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Spilled water on external HD (SOLVED)


eurotrash

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Hi guys,
I spilled water on my WD Ultral Metal Edition HD 2TB. A cup was knocked over and spilled allover the table where the HD was. I disconnected it and dried off the external part. It wasn't wet long, maybe 10-20 seconds. I was wondering, what should I do? Should I connect it to the computer or should I wait 3-4 days? Or put it in a bag of rice? Or is my HD gone for good? Thanks in advance everyone!
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Airstream_Bill

Get a Large Bowl that the HD will fit into and pour RICE in the Bowl until the HD is covered Completely.  Cover the Bowl with Plastic WRAP and let it set for at least 24 hrs. in a warm Place not HOT just a warm place  The Rice will draw out the Moisture.  Should Work.

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freeforever03

I suggest that you do not turn on your disk. The water probably shorted out some of the components inside. Wait until it is completely dry and then try it out.You will know then if it is salvageable.

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19 minutes ago, Airstream_Bill said:

Get a Large Bowl that the HD will fit into and pour RICE in the Bowl until the HD is covered Completely.  Cover the Bowl with Plastic WRAP and let it set for at least 24 hrs. in a warm Place not HOT just a warm place  The Rice will draw out the Moisture.  Should Work.

 

16 minutes ago, freeforever03 said:

I suggest that you do not turn on your disk. The water probably shorted out some of the components inside. Wait until it is completely dry and then try it out.You will know then if it is salvageable.

Thanks for replying. I have another question though, if I plug in the HD tomorrow, or the day after, and it works, does that mean my worries are over? Or does it mean, backup the data as soon as possible, as the HD could fail any moment? Thanks again!

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Rastus_BoJangles_Johnson
11 minutes ago, eurotrash said:

 

Thanks for replying. I have another question though, if I plug in the HD tomorrow, or the day after, and it works, does that mean my worries are over? Or does it mean, backup the data as soon as possible, as the HD could fail any moment? Thanks again!

You should always have your data backed up, even if you lived on a planet with no water! :)

Yes, back up your data! As far as your HDD worries being over goes, back up your data!

If the liquid was just tap water you should be OK, as long as it wasnt sugary or something mixed into it.

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Airstream_Bill
2 hours ago, Rastus_BoJangles_Johnson said:

You should always have your data backed up, even if you lived on a planet with no water! :)

Yes, back up your data! As far as your HDD worries being over goes, back up your data!

If the liquid was just tap water you should be OK, as long as it wasnt sugary or something mixed into it.

Yes Yes ALWAYS have a Secondary BACKUP.  Especially in this day of Cumulative UPDATES.  Ha Ha.  Good Luck I think you will be OK with your External Drive.  Just Cross your Fingers and Close Your Eyes when You Hook it Back up.  

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If water gets inside, I wouldn't try rice. I would use silica gel to dry it out for a couple of days in a sealed jar, or disassemble the casing (check youtube) to dry it manually.

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Airstream_Bill
20 minutes ago, vibranium said:

If water gets inside, I wouldn't try rice. I would use silica gel to dry it out for a couple of days in a sealed jar, or disassemble the casing (check youtube) to dry it manually.

Most people do not know what  Desiccant  or Silica gel is or where to get some in timely manner.  Knowing a Telephone Cable Splicer who works on Styopath or Lead Sheathed Paper or Pulp paper covered conductors will always have many cans of Desiccant with them.   Rice works just fine in a pinch.

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Rice works perfectly, is cheap and everybody (almost) has it at home. Just put it long enough for it to absorb all the water and moisture inside the HDD containment. After all, water inside can just create a short circuit which is not deadly for devices nowadays.

I got 2 phones that might look dead after getting thrown in a pool with them and after 2 days in bowl full of rice they worked liked a charm.

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I put the HD in a bowl of rice overnight, and it appears to have worked! Very Happy Thanks again for your help everyone! Very Happy
 
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