HOw To Repair a hard drive that has been overheated

I would put it into the fridge overnight - seriously. That has helped with many HDD and USB stick problems.

Sir George said:

whs said:

I would put it into the fridge overnight - seriously. That has helped with many HDD and USB stick problems.

Just for clarity; I believe you mean to put the hard drive in the refrigerator, not the laptop, correct?

Yes, that would be the best.

Just to add to what whs suggested, you should put it in a closable bag (e.g. ziplock) and include a packet (or two) of those moisture absorbing crystals.

lehnerus2000 said:

Just to add to what whs suggested, you should put it in a closable bag (e.g. ziplock) and include a packet (or two) of those moisture absorbing crystals.

Good idea. And if you have no crystals, a bag of salt or a couple of paper towels are also good.

Just to remind you - this is no guarantee that it will work. But it is worth a try and does not cost any.

Should the disk revive, have an external backup disk ready to save your stuff. The revival may not last forever (as people have reported that used this trick).

If it works Wolfgang, I`ll bring you down a case of beer.......and drink it

whs said:

lehnerus2000 said:

Just to add to what whs suggested, you should put it in a closable bag (e.g. ziplock) and include a packet (or two) of those moisture absorbing crystals.

Good idea. And if you have no crystals, a bag of salt or a couple of paper towels are also good.

I've also read that rice is good at absorbing moisture.
It's less likely to stick to your circuitry, than salt is too.

I save all those bags of Silica Gel crystals and keep them in an air tight container.

I'm thinking (grab the aspirin). If the hard drive got so hot it stopped working how good of shape is the rest of the laptop?