500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements ! - Page 2

**ctal** · 06-07-2009, 10:44 AM

Yes, under Device Manager, for the drive controller. But in my experience XP always sets that to the right setting by itself. You can use the HDTune info tab to see what dma mode is being used -- it should be dma5 or higher.

Regards,
-- Al

plainman007 · 06-07-2009, 10:46 AM

Ctal, your right, but then you always are .....! A reboot worked.

Now everything seems normal. Thanks as always.

plainman007 · 06-07-2009, 12:33 PM

Ctal > Just a quick update. I just closed up the cabinet and set it upright as usual and the drive is missing again. Its visible in BIOS. But no sign of it in any of the windows panels. System is also acting funny in the way it boots. Booting takes a very long time than before. Theres something like a hibernation restore bar which is appearing very quickly before the boot happens. Then the windows boot logo is missing. Instead its just black. Then after a very long while the windows log on welcome screen appears. After typing in the password it again takes ages to arrive at the desktop. And after that the HDD light is just continously lit. Not even a blink for more than half hour with nothing but an idle desktop. What a useless computer. I bought this junk for nearly 1500 USD. This is so damn frustrating.

**ctal** · 06-07-2009, 01:04 PM

Well, I guess you should recheck the cable connections -- many sata data cables in particular can come loose very easily. The continuously on hdd led might indicate that Windows is waiting for a response from a hd, that never comes.

And if that doesn't help, then try disconnecting some of the drives, starting with the new one.

-- Al

plainman007 · 06-07-2009, 01:28 PM

Sure ill try Ctal. Im going to sit all night and do this till it works. I know if i disconnect the third drive it will restore the systems functionality. But i didnt pay that much for a handicapped system that cant do even what its supposed to do. I already lost too much data last time and that costed me months of rework. I lost all my didgital files. Lots of live events footage, photoshop work, tons of image assets etc.

plainman007 · 06-08-2009, 10:46 AM

Hi Ctal. I unplugged the sata plug alone from the 500gb drive and the system boots fine. What do i do ? How is this possible that it just doesnt want to accept a 4th drive ? Will a fresh install of windows help ? But BIOS recognizes the drive.

**ctal** · 06-08-2009, 11:07 AM

Did you try that drive in the other computer, to make sure that it still works ok?

-- Al

plainman007 · 06-08-2009, 11:26 AM

Just checked. Its working on this system itself. But when i unplugged one of the other drives. To recap for clarity. I had 3 drives already C, D, E. Each 250gb. Now this new 500gb is F:. I unplugged the sata plug alone from F and also unplugged D and plugged that sata into F drive. Now F is accessible and fully functional. ??? Then i plugged in the left over sata plug (the one which orginally plugged into F

into D: and rebooted. And all 4 drives are now visible. But performance is bad/erratic. Files cant be copied in and out of F:. I have also replaced the sata cable with a brand new one to start with. Its now very obvious tht its unable to handle 4 drives at a time. Will a XP reinstall solve things ? Or any bios settings in the drive menu ?

**ctal** · 06-08-2009, 11:52 AM

Sounds like the 4th sata port may be blown. What mobo is it?

-- Al

plainman007 · 06-08-2009, 12:01 PM

Intel DG33 FB. But that port is handling the other drive if the alternate port is relieved. Hows that possible if the port is blown Ctal ?

**ctal** · 06-08-2009, 12:11 PM

I hadn't realized that -- so it's most likely not blown. I'll take a look at the mobo literature in a few hours, and see if it suggests anything to me. I'll be away for the next few hours.

-- Al

plainman007 · 06-08-2009, 12:16 PM

Sure Ctal. Thanks. Ill wait for your message.

**ctal** · 06-08-2009, 06:27 PM

Here is an excerpt from one of the user comments at NewEgg about that drive:

Quote:

The drive is labeled as a ST3500418AS on the outside sticker, but Windows or Seagate SeaTools detects it as a ST3500410AS instead. I'm not sure if it was mislabeled by Seagate, or if it has the wrong firmware (CC34)

Install the drive so that it works (i.e., without one of the other drives connected), and check the info tab in HD Tune, which should show you both the model number and the firmware version. If the firmware isn't CC34 or later, that could be the cause of the problem -- Seagate has had a lot of problems with their firmware recently.

Also, in the bios, is the sata controller set for legacy mode or native mode? Try native mode (which is preferred for XP) if it is not set that way.

And do you have the latest bios in your mobo, version 0517: Download Search Results

If not, look through the list of fixes for each revision that was issued subsequent to the revision that you have, and see if any of them seem relevant. Of course, if you update the bios, follow instructions very carefully or you could end up with an unbootable board.

I looked through Intel's documentation on the mobo, and that is about all that occurs to me at this point. Hope that helps,

-- Al

plainman007 · 06-09-2009, 12:51 AM

Hi Ctal,

Thanks for the information.

1.The sticker on the HDD says firmware CC34.
2.The Bios sata controller setting is in Native.
3.The Bios Version in my system is the same (DPP3510J.86A) as provided in the latest update on the top of the list.

I had to remove F: finally. Im going to be editing a video short and thats why i wanted the backup solution in place before i started cutting the video. Now it looks like i have to just work without this backup drive. Its a dire risk considering i once lost all my data to a HDD crash. In fact i lost some of my lifes most important data. Childhood pics, Relatives, Parents Pics etc for which there was no backup at all. And now im forced to repeat this. I dont know why manufacturers complicate things so much. It makes it so difficult for non-hardware people to get by with our everyday work considering what we spend on these systems. I have 4 systems including my laptop and all of them have acted funny down the road for simple basic performance. Who would have expected im buying a machine which in the future just wont accept even a 4th drive. My other system for which the cabinet alone costed me $300 wont boot if i put in a graphics card.

Another reason why it makes these experiments so difficult is a lack of space. Everytime i want to fix a HDD or troubleshoot something like this takes me about 1 hr just getting the system in and out of the table cabinet. Undoing all the wiring from the back. Then pulling out the CPU cabinet and then to test i have to put it back in the Cab and that takes ages. If i had the space to house my CPU on the top right next to the monitors i just have to power down and start making hardware changes. Now ive noticed the monitor has started giving a mild banding effect i think since i have been disconnecting and reconnectiing every cable and port over and over for a hundred times.

Thanks for helping out so much Ctal.

I will try this as soon as i can and revert to you. But im very scared about updating the BIOS again like i said these companies release crap that sometimes might or might not work on a system even though they mention it as the right BIOS update. The other system which had a mobo repair after a BIOS update that played out ok but messed it up has been doing nothing but refusing to boot if theres a graphics card plugged in.

plainman007 · 06-09-2009, 11:00 AM

I think the only thing left to do is to check the firmware on the HDD thru HDTune. But how am i to do this when the HDD isnt even being recognized now. I was forced to remove it immediately last night because the entire system was slowing down and im not sure but i think there was a slight burning smell too. So i didnt wanna risk even what i have going for me.

06-07-2009, 10:44 AM	#16
ctal Eschews Obfuscation Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 1,903	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Yes, under Device Manager, for the drive controller. But in my experience XP always sets that to the right setting by itself. You can use the HDTune info tab to see what dma mode is being used -- it should be dma5 or higher. Regards, -- Al __________________ "I didn't say I didn't say it. I said that I didn't say that I said it. I want to make that very clear." -- George Romney, in 1968, while campaigning for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.
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06-07-2009, 10:46 AM	#17
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Ctal, your right, but then you always are .....! A reboot worked. Now everything seems normal. Thanks as always. Last edited by plainman007; 06-07-2009 at 10:58 AM..
(Offline)

06-07-2009, 12:33 PM	#18
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Ctal > Just a quick update. I just closed up the cabinet and set it upright as usual and the drive is missing again. Its visible in BIOS. But no sign of it in any of the windows panels. System is also acting funny in the way it boots. Booting takes a very long time than before. Theres something like a hibernation restore bar which is appearing very quickly before the boot happens. Then the windows boot logo is missing. Instead its just black. Then after a very long while the windows log on welcome screen appears. After typing in the password it again takes ages to arrive at the desktop. And after that the HDD light is just continously lit. Not even a blink for more than half hour with nothing but an idle desktop. What a useless computer. I bought this junk for nearly 1500 USD. This is so damn frustrating.
(Offline)

06-07-2009, 01:04 PM	#19
ctal Eschews Obfuscation Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 1,903	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Well, I guess you should recheck the cable connections -- many sata data cables in particular can come loose very easily. The continuously on hdd led might indicate that Windows is waiting for a response from a hd, that never comes. And if that doesn't help, then try disconnecting some of the drives, starting with the new one. -- Al __________________ "I didn't say I didn't say it. I said that I didn't say that I said it. I want to make that very clear." -- George Romney, in 1968, while campaigning for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.
(Offline)

06-07-2009, 01:28 PM	#20
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Sure ill try Ctal. Im going to sit all night and do this till it works. I know if i disconnect the third drive it will restore the systems functionality. But i didnt pay that much for a handicapped system that cant do even what its supposed to do. I already lost too much data last time and that costed me months of rework. I lost all my didgital files. Lots of live events footage, photoshop work, tons of image assets etc.
(Offline)

06-08-2009, 10:46 AM	#21
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Hi Ctal. I unplugged the sata plug alone from the 500gb drive and the system boots fine. What do i do ? How is this possible that it just doesnt want to accept a 4th drive ? Will a fresh install of windows help ? But BIOS recognizes the drive. Last edited by plainman007; 06-08-2009 at 11:02 AM..
(Offline)

06-08-2009, 11:07 AM	#22
ctal Eschews Obfuscation Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 1,903	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Did you try that drive in the other computer, to make sure that it still works ok? -- Al __________________ "I didn't say I didn't say it. I said that I didn't say that I said it. I want to make that very clear." -- George Romney, in 1968, while campaigning for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.
(Offline)

06-08-2009, 11:26 AM	#23
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Just checked. Its working on this system itself. But when i unplugged one of the other drives. To recap for clarity. I had 3 drives already C, D, E. Each 250gb. Now this new 500gb is F:. I unplugged the sata plug alone from F and also unplugged D and plugged that sata into F drive. Now F is accessible and fully functional. ??? Then i plugged in the left over sata plug (the one which orginally plugged into F into D: and rebooted. And all 4 drives are now visible. But performance is bad/erratic. Files cant be copied in and out of F:. I have also replaced the sata cable with a brand new one to start with. Its now very obvious tht its unable to handle 4 drives at a time. Will a XP reinstall solve things ? Or any bios settings in the drive menu ? Last edited by plainman007; 06-08-2009 at 11:57 AM..
(Offline)

06-08-2009, 11:52 AM	#24
ctal Eschews Obfuscation Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 1,903	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Sounds like the 4th sata port may be blown. What mobo is it? -- Al __________________ "I didn't say I didn't say it. I said that I didn't say that I said it. I want to make that very clear." -- George Romney, in 1968, while campaigning for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.
(Offline)

06-08-2009, 12:01 PM	#25
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Intel DG33 FB. But that port is handling the other drive if the alternate port is relieved. Hows that possible if the port is blown Ctal ?
(Offline)

06-08-2009, 12:11 PM	#26
ctal Eschews Obfuscation Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 1,903	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements I hadn't realized that -- so it's most likely not blown. I'll take a look at the mobo literature in a few hours, and see if it suggests anything to me. I'll be away for the next few hours. -- Al __________________ "I didn't say I didn't say it. I said that I didn't say that I said it. I want to make that very clear." -- George Romney, in 1968, while campaigning for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.
(Offline)

06-08-2009, 12:16 PM	#27
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Sure Ctal. Thanks. Ill wait for your message.
(Offline)

06-09-2009, 12:51 AM	#29
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements Hi Ctal, Thanks for the information. 1.The sticker on the HDD says firmware CC34. 2.The Bios sata controller setting is in Native. 3.The Bios Version in my system is the same (DPP3510J.86A) as provided in the latest update on the top of the list. I had to remove F: finally. Im going to be editing a video short and thats why i wanted the backup solution in place before i started cutting the video. Now it looks like i have to just work without this backup drive. Its a dire risk considering i once lost all my data to a HDD crash. In fact i lost some of my lifes most important data. Childhood pics, Relatives, Parents Pics etc for which there was no backup at all. And now im forced to repeat this. I dont know why manufacturers complicate things so much. It makes it so difficult for non-hardware people to get by with our everyday work considering what we spend on these systems. I have 4 systems including my laptop and all of them have acted funny down the road for simple basic performance. Who would have expected im buying a machine which in the future just wont accept even a 4th drive. My other system for which the cabinet alone costed me $300 wont boot if i put in a graphics card. Another reason why it makes these experiments so difficult is a lack of space. Everytime i want to fix a HDD or troubleshoot something like this takes me about 1 hr just getting the system in and out of the table cabinet. Undoing all the wiring from the back. Then pulling out the CPU cabinet and then to test i have to put it back in the Cab and that takes ages. If i had the space to house my CPU on the top right next to the monitors i just have to power down and start making hardware changes. Now ive noticed the monitor has started giving a mild banding effect i think since i have been disconnecting and reconnectiing every cable and port over and over for a hundred times. Thanks for helping out so much Ctal. I will try this as soon as i can and revert to you. But im very scared about updating the BIOS again like i said these companies release crap that sometimes might or might not work on a system even though they mention it as the right BIOS update. The other system which had a mobo repair after a BIOS update that played out ok but messed it up has been doing nothing but refusing to boot if theres a graphics card plugged in. Last edited by plainman007; 06-09-2009 at 05:59 AM..
(Offline)

06-09-2009, 11:00 AM	#30
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: 500 Gb Seagate HDD with 32mb Buffer keeps on dying ! Even brand new replacements I think the only thing left to do is to check the firmware on the HDD thru HDTune. But how am i to do this when the HDD isnt even being recognized now. I was forced to remove it immediately last night because the entire system was slowing down and im not sure but i think there was a slight burning smell too. So i didnt wanna risk even what i have going for me.
(Offline)

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