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Buoysel · #1 November 29, 2010, 08:03:37 PM

The class room Server's Hard Drive caught on fire yesterday afternoon! luckily the teacher walked in the room a few seconds after it happed and noticed the smoke. Everything else in the computer still works including the other hard drive. Inside of case has smoke damage.

Damage to underside of drive.

highres image of what appers to be the point of origin
http://i55.tinypic.com/1y1ll1.jpg

But like the title says, Anything like that ever happen to you?

MultiWishMaker · #2 November 29, 2010, 08:06:12 PM

That's crazy!
I've never seen that happen before, were the internal fans working properly?

Yoshi648 · #3 November 29, 2010, 08:08:34 PM

This is what happens when you try to save the entire internet.

LiteTheIronMan · #4 November 29, 2010, 08:30:21 PM

"Well, good night Irene!"

I've never had that happen to me but I've come pretty damn close- this old XP beside me sucks and the fan make a really loud ruckus.

Buoysel · #5 November 30, 2010, 04:10:28 AM

We threw another Disk in the computer and are currently using it. Everything worked/works fine.

[TRDRS]PokeTrader · #6 November 30, 2010, 01:21:24 PM

That happened to one of my old laptops, I turned it on and played around on the internet for a few minutes and then tried to shut it down and in caught on fire! It was so weird how it did that but as soon as it caught on fire a grabed it a threw it outside and poured water on it!

Needless to say it never worked again but it was crap anyway and it wasnt worth $5. So for Christmas the next year my parents bought me a new one that I still have now.

A'bom · #7 November 30, 2010, 04:53:04 PM

I never let my computer get that hot. I always freak out whenever it gets louder and the fans start going. Basically, I try to keep it as cool as possible to prevent something like THAT from happening.

Buoysel · #8 November 30, 2010, 04:56:13 PM

Something shorted out. The computer room is always cold, I'm wearing a jacket in the class room right now...

FreezeWarp · #9 November 30, 2010, 05:35:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buoysel

Something shorted out. The computer room is always cold, I'm wearing a jacket in the class room right now...

It doesn't really matter, as a computer hard-drive gets far warmer than you might think. Simply being cold around it, especially with no air movement (the whole purpose of a fan) would not be enough to prevent meltage.

In truth I'm guessing either the fan was getting jammed or some flammable particles drifted in and, even with the fan, it was hot enough to ignite.

Buoysel · #10 November 30, 2010, 07:54:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreezeWarp

It doesn't really matter, as a computer hard-drive gets far warmer than you might think. Simply being cold around it, especially with no air movement (the whole purpose of a fan) would not be enough to prevent meltage.

In truth I'm guessing either the fan was getting jammed or some flammable particles drifted in and, even with the fan, it was hot enough to ignite.

Then why didn't anything else melt? Why is the label still fine? Why does everything else on the computer work fine?

The only explanation that we (myself, other students, and the IT Department Chair for the college) could come up with, that would be reasonably possbile was that a component on the hard disk drive controller chip malfunctioned and shorted out causing a small fire on said controller chip.

If it was the PSU then there would be more than one component fired.

If it was the mobo how the hell did the HDD catch on fire? And if why is the mobo still working, and why didn't the other Hard drive catch on fire (there were two disks in there).

If it was the fans (there's three in that box btw) then, again, why is it just that hard drive damaged? (not to mention why are they still working?)

Freeze, I've been through CompTIA A+ classes and am currently going through MCITP classes (currently on book 70-622) Not to mention the college I am attending is a Microsoft IT Academy.... I do know what I am talking about here. Not saying you don't either. Don't get me wrong. All that I am saying is that I am pretty sure that case overheating was not the cause of the fire.

Besides the highest I've ever seen a HDD temp reading was 38C, thats only about 100F... not quite hot enough to catch anything on fire.

FreezeWarp · #11 November 30, 2010, 08:24:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buoysel

Freeze, I've been through CompTIA A+ classes and am currently going through MCITP classes (currently on book 70-622) Not to mention the college I am attending is a Microsoft IT Academy.... I do know what I am talking about here. Not saying you don't either. Don't get me wrong. All that I am saying is that I am pretty sure that case overheating was not the cause of the fire.

That paragraph was so braggy it was awesome xD

Short circuit probably is likely, though, I suppose.

Searinox · #12 November 30, 2010, 10:47:52 PM

I've never actually heard of a HARD DRIVE catch fire before, I must say it's quite a rare find. Usually plastic from cables nearby catches fire but the drives themselves are made of metal. I wonder exactly what part caught fire. Oo; And Western Digital?! Yipes! I wouldn't have ever thought...

Cat333Pokémon · #13 November 30, 2010, 10:52:59 PM

I've honestly never seen this actually happen to a hard drive before. I have heard of several instances from friends (Yoshi648 and KingOfKYA included) about CPUs melting. I also think I may have had a RAM chip short out on me before.

Guess I can't joke about computers spontaneously combusting now, because if nobody caught that, the whole thing could've caught on fire.

Searinox · #14 November 30, 2010, 11:57:29 PM

I see burns in 2 spots, I wonder if it's possible that a cable touching the drive is what burned up. I've heard of HDDs and CPUs individually causing LAPTOPS to catch fire but never a drive itself catch fire. They're metal and I think even the label is fireproof.

Buoysel · #15 December 1, 2010, 04:19:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat333Pokémon

Guess I can't joke about computers spontaneously combusting now, because if nobody caught that, the whole thing could've caught on fire.

Why not, we were. xD We kept making jokes about spontaneously combusting hard drives, and computers going up in smoke.

I'm all paranaoid now about my computers at home.

BTW classroom still stinks.

The Spirit of Time · #16 December 1, 2010, 06:20:07 AM

My computer, four years ago, was caught on fire on its own. After investigating, the computer manager told us that the hard drive and other chips were molten, and for some reason, the monitor was caught on fire as well. It was hilarious actually, and I got rid of my old computer and bought a new one.

Shadow · #17 December 1, 2010, 07:39:09 AM

I've never personally experienced such an accident before, but I did witness Spirit's computer producing smoke when I was at his house. I was scared at the sight in the beginning (it was two years ago, what do you expect?), but then the computer stopped smoking and we felt relieved.

Searinox · #18 December 1, 2010, 02:23:36 PM

I will admit that I'm under new concerns now, especially after hearing s MODERN drive could catch fire so. I didn't think they could at all. I thought that by design all components inside a PC are either fireproof, or always produce less heat than the fire that combusted them, leading to very rapid self-extinguishing. I often leave the house unattended, and the comp has been running near perpetually for the past 5 years.

Buoysel · #19 December 1, 2010, 02:56:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Searinox

I will admit that I'm under new concerns now, especially after hearing s MODERN drive could catch fire so. I didn't think they could at all. I thought that by design all components inside a PC are either fireproof, or always produce less heat than the fire that combusted them, leading to very rapid self-extinguishing. I often leave the house unattended, and the comp has been running near perpetually for the past 5 years.

I have the same anxiety now. I have three computers that are running 24/7

I think its an isolated anomaly. How many hard drives are spinning everyday and never have an issue.