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Does a hard drive weigh more when full..?

post #1 of 190
6/30/12 at 1:49pm
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Quite a simple question really. I have a 2TB.. will it weigh more when full than it did when empty? Always wanted to know. Can someone please explain why yes or no if you are knowledgeable on the subject. Thanks.
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post #2 of 190
6/30/12 at 1:50pm
No. In order to empty a hard drive, you would have to write zeros over all the data.
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post #3 of 190
6/30/12 at 1:58pm
If my credit card has an outstanding balance on it, does it weigh more than it does if I have no balance?
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post #4 of 190
6/30/12 at 2:04pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joshd View Post

Quite a simple question really. I have a 2TB.. will it weigh more when full than it did when empty? Always wanted to know. Can someone please explain why yes or no if you are knowledgeable on the subject. Thanks.

Not at all. When you write data to an HDD you write zeros and ones, no "mass" for a lack of better words is added to the platters themselves.
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post #5 of 190
6/30/12 at 2:04pm
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It's digital data. No.

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post #6 of 190
6/30/12 at 2:06pm
Well really it would weigh less, as you would be be removing electrons to form positive charges or '1's thumb.gif
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post #7 of 190
6/30/12 at 2:07pm
NotSureIfSerious.png

Why would it weigh more. You're not putting anything into or taking anything physically from the drive lol

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTui7-l3e3iMWzZE8wA-7et2Q-kP9MbGINE7WSoGhpM-i0DIx_9GOJXYz1geQ
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post #8 of 190
6/30/12 at 2:07pm
No, as everything is made up of 0s and 1s and no physical stuff is being pumped into the hard drive. Interesting question, though.smile.gif
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post #9 of 190
6/30/12 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tahayassen View Post

No. In order to empty a hard drive, you would have to write zeros over all the data.

The platter is divided into many individual region, called bits. Each region is capable of two possible states, either magnetized or demagnetized. One state represents 1 and the other 0.

THe HDD isn't actually writing 0s. It is demagnetizing, which the computer translates as a 0.
Edited by erunion - 6/30/12 at 2:27pm
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post #10 of 190
6/30/12 at 2:18pm
no.
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