[plug] Failing disk drive

[Richard Meyer]

On Tue, 2008-04-15 at 14:51 +0800, Gavin Chester wrote:
> On Tue, 2008-04-15 at 13:05 +0800, Richard Meyer wrote:
> > Thanks to all who replied - I'm going to try the cable replacement thing
> > and then get a new drive. 
> > 
> > They are both WD, but they are not the same size and bought about 6
> > months apart.
> 
> Richard, another option to consider not mentioned so far ...
> 
> yes, if both drives, not identical, not bought at same time, are showing
> signs of read/write error, I reckon cable _could_ be the problem if on
> the same channel and cable. However, even if they are it could instead
> be the drive controller on the mb causing trouble. 
> 
> Have you tried a different ide channel, if they currently share the
> same? 
> 
> What alerted me to this sort of problem was one mb I was using to
> rebuild an older system seemed fine in every respect using two drives on
> ide#1, but I couldn't get the dvd/cd drive on ide#2 to get all the way
> through a burn without borking with copious read/write errors. Tried a
> different drive and even a different burn application and it was as bad.
> In desperation plugged in a pci pata drive controller card I was lucky
> to have on hand and the dvd/cd drive just took off! No read/write error
> and burning speeds were phenomenal for the age of the drive :-) Moral:
> ide#2 on the mb had somehow become flaky. Worth testing in your case,
> maybe.   
> 
> BTW: may not stop the annual opening of the wallet if you don't have a
> controller card on hand  ;-). Sorry, mine is in use in a system, but
> just trying a different box/mb with your same drives would reveal if
> controller is an issue, or whether drives themselves. A friend nearby
> might be able to oblige their box for testing. 
>  
> Gavin

Hi Gavin, they're SATA, and have always had separate cables and
controllers. I suppose it is statistically possible that two drives
could croak one after the other - I suppose I could get another and if
that also croaks, consider it enemy action .... (now who are my enemies
again? You know who you are.)

Thanks for the advice to one and all.

-- 
Richard Meyer
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. 
William Pitt, 1783

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