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Author Topic: Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB hd  (Read 6000 times)

Offline Xairbusdriver

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Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB hd
« on: August 21, 2011, 10:02:27 AM »
Fortunately easily within it's five year warranty! Assuming it is honored...

Early this year, it started dropping off-line. It was mounted in a nice OWC enclosure that included a heat sensor controlled fan and a FW/USB hub. It also powered itself down when it sensed the computer was shutdown.

My first 'fix' was to get OWC to repair their circuit board. That seemed to work but not for very long. The next 'fix' was to have the iMac's ports tested. The 'Genious' claimed the FW & USB ports were not supplying power.

Since I was getting a new iMac, I put more 'fixes' on hold. Sure enough, the new Mac failed to 'see' the old HD/exposure consistently. I purchased a less capable but less expensive enclosure locally and a new 1TB drive and a duplicate enclosure as a back up drive for the old iMac which became a 'school' computer for the younger Grand-daughter. Of course, the ports still seem to be inoperative, so the external is not doing any backups...yet

However, I can't rely on the 2TB drive, either, since it still loses connections at indeterminate times! It may stay connected for a week, then it fails to come on line for a couple of power cycles! In other words, it is undeniable!!

I've sent a message to Seagate...looking forward to a satisfying solution. When it worked, it was great: had two 1TB partitions, one for TM and one for SuperDuper... But now the iMac has a 1TB drive itself. May be less than optimum size now, even though the SD backup really doesn't need so much space.
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB hd
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2011, 10:21:03 AM »
Got this "supportive" message from Seagate:
QUOTE
Please note this drive is designed to be installed internally in a computer.  Unfortunately, we are unable to support an internal drive installed externally in this or any other external enclosure.  If you feel there is a problem with the drive itself, it is available for warranty replacement, which does not expire until 08/11/2015.  However, you may experience the same issue if the drive is replaced, because it may be relating to a connectivity issue in the unsupported installation.

If you are able to install this drive internally in a Windows or Mac computer we would be happy to assist you with any issue you may experience in that supported, proper installation for an internal drive.[emphasis added]
Am I the only one thinking this is a non-answer? doh.gif
"Yeah, we will honor the warranty (should we be able to prove it is a real problem with the drive [otherwise, it will be return with a shipping charge]). Oh, and good luck getting anything to work in an enclosure! wink.gif"

Update: Seagate won't support use of their drives in a third-party enclosure (two different ones). OWC claims a drive is a drive and they won't honor anything but their own warranty. So neither company will take responsibility for my trusting what is posted on their two different sites; one claiming that the drive will work in an external enclosure the other never making that statement. OWC won't take the Seagate drive in a swap for a similar Hitachi model since it's way past the 30-day refund period. Seagate tech suggested I attach via USB 2 and see if the connection is more reliable. rolleyes.gif If I wanted a slow drive, I wouldn't have paid for a 7200rpm model... wallbash.gif

I suppose I could argue with everyone at both companies and generate lots of 'heat' and eventually some 'light.' In the mean time, I won't have a reliable backup system. I have had good dealings with OWC. I have never bought a Seagate drive before. I will probably buy from different companies immediately and work on the old hardware through selling them for their 'supported' uses.

Life must go on... smile.gif But, more than ever, don't believe everything you read on the interwebs! laughhard.gif
« Last Edit: August 22, 2011, 02:15:23 PM by Xairbusdriver »
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Offline gunug

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« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2011, 12:41:41 PM »
QUOTE
If you are able to install this drive internally in a Windows or Mac computer we would be happy to assist you with any issue you may experience in that supported, proper installation for an internal drive.

I suspect that they want to be told it's "inside" the machine and diagnostics (if only the S.M.A.R.T. status) tell categorically that it's bad!  They're kind of stubborn about that kind of thing.  Thinking.gif  I think they'd better honor their warranty if you're using the drive as a prop for a short leg of a wobbly table; otherwise some people might think there is reason not to buy their drives!
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB hd
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2011, 02:05:34 PM »
I'm doing quite a bit more research after confronting the behavior of Seagate. I notice that even Hitachi uses the word "internal" in describing its bare drives. But they also list compatible "Host Controller Chipsets" (SATA capable motherboard or controller card) with these three among dozens of others:
    Oxford OXUF934DSB
    Oxford OXUFS936DS
    Oxford OXUFS936QSE
I'm off to search the use of these FireWire chip sets to see if any computer maker includes them in the actual machine or if, as I suspect, they are only used in external enclosures...at least I'm hoping that's the case.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2011, 02:07:39 PM by Xairbusdriver »
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB hd
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2011, 07:48:26 PM »
Not sure which Oxford chip set is in this adaptor but for $20 and a few minutes of driving, it may be the cheapest solution. Several reviewers (at Amzon) clearly demonstrated that this little adaptor can work with any SATA drive. It's designed to fit Seagate FreeAgent enclosures (that's what the little plastic poles are for-they fit into holes in the enclosure). But the only real 'connection' is the standard multi-pin SATA and power plug. This adaptor uses a combined male plug instead of the normal two-piece plug that are used in 'normal' enclosures. At least I will be able to tell if the drive will be reliable or if I want to fight for some refunds... dntknw.gif
<Seagate - FreeAgent GoFlex FireWire 800/USB 2.0 Desktop Adapter>
[attachment=2295:FireWire..._Adaptor.gif]
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Offline Paddy

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« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2011, 08:26:17 PM »
You did notice that it said Mac 32-bit only for that adapter?
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB hd
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2011, 07:21:02 AM »
Uh, no... Not even sure what difference that makes. The adaptors fit Seagate drives up to 3TB so the addressing should not be a problem and that should be handled by the OS, anyway. It may mean the chip set (Oxford 9xx) can't handle a 64-bit word/address? Or it may mean a decrease in speed as a large sector address must be split into two 'words'? Even at a 25% speed decrease, it will be faster than a complete loss and a restart.

I'll see if I can determine that fact with my "friends" at Seagate before spending the 20 bucks. But as it is now, the whole drive is unreliable at ten times the cost! Nor am I inclined to pay to have it installed in either this or the old iMac. At least I can trust those HDs to work because of their newer ages and no know problems to date. wallbash.gif

I certainly thank you for your keen eyesight, however. DETAILS, Details, details... wacko.gif

Without doing the actual math conversion, the Seagate tech claims 32 bits can handle 2TB addresses. He was extremely courteous and searched for anything that might be helpful. But he declined to send me a Mac Pro in which to install the Barracuda. rolleyes.gif I may also connect via USB2 and see if it is more reliable, even with the slower speeds it would be usable as it is primarily only used for scheduled backups not virtual memory.

"A fool and his $20 are soon parted!" eek2.gif
« Last Edit: August 23, 2011, 09:49:55 AM by Xairbusdriver »
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB hd
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2011, 10:00:24 PM »
Well, it's not pretty, but I can hide a lot of stuff behind the 27" iMac! wink.gif So far, the Seagate Adaptor has been operating perfectly for about six hours. I had to swap its power source to a different one on the UPS but it now goes to sleep when the iMac does. More importantly, it 'wakes' up with the iMac, also. Of course, without any kind of enclosure, there is no fan and absolutely no noise!
[attachment=2296:front_view.jpg]
Front
Note power/sleep light
a very pleasant, slightly bluish-white

[attachment=2297:left_sid...of_drive.jpg][attachment=2298:right_si...of_drive.jp
]
Left side | Bottom of drive - - - Right side | Top of drive

[attachment=2299:close_up..._timbers.jpg]
The Timbers!

I plan on staining the 'timbers' to match the desk. Or maybe just a flat black... Thinking.gif
The tape will need to be replaced with something more lasting but with less sticky mess. The large sheet metal is the 'tray' used for installing the drive in the last enclosure, it will also be removed for esthetic reasons. rolleyes.gif

I'm going to leave everything as is and let the iMac turn itself off in a few minutes and see if things all come back on in the morning. Then, several close observations watching for any lost connections. :fingerscrossed: Paranoid.gif
« Last Edit: August 23, 2011, 10:01:57 PM by Xairbusdriver »
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB hd
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2011, 07:54:41 AM »
Automatic shutdown and restart and we're still "A-OK!" Although there are some pretty dense, lightening-filled storms about an hour out... eek2.gif
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Offline gunug

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« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2011, 08:04:09 AM »
I "love" your pictures and your engineering standards!  smile.gif   I have had issues with minimal "firewire" adapters in the past but mainly they were with the difficulty in maintaining the connections in the face of vibration and other environmental factors.  I can remember Steve Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar Ink publication once had a build your own computer system that used an aluminum cake pan that they bent and formed into a support for the single board computer and the "floppy drive" unit that kind of loosely wrapped around the whole thing!
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2011, 08:38:00 AM »
I was slightly surprised when I actually saw the adaptor. In all the images I'd seen, there appeared to be three 'posts' that fit into 'holes' in the Seagate "FreeAgent GoFlex®" enclosures. In reality, the 'posts' are quite thin 'tabs.' Of course, dropping any HD can lead to failures but not usually with the 'mounting.' There are a small metal spring/clips on either side of the SATA/power plug that probably help hold the adaptor to the enclosure. dntknw.gif

Another advantage of this arrangement is the smaller desk footprint. :thumb up: I still haven't decided on what kind of tape to use...maybe camoflage style would help 'hide' the bare drive? laughhard.gif scram.gif
[attachment=2300:duct_tape.jpg]
[attachment=2301:Duct_tape_forever.jpg]
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Offline chriskleeman

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« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2011, 09:33:48 AM »
I love the tape! toothgrin.gif

CK LOL.gif clap.gif
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Offline daryl66

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« Reply #12 on: August 24, 2011, 09:46:33 AM »
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Aug 23 2011, 10:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm going to leave everything as is and let the iMac turn itself off in a few minutes and see if things all come back on in the morning. Then, several close observations watching for any lost connections. :fingerscrossed: Paranoid.gif


Our old buddy "RUBE"  would be very proud of you.

Daryl harhar.gif
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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« Reply #13 on: August 24, 2011, 11:28:13 AM »
QUOTE
I love the tape!
What tape?! You mean you can actually see it? eek2.gif It's genuine Scotch® Matte Finish Magic™ Tape! It's supposed to be invisible!!! rant.gif
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Offline gunug

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« Reply #14 on: August 24, 2011, 06:16:08 PM »
QUOTE
It's genuine Scotch® Matte Finish Magic™ Tape! It's supposed to be invisible!!!

You probably need to return it because it's defective! rolleyes.gif
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