47073769_20411816.jpg
not a hard drive, but just as much fun.
Andrew Longman
10-26-07, 02:17 PM
The Missus thinks Adam is hot. I'm not sure whether to laugh, cry or puke on that one. :\
Cry or puke. Either will do.
As for Kari. Her FHM spread puts Danica to shame.
http://www.fhmonline.com/articles-1276.asp
how about this?
http://www.sjlupload.com/photos1/member_47073769_20411816.jpg
not a hard drive, but just as much fun.
I dread to think how many of those I have seen that have suffered from massive smoke hemorrhages. :(
EDwardo
10-26-07, 10:17 PM
I’ve been in IT for many years (and a computer geek for many years before that) and never heard of a hard drive actually catching fire.
Does this really happen?
I'm not worried about my hard drive. I have a firewall installed.
;)
Methanolandbrats
10-26-07, 11:03 PM
I'm not worried about my hard drive. I have a firewall installed.
;) Hope it's not the SP2 firewall, Mr. Softy firewalls actually feed the fire.
Methanolandbrats
10-26-07, 11:06 PM
As for Kari. Her FHM spread puts Danica to shame.
http://www.fhmonline.com/articles-1276.asp HEy, thanks for that, she's the only reason I watch that show. The little guy with red hair is cool, the one with the beret is a colossal prick.
RacinM3
10-28-07, 03:11 AM
Almost right... all electrical systems & devices run on smoke conveyed through the wiring. No smoke leakage = all is well... once the smoke leaks out, the devices will stop working. :laugh:
Exactly how we describe the wiring on the race cars.
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