moving computer

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rogga_bogga

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Has anyone experienced problems when moving your computer a lot for recording? I had a harddrive that probably crashed because of it.
 
I had a mother board die once from moving it around...but I think that was more because of age than moving it. Unless the hard drive got bumped around a lot in there during the move, I don't know why it really would have died.
 
I move it because I have to record in our rehearsal room. And I don't want to leave it there because we share it with other bands who can't keep their fingers off things.
 
Such is life. My computer has some problems that could probably be traced back to moving the machine around a lot, but it's hard to tell. I built it three years ago.

About the best advice I can give you is to never move your computer while it is operating. While the machine is on, your hard drive's heads are floating over the platters - and it can withstand very little shock before a head crash (where the heads actually come into contact with the platters).

Modern hard drives, though, can handle fairly large amounts of shock when they aren't being used. Make sure you shut down Windows completely when you are turning your computer off. You should hear your hard drive click, about the time that the monitor displays a "It's now safe to shut off your computer" screen. The click, is your computer executing a PARK command - where the drive's heads are actually moved to a safe place, and the platters are spun down.

In DOS, this is accomplished by simply typing "PARK".

If you're running a computer with an ATX motherboard/power supply, your computer will power down automatically when you tell Windows to shut down. But make sure you hear some sort of click from your hard drive. If you don't, it may not be parking correctly.

But that doesn't really help if you've already lost data. :(
 
Oh yeah...

Another trick I wanted to share. This can help protect your hard drive, and it can also cut down a bit on noise and vibrations. Try installing a set of four rubber washers on your hard drive's screws, between the cage and the drive itself. The rubber will help absorb some of the shock when you move your computer around.
 
hey folks

my goodness... please not to worry senior! I have "moved" my DAW computer constantly and in ways that would make you cringe, I have carried in the pickup over roads that go places you just wouldn't believe off in the Brooks Range of Alaska (up north of the arctic circle, consult your maps) with the truck slamming over rocks, crossing creeks... thousands of miles of gravel and potholes and thousands more of interstate and backroad (though my computer was wearing its seatbelt!), South Florida to Alaska and back a few times... up and down and all around. oh lor, believe me, you couldn't possibly give it more of a shock than I have given mine thousands of times unless youi drop it out the window onto the sidewalk. In fact, my only cosession was to cut off the body of a bic (TM) pen to make a support post for the outside corner of my PCI card (heavy double cards, PARIS) and I had the Pinnacle card work loose on the last run.
Now I wouldn't use it for volleying tennis balls, but otherwise, I wouldn't worry overmuch., though try not to drop it on the floor too often or roll it down the stairs. Of course, I don't guarantee anything, but my goodness it makes me smile to think you are worried about just moving it about in what I assume is probably not near the level of abuse mine has been through and it just keeps on ticking!

yes I do pack it up in the box the case came in when I bought that, cardboard with a styrofoam foot and top, and pack the rest of the gear in totes with some foam rubber. I do plan to put it in a flight case, but more for ease of handling than protection.

anyway, take a look at some of the pics on my website of a typical tour (in the archive section) and stop worrying. I would worry a lot more about dust, dirt, smoke, and spilled liquids, then worry about locusts, lightning, and alien invasion. Though I wouldn't reccommend kicking, dropping, folding, spindling, or mutilating... though a 3 year old with some colored markers can add a nice homey touch....

oh and I actually inquired with maxtor about the old dos "PARK" command and they said modern drives don't need it and park themselves in normal shut-down.

peace
Folksinger
www.pan.com/folksinger
 
That's right, as long as you complete the shut down operation. I just thought I'd throw in a little history lesson for the young'uns. ;-)
 
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