I need some help diagnosing this problem...

[bum_jcrules]

I don't frequent this forum much so hello to those of you that hang out here.


The story...

I have a HDD that is sometimes not recognized on the post. I don't do anything but reboot and it finds it again. My system will also freeze in the middle of applications.(This only started about a week ago.)

Example... last night I was on the web and I scrolled down the page. The system froze but the page kept scrolling up and down. Weird. I have never seen that happen before.

- It is not the cables, I swapped them.

- It is not the PSU, check it. (Besides I an nowhere near the limits. Enlight 420PSU)

- It is not the main system memory. I checked it and I have no errors.

- Drivers are all up to date. Besides, they don't matter at the post when it "sometimes" can't find it.


My guess is that it is the drive itself. There aren't any crunching or ticking noises so it is not mechanically worn out.


I was wondering if there were any other things that I could do to make sure that it is the HDD before I go and get a new one.

Also, side note... Sticke mouse has a 12GB drive for trade... anyone had any experience with him in the past for trades/sales?

Thanks!





<font color=red>BTW: <b>Be There!!!</b> Only 2 months away form the...</font color=red>

<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[bum_jcrules]

Wow, either is not there must not be much traffic in this section of the forums or there is no one that feels up to the task of helping me with this.


<font color=purple>*shrug</font color=purple>


Also: If I need a new drive...

I was wondering how good these drives are in real life.

Has anyone seen any really good deals on HDDs? Rebates and coupons?

Here are a few other I am looking at...

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 8 40 GB Internal - IDE/ATA - 10 ms <b>$59</b>

Western Digital Caviar WD400AB 40.8 GB Ultra DMA/ATA-100 - 5400 Rpm - 9.5 ms <b>$58</b>

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus D740X 40 GB Internal - Ultra DMA/ATA-133 - 7200 Rpm - 8.5 ms <b>$75</b> (I think the Western Digital WD800BB is probably a better buy)

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 60 10.2 GB Ultra DMA/ATA-100 - 7200 Rpm - 8.7 ms <b>$68</b> (This is probably a good value)

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 60 GB Internal - IDE/ATA - 9 Ms <b>$80.50</b>

Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 80 GB Internal - WD800JB IDE / EIDE - 7200 Rpm - 8.9 Ms 8MB Cache <b>$89</b>

Western Digital Caviar WD800BB 80 GB Ultra DMA/ATA-100 - 7200 Rpm - 8.9 ms <b>$87</b>


Thanks!






<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[Teq]

A little patience my friend... some of us actually do stuff other than sit here waiting for questions...

From your description it could be either a hard disk or an interface problem.

The only way to be sure which is to put your hard disk in a different machine and run diasgnostics on it. If it fails you've most likely got your culprit.

If the hard disk checks out, put a known-good hard disk in your system and see if it screws up in which case you need a new motherboard.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

 

[bum_jcrules]

Thanks! I'll try a swap out tonight once i get home from work.

The other was sarcasam. I like to jest, hence my title.


Any suggestions on my second post - with the updated prices?




<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[Teq]

Given the choices you present... I go with the Western Digital drives... better warranty.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

 

[icy_oblivion]

The Special Edition WD drives do come with a 3 year warranty. To me this seems to be a bit of a nonissue most of the time since most HDs fail within the first 6 months.

I just bought a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 60GB HD and am very impressed with how quite it is. The truth is I can't hear any difference with my IBM HD, PSU, and CPU fan probably droning it out.

<b>Just because I like AMD or Intel more at a time because of one product compared to another, does not make me a fan boy, it makes me a person who is able to make a descision for myself.</b>

 

[Crashman]

My stepdaughter has the same problem with her computer. Since the drive doesn't have any problems on it's own, I assume it's a crappy interface causing it. It's an Asus A7V133, and I remember the problems VIA had back then with their IDE controller.

<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>

 

[bum_jcrules]

This one is a Shuttle AK31 Rev2.0 with that VIA KT266 chipset.

Did you get it to work correctly? And how? Were there some tweaked drivers etc?


Thanks.



I tested the drive last night. I swapped out the drive and used another one. Nothing happened. Maybe I should try giving a ton to do and see if the controller breaks down again if it is the controller. I put the original drive back in and then did two surface scans. The system froze after 1,050,000+ clucsters. Basically in the same spot both times.

So is it the drive or the controllers? There in lies the rub...

<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[bum_jcrules]

BTW: Have they corrected the controller problems? I downloaded the current drivers and I would not think that they fixed them.

<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[Teq]

Well, if you are using the same controller and one drive works but the other doesn't... it's most likely the drive.

If both drives misbehaved, I'd be blaming the controller.

Try the misbehaving drive in a different computer and see what happens.


--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

 

[unoc]

If I understood correctly, you already tested the drive in an other computer where it worked fine.
You already tested the ide cable (80 wire). Have you also verified the power cable ?
Some time ago I had problem because a failing power cable which randomically was loosing the contact. Try to exchange the power cable as you made for the ide cable.


Principle of the highest harassment for engineers says: having two events, one bad and one favorable, with the same probability to occur, it is most probable that the bad event will occur

 

[Crashman]

I never got hers to work right, but that doesn't bother me at all, since she only uses the thing to set up "dates".

<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>

 

[lhgpoobaa]

yep. definately do drive diagnostics.

And i too reccommend W.D. drives... i like the 3 year warantee.

<b>Now can someone explain how we ever got the idea that baby bunnies lay multicolored eggs made of chocolate in our living rooms?" :lol: </b>
<A HREF="http://members.iinet.net.au/~lhgpoobaa/images" target="_new">http://members.iinet.net.au/~lhgpoobaa/images</A>

 

[unoc]

Is the drive cooled ?
If the bios does not detect the drive it is a problem coming form the drive interface. May be some component (that which are installed underneath the drive case), while the drive operates, heat too much and stops to operate.

Principle of the highest harassment for engineers says: having two events, one bad and one favorable, with the same probability to occur, it is most probable that the bad event will occur

 

[bum_jcrules]

Okay, This time I loaded everything that the other system had when it had its problems.

The "good" drive still froze in C&C Generals and could not finish the Scandisk thorough diagnostic tests.

I am going to download whatever IDE drivers they have for the board today. I want to solve this thing once and for all.

It probably isn't the HDDs. I should know tonight.

Any suggestions on other HDD diagnostical tools?




<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[bum_jcrules]

Drivers...

Anyone had better results with a KT266 with a specific set of drives over another?


Anyone mix and match their drivers?




<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[bum_jcrules]

One more thing...

I have tried to install WinXP Pro, WinXP Home, and 2000 Pro onto the original drive and once it got past the driver setup the screen went black and NADA!

Could the IDE controller be the issue or would it be the drive. This is why I am confused with this problem. It is too complex for a moron.

<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[lhgpoobaa]

yes. THE real hard drive diagnostic tools.
he ones made by the manufacturer and found on their website that are used to diagnose bad drives.

<b>Now can someone explain how we ever got the idea that baby bunnies lay multicolored eggs made of chocolate in our living rooms?" :lol: </b>
<A HREF="http://members.iinet.net.au/~lhgpoobaa/images" target="_new">http://members.iinet.net.au/~lhgpoobaa/images</A>

 

[bum_jcrules]

Thanks Poo.

Out of all my time with computers I have never had any issues with a HDD. This is a new adventure for me.




<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[lhgpoobaa]

heh. Well i had an infamous 60GXP

<b>Now can someone explain how we ever got the idea that baby bunnies lay multicolored eggs made of chocolate in our living rooms?" :lol: </b>
<A HREF="http://members.iinet.net.au/~lhgpoobaa/images" target="_new">http://members.iinet.net.au/~lhgpoobaa/images</A>

 

[bum_jcrules]

You gotta love IBM. I know I do.

<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[lhgpoobaa]

heh. i DID.. till it kept bad sectoring over and over

<b>Now can someone explain how we ever got the idea that baby bunnies lay multicolored eggs made of chocolate in our living rooms?" :lol: </b>
<A HREF="http://members.iinet.net.au/~lhgpoobaa/images" target="_new">http://members.iinet.net.au/~lhgpoobaa/images</A>