what temperature can an external hard drive withstand.

I would like to purchase a fire-proof safe to store my external hard drive in. In the event of a fire, these safes say the internal temperature of the safe will not exceed 350 degrees ferenheit. Does anybody know if the data would still be protected if the temperature reached 350. Does anybody know what the maximum temperature can be in order for the data to be safe. I know this question is a little wierd, but I didn't know who else to ask. Thanks for your reply.

Depends on the HDD. An Excelstor will probably die earlier in heat than an Seagate or Western Digital. And I say around 50C is the "a bit high" temperature. If your external HDD has an fan, I wouldn't worry about it.

I don't think the drive will be in operation while locked in the safe



That's pretty hot though, I don't know if the platters will be damaged but it is a pretty safe bet that the drive's electronics will be.

Thanks. Looks like a safe is not the answer. I better store my hard drive off site to protect the data. Thanks for your help.

Or make regular backups...