HDD locked up
Moderators: andywilks, Geert Jan
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EagleFlyFree
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:46 am
- Location: Sweden
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EagleFlyFree
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:46 am
- Location: Sweden
Hi again. It's been a lot of struggle and I'm about to give up... As my original drive was beyond recovering, I bought two used (said to be tested and fully working) drives on Ebay. The first of them died after just 1 - 2 hours of use. The second one crashed tonight, less than a week later (maybe 10 - 12 hours in total). Both drives seemed fine at first - I ghosted and tried them both as soon as I got them - and I cannot relate the failures to any specific events. With the first drive, the unit had been unplugged for several hours, then when I turned it on it immediately turned itself off. The second drive crashed while recording.
The first drive was still under warranty when it died, and after testing it with the PowerMax diagnostic tool (indicating the drive was failing) I returned it and am now waiting for a replacement. But I don't feel like trying a third drive just to have it destroyed as well. I wonder if I'm just having bad luck getting worn out drives, or if my HDS1 is actually killing the drives?
The first drive was still under warranty when it died, and after testing it with the PowerMax diagnostic tool (indicating the drive was failing) I returned it and am now waiting for a replacement. But I don't feel like trying a third drive just to have it destroyed as well. I wonder if I'm just having bad luck getting worn out drives, or if my HDS1 is actually killing the drives?
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Andy Cippico
- Site Admin
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:54 am
- Location: England
Hi Ted,
That's really bad news (or bad luck). I would strongly suggest that you try to get PowerMax working on your PC and test those drives. I've never come across an IDE interface that destroyed drives, and I don't really think your HDS1 is doing that.
However, it's a distinct possibility that the HDS1 is corrupting the data on the drive, rather than blowing it up. This could point to several things - all of which I'm not qualified to talk about. I'll leave that to my learned colleagues, Geert Jan and Andy. Unfortunately, even my unit is still playing up after hours of replacing drives, etc, but I now believe it to be a 'motherboard' or ancilliary PCB fault rather than a drive fault - which is far harder and more expensive to fix than a hard drive.
So, test the drives thoroughly on your PC if you can. That will eliminate any possible problem with them. Assuming you then end up with a known good drive, you can then put a fresh image on it and try it in the HDS1.
I hope that helps.
Andy
That's really bad news (or bad luck). I would strongly suggest that you try to get PowerMax working on your PC and test those drives. I've never come across an IDE interface that destroyed drives, and I don't really think your HDS1 is doing that.
However, it's a distinct possibility that the HDS1 is corrupting the data on the drive, rather than blowing it up. This could point to several things - all of which I'm not qualified to talk about. I'll leave that to my learned colleagues, Geert Jan and Andy. Unfortunately, even my unit is still playing up after hours of replacing drives, etc, but I now believe it to be a 'motherboard' or ancilliary PCB fault rather than a drive fault - which is far harder and more expensive to fix than a hard drive.
So, test the drives thoroughly on your PC if you can. That will eliminate any possible problem with them. Assuming you then end up with a known good drive, you can then put a fresh image on it and try it in the HDS1.
I hope that helps.
Andy
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EagleFlyFree
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:46 am
- Location: Sweden
I did test my original drive and the first of the used drives (when it no longer worked in the HDS1) and PowerMax indicated they were both failing. I haven't had time to remove the second drive from the HDS1 yet to test it, but when I try to turn the unit on it makes a continuous sound similar to this:
http://web.telia.com/~u16123928/ljud/badhead1.mp3
I guess that's a bad sign. Anyway, when I get the replacement drive, I'll test it with PowerMax myself before I mount it in the HDS1.
Thanks,
Ted
http://web.telia.com/~u16123928/ljud/badhead1.mp3
I guess that's a bad sign. Anyway, when I get the replacement drive, I'll test it with PowerMax myself before I mount it in the HDS1.
Thanks,
Ted
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EagleFlyFree
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:46 am
- Location: Sweden
I got the replacement drive, ran the PowerMax Advanced Test (took about 30 minutes) saying the drive was certified error free, put it in the HDS1 and left it on for 90 minutes - and then it failed just like the others. This time the drive isn't even recognized in BIOS afterwards, nor PowerMax (I tried twice, checking all connections)...
Any suggestion where/how to get hold of a drive in GOOD condition? (if that is the problem, that is...)
Any suggestion where/how to get hold of a drive in GOOD condition? (if that is the problem, that is...)
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Andy Cippico
- Site Admin
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:54 am
- Location: England
Ted,
You really aren't having much luck, are you? What I can say is that a drive will be recognised by the PC BIOS, regardless of the contents. If this drive isn't being recognised I can only assume it has failed. In short, if the PC doesn't recognise it, then I'd be surprised if the JVC recognises it.
On the other hand, do you think that your JVC is blowing them up? I've never heard of such a case - even in the PC world, but I suppose it's a possibility. Alternatively, you've just been unlucky in buying some very flaky drives. Time to change your supplier, perhaps? I obviously can't tell you the name of a supplier in Sweden, but eBay normally works for me.
Good luck, and don't give up!
Andy
PS: If you do get it going again in the PC, run a Powermax full low-level format to give the drive a good work-out before putting the JVC image back on.
You really aren't having much luck, are you? What I can say is that a drive will be recognised by the PC BIOS, regardless of the contents. If this drive isn't being recognised I can only assume it has failed. In short, if the PC doesn't recognise it, then I'd be surprised if the JVC recognises it.
On the other hand, do you think that your JVC is blowing them up? I've never heard of such a case - even in the PC world, but I suppose it's a possibility. Alternatively, you've just been unlucky in buying some very flaky drives. Time to change your supplier, perhaps? I obviously can't tell you the name of a supplier in Sweden, but eBay normally works for me.
Good luck, and don't give up!
Andy
PS: If you do get it going again in the PC, run a Powermax full low-level format to give the drive a good work-out before putting the JVC image back on.
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EagleFlyFree
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:46 am
- Location: Sweden
Not very much luck here, no... The drive makes that clicking sound when powering up but otherwise seems completely dead. At least I can return both drives and the Ebay seller will arrange for a refund. But as he said: "This is the first time we have had so many failures ... We have regulars that buy these drives for DVR/PVR machines so I cannot understand how so many can fail so quickly."
I don't know what to think, but if it's not the drives, then I have no idea what causes these failures. And I know nothing about electronics so I guess I'll be stuck until someone comes up with a solution.
If only the S-VHS deck worked without a hard drive, I probably wouldn't bother any more and eventually spend my savings on a better HDD recorder (I was planning to anyway because of the audio quality) but the tape deck is hardly used and it feels like such a waste having to buy a new VCR.
I don't know what to think, but if it's not the drives, then I have no idea what causes these failures. And I know nothing about electronics so I guess I'll be stuck until someone comes up with a solution.
If only the S-VHS deck worked without a hard drive, I probably wouldn't bother any more and eventually spend my savings on a better HDD recorder (I was planning to anyway because of the audio quality) but the tape deck is hardly used and it feels like such a waste having to buy a new VCR.
i had 2 drives die in the machine after cloning them from my original unit using DFsee .... this killed the drives when it failed, and the only thing i can think off was that i cloned an error across from the original image, causing the drive to effectively destroy itself trying to operate from the image/file system contained
i am now running on another nearly new drive and the image from geert jans and all seems ok at the moment .... fingers crossed
i am now running on another nearly new drive and the image from geert jans and all seems ok at the moment .... fingers crossed
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EagleFlyFree
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 11:46 am
- Location: Sweden
Yet Another Probable HDD Failure
Hi All,
I just found out about this forum and what I have read so far seems all too familiar with the problems I am starting to have with my HM-HDS1. I was more or less expecting this since for several months, even when it was off, I was hearing a faint hissing/humming sound coming from the unit. As if a fan or the Hdd was still spinning.
I was wondering if any of you has tried one of those HDD utilities that can repair bad sectors sometimes, such as HDD Regenerator or Spinrite6 ?
Thanks.
I just found out about this forum and what I have read so far seems all too familiar with the problems I am starting to have with my HM-HDS1. I was more or less expecting this since for several months, even when it was off, I was hearing a faint hissing/humming sound coming from the unit. As if a fan or the Hdd was still spinning.
I was wondering if any of you has tried one of those HDD utilities that can repair bad sectors sometimes, such as HDD Regenerator or Spinrite6 ?
Thanks.
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Andy Cippico
- Site Admin
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:54 am
- Location: England
Hi MerleOne,
Welcome to the board. Sorry to hear you're having problems.
AndyWilks may be able to correct me on this, but hissing sounds normally come from power supplies before they die.
Don't know about the humming. There's not a transformer in there that's big enough to create a hum (as far as I know). Again, AnyWilks may be able to comment.
I don't know if your unit is the same as mine, but even in standby mode, the hard disk will spin up and do some housekeeping (defragmenting, I guess). This only lasts about 5 minutes, though.
I haven't tried those utils on anything other than Windows and Unix-formatted disks so it's difficult to say. I wouldn't hold out too much hope for them because even if you did recover the bad sector I doubt the JVC OS would recognise this or attempt to 'map it out'.
Why do you think it could be the disk, anyway? Are you getting playback/recording faults?
Andy.
Welcome to the board. Sorry to hear you're having problems.
AndyWilks may be able to correct me on this, but hissing sounds normally come from power supplies before they die.
Don't know about the humming. There's not a transformer in there that's big enough to create a hum (as far as I know). Again, AnyWilks may be able to comment.
I don't know if your unit is the same as mine, but even in standby mode, the hard disk will spin up and do some housekeeping (defragmenting, I guess). This only lasts about 5 minutes, though.
I haven't tried those utils on anything other than Windows and Unix-formatted disks so it's difficult to say. I wouldn't hold out too much hope for them because even if you did recover the bad sector I doubt the JVC OS would recognise this or attempt to 'map it out'.
Why do you think it could be the disk, anyway? Are you getting playback/recording faults?
Andy.
Yes, I do get playback/recording fault, sudden shutdown and erratic behaviour, such as the following : when I press the "Menu" key on the remote, the machine simply shut itself down. That is 3 times out of 4. The fourth one it is OK.
I will try to remove all recordings, then fill the HDD with a new recording with SP format (to spend less time doing this), maybe it will solve this but I tend to believe it will not.
.Merle1.
I will try to remove all recordings, then fill the HDD with a new recording with SP format (to spend less time doing this), maybe it will solve this but I tend to believe it will not.
.Merle1.
update, mine is running ok still at the moment.
from time to time i also hear a small noise from the machine, just like the drive stopping and the heads returning, just quieter than normal, no other odd side affects though
as for HDD Regenerator, i dont know yet, but i have 2 drives i will be trying it out on, and then testing in my pc first if i ever get a chance, been a bit busy lately,
i would however like to get another HD-HMS1 (a dead one) and try them in that .,.. working on the principle of, if aint knackered, don't goof with it, for the unit i am using at the moment
btw, thanks to all who helped me with this and i wish you all good luck with yours
from time to time i also hear a small noise from the machine, just like the drive stopping and the heads returning, just quieter than normal, no other odd side affects though
as for HDD Regenerator, i dont know yet, but i have 2 drives i will be trying it out on, and then testing in my pc first if i ever get a chance, been a bit busy lately,
i would however like to get another HD-HMS1 (a dead one) and try them in that .,.. working on the principle of, if aint knackered, don't goof with it, for the unit i am using at the moment
btw, thanks to all who helped me with this and i wish you all good luck with yours