Using an atmospheric pressure sensor in a hard-disk drive (HDD)

A hard-disk drive (HDD), comprising:

• an enclosure, wherein the enclosure contains an air passage that allows air to flow between the interior of the enclosure and the exterior of the enclosure, wherein the air passage is covered by a breather filter;
• an atmospheric pressure sensor capable of determining the altitude at which the hard-disk drive (HDD) is presently located;
• a risk assessment component capable of determining an expression of how likely it is that the hard-disk drive (HDD) will experience an imminent error in operation based, at least in part, upon the altitude at which the hard-disk drive (HDD) is presently located, wherein the risk assessment component is configured to communicate, to a user of the hard-disk drive (HDD), the expression of how likely it is that the hard-disk drive (HDD) will experience an imminent error in operation based, at least in part, upon the altitude at which the hard-disk drive (HDD) is presently located;
• a magnetic-recording head;
• a magnetic-recording disk rotatably mounted on a spindle;
• a drive motor mounted in said enclosure, said drive motor having a motor shaft attached to said spindle for rotating said magnetic-recording disk;
• and
• a voice-coil motor configured to move said magnetic-recording head to access portions of said magnetic-recording disk.