head crash on an HDD while it's off?

[nachos99]

I was wondering if someone can clear up a few things.

I've gathered that the heads on the HDD can come into contact with a platen causing a "head crash" which can break the head and kill the drive. Obviously this can happen when the drive is working and takes an impact.

Do HDDs park their heads away from the plates when it's off? And can a head crash happen when the HDD is completely off from a drop?

Basically, I was wondering how much shock/vibrations an HDD can take when the it is off. For example, how bad is sprinting for the bus, walking around town for miles, or jogging to the subway station, etc, with a laptop in your bag.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[Icehuck]

When the laptop isn't on, the head is safely parked and will be able to take small shocks. The HDD can still take damage if you dropped the laptop. I have seen HDDs work flawlessly after a laptop ejected from a car during a head on collision. YMMV