Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
Only in a clean room. Once you break the seal on the HD, any speck of dust can ruin your day.
they aren't quite that delicate, but i wouldn't leave one open for an extended period. Besides which if you hear stuff flopping loose in there it's as likely to be a broken platter as anything else. At the very least, it's probably scratched it to uselessness.