Purchased HDDs from Amazon, Safe to Use after Transport?

yikes914 on 09/11/2022 - 16:12

Hi,

Please excuse if this is a stupid question but I just want to make sure.

Purchased some HDDs from Amazon Australia (Seagate 4TB NAS - Sold by Harris Technology, Shipped from Amazon) along with a bigger item. Inside the package, the bigger item was sitting comfortably within and the HDDs were in a Padded Sachet off to the side, with no movement.

Just wanting to check if this is safe to use or should I return them as they may be faulty due to the way it was transported. I have not run it yet but just wanting to get some opinions.

Picture of the padded sachet - https://photos.app.goo.gl/XiLrEkqQBRXJTfUt5

Thanks!

Computing

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Comments

  • apsilon on 09/11/2022 - 16:24
    +3

    Test them and see.

    • yikes914 on 09/11/2022 - 16:26
      -2

      any specific way to test them or do it just plug it in and see how it goes? sorry, first time buying HDDs

      • apsilon on 09/11/2022 - 17:22
        +3

        Plugging them in is a first test. If they're not detected or make odd noises there's a problem. Formatting them will also show up some issues. Most manufacturers provide tools to do health checks and you can check the SMART status and failure prediction via command prompt.

        • yikes914 on 09/11/2022 - 22:47

          thanks will do that, i think i am overthinking it

  • Summoner on 09/11/2022 - 16:52
    +1

    Simply plug in and see how it goes is enough.

    If you still wanna check your new HDD, there are many tools available. Since you bought Seagate HDD, try using SeaTool.

    • Richardc on 09/11/2022 - 20:02
      +1

      yep, use seatool to do a full test, it will take a whole day.

    • yikes914 on 09/11/2022 - 22:47

      will do, thanks for your help!

  • Switchblade88 on 09/11/2022 - 16:54

    Better than some horror pictures I've seen. Run the usual SMART tests, and unless there's something significant you should usually be OK. I don't go overboard with resilvering or anything extravagant, although others may be more conservative than I.

    I always run on the assumption that any data drive (SSD, HDD, DVD etc) is going to inevitably fail without warning, and plan RAID/backups around this inevitability. If these drives have invisible damage from shipping then it shouldn't matter if you are putting them in a RAID array; your data will not (should not!) have any risk of loss because of a bumpy ride.

  • rooster on 09/11/2022 - 17:26
    +5

    They are rated to survive after a 2m drop onto concrete, without any packaging. if they are powered down the heads are parked off the platter, you are good to go..

    • Kangal on 09/11/2022 - 21:59

      Not always true.
      The way they realised the shock problem was when (Amazon ?) was transferring a large amount of HDD from one building to another, and the vibration of the trolley wheels going over the rough concrete was what lead to a high rate of failure. Obviously these HDD were all switched off and disconnected during the transportation.

      Which leads me to think that big shakes are fine, it is the small shakes you need to worry about.
      Kind of like sea-sickness.

      • Chandler on 10/11/2022 - 23:54

        Well that is comparing one large shock with numerous small shocks.

        One shock, even large, is not hugely likely to damage a parked drive. But hundreds of little ones? Yeah, one of them could cause some damage.

  • Yummy on 09/11/2022 - 17:28

    Shake it first. You light win a free Whopper.

    Tl;dr: its safe to use after opening your Amazon box. If crap happen, you can get easy refund.

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