Internal SATA HDD disconnects after time?

[snipster4]

Hello.

First off system specs:

AsRock K8-Combo
AMD X2 4400 939
ATI 9200E AGP 8x
2-512MB Kingston PC3200
Promise SATA300 TX4 Controller Card
WD Raptor SATA 74gb SYSTEM
Maxtor 250 GB SATA (This drive drops)
Silverstone 650w PSU
D-Link Gig Ethernet Card

When I first start my comuter either after a reinstall of xp or later on I see my drive (D: which is my Maxtor 250GB SATA drive connected to the Promise TX300 4-port Controller card) and sometimes after a lot of use it might click a couple of times then drops off.

I go into explorer and its gone, and its gone under disk managment.

The only way to get it back is restart the computer.

I have check the disk status and the health is fine. It shouldn't be a power supply problem becuase I have a new 650W PSU.

Anyone have any suggestions?


Thanks

Matt

 

[snipster4]

I used SpeedFAN latest version to check the health of the drive. I have used the drive prior to my new AMD system and it worked fine. I believe it could be my SATA cable as it seems pretty loose when it is connected to the drive.

My PSU seems fine, but how would I check it using software, or do I have to use some sort of hardware elec testing equipment?

Matt

 

[jimw428]

I agree with those who suggest a power supply issue. The clicking sound you hear is probably the heads retracting and locking due to power loss.

Do you have both drives on the same power cable? If so, I'd suggest putting the Maxtor on a seperate supply cable and retry it. When you pull the connector, look carefully at the pins. These connectors are often very cheap and the pins don't set properly or the wires aren't well crimped and loosen over time.