Anyone ever tested the free-fall sensor in their HD?

My new laptops supposed to come with a HD equipped with an FFS...is this truly useful? And has anyone ever used this or tested this?

Thinking about dropping my laptop on my bed from 3-4 feet and seeing what happens when it arrives.

 

I dont think anyone wants to run tests, which could destroy their laptop, so I dont think their is any hard evidence/tests here.

I really dont think it works on a mechanical level, in terms of keeping the data safe, but others will disagree.

If you are up to destroying your new system, please do so and post results so we can see if the sensors actually do anything.

That would definitely be a big + rep from me if you got some results for us.

K-TRON

 

Then what is the point of a FFS if it doesn't keep the hard-drive safe? It's supposed to shut off the HD when it senses dropping (I'm guessing by using an accelerometer).

 

No go ahead, let us know. Take one for the team!

 

I definitely will. I'll do it as soon as the laptop comes before I reformat the HD.

 

it parks the head of the HDD in the event of sudden movement.
a good way to see it in action would be to look up those SSD comparison videos where 2 laptops are on a vibrating stand....

if you plan on being in the kind of environment where you might drop your notebook, you may wanna invest in SSD to ensure your data is recoverable.

i have 2 HDDs in my notebook without FFS's because I simply don't move the machine enough. HDDs without FFS's will work just fine in light vibration scenarios.

 

I hope you realize it was a joke! I don't recommend you actually testing it.
Either that or you got me, and you're a better jokester than I.

 

I will rep if you drop? We don't joke on NBR.

 

Who said I'm dropping on hard ground? I said my bed, btw. BED.

Soft, cushiony area to fall asleep in. It's almost too perfect .

What kind of "damage" can happen if my M falls on the bed? I assume nothing besides the HD shutting off?

* Oh and rep points do not make my life any more adequate. Thanks anyways.

 

Damaged HDD but yea a better idea than mine. After watching a video Andy posted yesterday I think it could work. But could have trouble taking off on a plane or braking in a car?

 

actually, if it's a heavy notebook try to drop it so it lands flat on it's bottom. because if it is heavy and you let the corner hit first, you might warp the chassis. then u'll probably wind up with either a wobbly machine or a brick.

 

I have a Honda Civic and I want to do a crash test? Want to see if the crumple zones are correct. I was going to run into a tree because I figured softer than concrete?

I♥RAM please do not test on your own? Much like the car crash test not one you should do yourself.

 

I have a Peterbilt 359, and if I drive into the same tree, the tree disappears and I drive right over PP's honda

Yeah its up to you whether testing it is a good idea or not. I wouldnt recommened it especially cause its new.

K-TRON

 

I agree with PP, I'm very confident the manufacturers' already do their own testing, so we don't have to.
I'd trust it will work in case you have an accident.
Remember, curiousity killed the cat.

 

The car crash is different, that would be me throwing my laptop at a brick wall to test if it's mag-alloy case is durable or not.

My test is to drop it onto a soft bed from 4 feet above it to check if the system shuts off. However, curiosity did kill the cat but this cat's computer IS on 1100 days of accidental coverage + 3 year hardware failure warranty.

However, this cat goes to college and decided that it's not smart at this moment.



You can rep me anyways, for thinking about it though. LOL j/k.

 

When I can I will! You did give it that collegiate effort. But you must promise to not test on your own?

 

I've tested the one on my 8510p. You don't have to actually let it hit the floor you know. Just drop and catch it. You can also hold onto it and simply guide it through the drop motion. That's by far the safest bet. On my 8510p, the Drive Guard activates and shuts down the HDD. You know it's working because the Drive Guard icon turns a different color.

 

Okay, I promise. It is the newest M...

LOL, I can't believe no one thought of that.

 

The only fail safe freefall test I can think of, besides the bed because it could possibly bounce off, would be firmly grasping the laptop on both sides of the keyboard, screen open, possible running hd tach(so you could see if it turns off), and just forcing it downward at more of a velocity than freefall, so it would trip the sensor. I would only do this if I trusted myself, so do at your own risk, this is my disclaimer.

EDIT: I did not read the post before this one about guiding it through the dropping motion, just dont want to look like an idea jacker.

 

I used to play Vanguard on my Thinkpad laptop with IBM's Hard Drive protection software.

It was an extremely hard drive demanding game, and whenever I would move my laptop on the tabletop, the game would hickup and pause for 3 or so seconds.

Also, currently in my taskbar there is a hard drive icon and every time I move my laptop it turns yellow.

Between these 2 indicators I would say that something is definitely happening.

I'll let someone else drop their laptop.

 

I have a free fall senor in my laptop...
and i always happen to fall asleep with the laptop on my lap, sometimes i would wake up smacking on my laptop really hard (cause i thought the laptop was gonna drop to the floor)... lol
and there was this one time i bumped into my table and my laptop fell to the ground
both time, a tray icon showed up and told me that the hard drive protection has activated...
and the hard drive is still going good..
sometimes when i just drop my books on the table, the HD protection would activate too.. so i think its actually useful and can actually save your hard drive from accidents..

 

Yeah I've tested it. I send the videos to S ony and now they're using them.

 

ohh man, poor Z.
that's painful to watch, dropping such a beauty over and over again..

oh and is that a Z with the SSD?

 

Phil, If I am understanding you correctly, you either own those machines, or you have access to them. Wow I am impressed with those videos of yours. So I guess the sensor does work.
What kind of harddrive was in their.

K-TRON