My external, 2TB Time Machine drive started 'acting up' a few weeks ago. Repaired it with Disk Utility a couple of times. Had to use DiskWarrior a few times.
I thought it was the combination OWC Voyager 'enclosure' or a failing OWC miniStack enclosure or a lose FW cable or the power outage a few weeks ago (even though these things are on a UPS). Busy doing other things...
Finally, last Wednesday morning, the TM drive refused to mount or take a swift kick on its derrière. As I kept playing the part of the Pet Shop clerk, I kept repeating the above possibilities. Alas, the drive was, indeed, "nailed to its perch"!
Good news; no need to buy another enclosure or FW cable!
Bad news? Called OWC who said, "That's a bummer! But you'll have to talk to Western Digital about the 5-year warranty". The old 'man-in-the-middle' dodge! Oh well, it's not OWC's fault!
Went to the WD site, registered the drive (bought back on Feb 23rd) and they agreed it was well within their 'Limited Warranty'. And they didn't even mind that I was a tad late in registering... I eventually filled out their RMA form (used their 'Advanced' procedure), got the mailing label and dropped it off at the closest UPS Store. They promised delivery by the next day for $11.16! I expected to get the replacement by next Monday (10/24).
However, the 'Advanced' procedure lets them put a hold on your CC for a small amount, they get notified when you drop off the dead drive and they ship the replacement as soon as that happens. It was well before the pickup time for UPS (in Louisville, KY!), so my replacement met the aircraft Wednesday night! The drive was on my doorstep by 5:45pm Thursday... while SWMBO and I were out for dinner. No one in the house went to the front door until about 10:30pm
Friday!
That's when I finally deciphered the tracking display and figured out what "Delivered" meant!
The process was very quick! Unfortunately, the notification system was less than perfect. Apparently, WD expects the customer to do the checking of a less-than-perfectly-clear page at their end. I should have simply used the UPS tracking site, even though it was a little unusually formatted...
Best news? My 2TB dead drive was replaced with a 4TB drive!
I still need to double-check when the warranty starts/stops. However, even if it uses the date of the dead drives purchase, I'll still have over 4 years left!
What did I learn (the hard way)? Use one of the duplicate/spare 1TB CarbonCopyCloner drives to back up the dying drive before it becomes a boat anchor! Probably should get larger CCC back up drives, now. Even a 2TB TM backup on the new 4TB drive probably won't fit on a 1TB drive, even if I compress it! More useful may be to pared down stuff on the TM drive when something is over a year old? Reminds me, I got stuff to clear out of the attic...
