"Well guys, it's a bad sign. It's making limping noises as if it is trying to turn but I'm not sure it's going to work ... it did not work," he concluded.

Seagate didn't detail what caused the drive to fail. While many disk drives are rated to handle sub-zero temperatures that typically doesn't include being buried in ice.

"I think being buried in ice with lots of pressure on it for 100 days probably contributed greatly," said a company spokesman.