Disappearing HD

  • Thread starter Thread starter DrSardonica
  • Start date Start date
D

DrSardonica

I have a pair of WD Caviars on a ATA Promise card. For some reason one of
them is playing PEEK-A-BOO!

During normal operation, usually without my noticing (there's no pop up
warning etc.) one drive just vanishes. It does not appear in the Device
manager or in the Disc List or Explorer.

I usually shut down, jiggle a few cables and reboot....its back again.
Windows discovers it as a new drive.

any ideas?
 
Loose power connector perhaps? I don't mean it's not plugged in fully - I
mean the tube part of the contact itself might be loose. Sometimes the metal
in these connectors has very little "spring" in it. One or two mating cycles
and it opens out.
 
There was a firmware update on the WD web site for the JB's (I think) having
this kind of problem in a raid array.... may be worth a look.

Dunska.
 
Shane G said:
There was a firmware update on the WD web site for the JB's (I think) having
this kind of problem in a raid array.... may be worth a look.

Dunska.
Click to expand...

thanks for the tips...It happened again today. I bought a new IDE cable for
it today, changed the power plug and changed it from slave to master. The
Slave is a DVD burner (Pan. AO6).

I got into the Event viewer and found this sequence of 3 Events apparently
starting with the DVD player. Does this indicate anything more than the
obvious.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: atapi
Event Category: None
Event ID: 5
Date: 1/20/2004
Time: 11:25:43 AM
User: N/A
Computer: HOME
Description:
A parity error was detected on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
SNIPPED

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Disk
Event Category: None
Event ID: 11
Date: 1/20/2004
Time: 11:25:44 AM
User: N/A
Computer: HOME
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk0\D.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
Snipped


Event Type: Error
Event Source: PlugPlayManager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 12
Date: 1/20/2004
Time: 11:26:27 AM
User: N/A
Computer: HOME
Description:
The device 'WDC WD2000JB-32EVA0'
(IDE\DiskWDC_WD2000JB-32EVA0_____________________15.05R15\4457572d414d484536
3138353133_033_0_0_0_0) disappeared from the system without first being
prepared for removal.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 00 00 ....
 
I wonder if your power supply is getting overloaded? What wattage is it?

What do you have in your PC apart from 2 big HD and a DVD burner? CPU MHz=?
Memory=?

Sometimes power supplies get a bit noisy when loaded up close to their
limit. When a drive springs into life it's power consumption rises and that
might be spiking the power supply. That can cause corruption on data busses
(eg parity errors).

If your PSU is big enough...Do all your drives have their own power cable
from the PSU or have you had to add some Y adaptors?

Colin
 
I think you're right.....all has been quiet since I made the changes (new
cable, new power plug, and changed from slave to master.) but my next go
will be at the power supply. Its a 400 watt now but I got a lot running.
 
Back
Top