Re: Case sensor
> Can you run a disk without the top of the case?
Heh, I used to to do that with old disks that were destined for scrapping (they were fine, but company policy on data destruction meant we had to wipe then destroy the drives). See how long they would last with the top off. In some cases pretty darn long actually (a couple of weeks of badblocks testing), assuming the area they were operated in wasn't too dusty.
Once I had the bright idea to fit a plexiglass top to a disk and use it in my casemod (which was a completely clear plexiglass mini tower case, complete with blue LEDs, which had just come out on the mainstream market, so had to use some).
It worked well for a year or so. but my limited fabrication skills (a Dremel and my hands) meant I didn't get the fit perfect, so dust and dirt would get in between the gaps, and the drive eventually failed, to be replaced with a standard top one. Still, it looked amazing watching the speed the arm would move around on the spinning platters, especially if it would start swapping. I found it mesmerising.
So, in short, yes, they can work, but only for a short time, so not very useful for actual data storage/access.
Also, modern drives with many platters stacked close together, or the ones filled with helium or whatnot, probably can't be run with the case off at all. The drives I talk about above are 40-80gb, so relatively more hard wearing than modern multi TB drives you can get.
Icon, cos its Friday!