Fridge magnet + flash drive = ?


JZLobo's avatar
I'm sure someone's going to laugh at the stupidity of this question, but I'm going to ask anyway: Can several-day exposure to a refrigerator magnet corrupt the data on a flash drive? I'm putting together a small package to mail to Canada, including those two things, and they'll be smushed up next to each other for a few days at the very least.
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catluvr2's avatar
3.5 or 5.25 inch? :eyes:
JZLobo's avatar
...I don't get you.
Hotaru-Suzume's avatar
JZLobo's avatar
Oh right. Thanks.
pyrohmstr's avatar
I'll just point out that the iron in your blood isn't magnet and can't be pulled out with a magnet :p

That said, flash drives are fine around magnets. I've accidentally gotten flash drives stuck to multiple-tesla magnets before with no effects on the data.
JZLobo's avatar
DavidScript's avatar
[link]

"There's nothing magnetic in flash memory, so [a magnet] won't do anything," says Bill Frank, executive director of the CompactFlash Association. "A magnet powerful enough to disturb the electrons in flash would be powerful enough to suck the iron out of your blood cells," says Frank.

So yeah, `nokari's comment.
JZLobo's avatar
Hai-Etlik's avatar
No.

To have any change of damaging a flash drive you would need a rapidly changing magnetic field that could induce a significant current. A static magnetic field wouldn't do anything unless it were powerful enough to actually pull any iron components of the flash drive enough to damage it.
JZLobo's avatar
I learn something new every day. Cool, thanks.
Hai-Etlik's avatar
Also, I may be wrong, but I think the only significant ferromagnetic component in most flash drives is the steel sheath around the USB contacts. Some might have steel cases or other non-electronic parts. A few low profile ones don't even have the sheath or have a plastic one. Most of the functional conductors in the drive are copper, which is very weakly repelled by magnets.
SegaDisneyUniverse's avatar
I would hope not!:O_o: That would have to be one powerful magnet to do that. But i tested a magnet one time on a tv and it made the tv go all rainbowy:wow:
nokari's avatar
No. A magnet powerful enough to disturb the electrons in flash memory would have to be powerful enough to suck the iron out of your blood cells.
Hotaru-Suzume's avatar
Are there actually magnets that can extract iron from blood?
I would guess for medical applications.
JZLobo's avatar
...That actually sounds pretty kickass.

Thanks!
Seri-goyle's avatar
wow. That's an amzaing analogy. Remind me to never get near one of those.
nokari's avatar
It's actually true. It would take an extremely magnetic force to screw up a flash drive.
SkylerFarrier's avatar
Awesome. Love the qualification of what "powerful enough" would have to do.
Pakaku's avatar
Ezri-Krios's avatar
I'm not tekki at all, but a tekki person recently told me there is nothing magnetic in a flash drive. If this is true then you wouldn't need to
worry. Hope that helps.
JZLobo's avatar
It does, thanks.
Ezri-Krios's avatar