A reader asks: “Can I mount my hard drive sideways/upside down?”

Reader Met Chin asks “Can I mount my hard drive sideways/upside down?”

Sure! Unless the owner’s material states otherwise, most desktop/rack-mount/non-portable drives work fine flat (right side up or down), or on end, or on one of their sides. Everything else being equal, as long as the drive’s platters are parallel to the floor, or at a 90 degree angle to the floor, the spindle and arm bearings should have a long, normal life.

Halfway/diagonal mounts may be fine, but usually aren’t recommended for drives designed for desktop use. (Besides, a permanent 45-degree mount would be a weird desktop setup, and not-space-efficient to begin with.)

Portable drives are more forgiving. Drives specifically intended for portable use in laptops/notebook/tablets/etc., usually have better bearings and mountings, and may incorporate special electronics to keep drive heads positioned correctly regardless of orientation.

But if you’re talking an ordinary desktop-type drive? It’ll do best flat or vertical — not in-between.

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