OS locking up w/HD lamp on

[edwinn.maps]

Have installed two ST31200 Seagate ATA/100 drives and now get Win2k
Pro, SP4 lockups which leave the front panel HD access lamp on, also
with stuttering audio in Winamp. Sometimes with physical C:\ lamp on
and other times with F:\ drive stuck. Even weird bluescreens!!

Please post any / all suggestions to troubleshoot or remedy.


-edwinn

 

[Rod Speed]

Have installed two ST31200 Seagate ATA/100 drives and now get Win2k
Pro, SP4 lockups which leave the front panel HD access lamp on, also
with stuttering audio in Winamp. Sometimes with physical C:\ lamp on
and other times with F:\ drive stuck. Even weird bluescreens!!

Please post any / all suggestions to troubleshoot or remedy.

If the drives are on one ribbon cable, try another cable.

 

[edwinn.maps]

If the drives are on one ribbon cable, try another cable.

thanks.. here is the situation:


Mainboard (IDE

IDE ports:
Port-0 80 Western Digital (Master) F:\
Port-1 120 Seagate (Cable Select) G:\
120 Seagate (Cable Select) H:\


Mainboard (SCSI

U2W 9GB Cheetah C:\
9GB Cheetah D:\


The Seagate ATA/100 must be in Cable Select mode or OS won't start!


-edwinn

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

thanks.. here is the situation:

Mainboard (IDE

IDE ports:
Port-0 80 Western Digital (Master) F:\
Port-1 120 Seagate (Cable Select) G:\
120 Seagate (Cable Select) H:\

Mainboard (SCSI

U2W 9GB Cheetah C:\
9GB Cheetah D:\

The Seagate ATA/100 must be in Cable Select mode or OS won't start!

OK, try another ribbon cable and not one of the non compliant round ones
either.

 

[edwinn.maps]

(e-mail address removed) wrote







OK, try another ribbon cable and not one of the non compliant round ones either.

Got it.. the reply was slightly ambiguous as to `another cable´ like
another port or simply replace the existing cable. It might even be
the 7 y/o C:\ drive is failing because I get SO MANY different failure
modes, i.e. Blue screens, F:\ bad blocks, C:\ lamp stuck, loud
clicking, locks when saving to H:\ ..it's so weird!! I'm even
thinking of changing out Cheetah C:\ and reinstalling the OS.


-edwinn

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

Got it.. the reply was slightly ambiguous as to `another cable´
like another port or simply replace the existing cable.

Yeah, like a lot of ambiguitys, that one wasnt obvious to
me until you said that. I meant swap the cable for a new one.

It might even be the 7 y/o C:\ drive is failing

Oops, missed that, didnt notice that wasnt one of the Seagates.

because I get SO MANY different failure modes,
i.e. Blue screens, F:\ bad blocks,

You shouldnt be getting that and that wont be a bad cable.

C:\ lamp stuck, loud clicking,

From which drive ? Thats bad news, thats the drive recalibrating,
usually means the drive is dying, tho it can be just getting too hot.
Its possible all the drives are getting too hot if you have them all
mounted adjacent in the 3.5" drive bay stack without enough airflow
over them. See what Everest says about the SMART drive temperatures
and post the full Everest SMART report on each of the drives.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

Thats not likely to be a bad ribbon cable.

locks when saving to H:\ ..it's so weird!! I'm even thinking
of changing out Cheetah C:\ and reinstalling the OS.

Yeah, worth trying if the drive temps and other SMART data is fine.

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

I get SO MANY different failure
modes, i.e. Blue screens, F:\ bad blocks, C:\ lamp stuck, loud
clicking, locks when saving to H:\

You've got 5 drives, including a couple of power hungry Cheetahs. Is
your power supply up to snuff?

 

[edwinn.maps]

(e-mail address removed) writes


You've got 5 drives, including a couple of power hungry Cheetahs.
Is your power supply up to snuff?

It's Dell 610 workstation with a 4-bay HD compartment and a 3-bay 5"
front accessory space. It came with 10k SCSI drives but the additional
HDs are ATA/100 and use less power. I think it's cables.. however now
suspect that Winamp 2.81 is the common denominator in all the lockups,
been taking drives offline one-at-a-time to check for stability. Ever
wonder if MS does things to promote their own `players´ by reducing
the compatibility of other software? However the MAIN SCSI drives are
7 years old!! Three drives have locked (on different buses) C:\, F:\,
and H:\


-edwinn

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

Mike Tomlinson (e-mail address removed) wrote

It's Dell 610 workstation

Those arent exactly notorious for having monster power supplys.

with a 4-bay HD compartment and a 3-bay 5" front
accessory space. It came with 10k SCSI drives but
the additional HDs are ATA/100 and use less power.

Sure, but it wouldnt take much effort to unplug what you dont
need for normal ops and see if those problems go away. One
of the simpler tests for where the problem might be.

I think it's cables.. however now suspect that Winamp
2.81 is the common denominator in all the lockups, been
taking drives offline one-at-a-time to check for stability.

I'd take most offline at once for a quick check of the power supply.

Ever wonder if MS does things to promote their own
`players´ by reducing the compatibility of other software?

Nar, thats always been a conspiracy theory. It wont be that.

However the MAIN SCSI drives are 7 years old!!

The age doesnt matter except that those
Cheetahs are rather power hungry.

Three drives have locked (on different buses) C:\, F:\, and H:\

Yeah, thats significant and does make its unlikely that a cable is the
problem.

Its not too clear exactly what you have on each drive but it
would be worth trying without the cheetahs plugged in to see
if the problem is that the power supply cant handle everything.

 

[edwinn.maps]

(e-mail address removed) wrote


Those arent exactly notorious for having monster power supplys.

Will check the specs.. here's a view with the front cover off.

http://home.comcast.net/~g-abbey/drive_box.jpg

The horizontal bay is designed for 4 SCSI drives with a terminated
4-connector U2W ribbon going across.

Sure, but it wouldnt take much effort to unplug what you dont
need for normal ops and see if those problems go away. One
of the simpler tests for where the problem might be.


I'd take most offline at once for a quick check of the power supply.

Will check all of the cables and move to a different SCSI port. Best
to use END connectors (near termination) or ones closer to mainboard?

Nar, thats always been a conspiracy theory. It wont be that.


The age doesnt matter except that those Cheetahs are rather power hungry.


Yeah, thats significant and does make its unlikely that a cable is the problem.

Worse yet.. it almost never leaves an entry in Event Viewer.

Its not too clear exactly what you have on each drive but it
would be worth trying without the cheetahs plugged in to see
if the problem is that the power supply cant handle everything.

Yeah.. but the Cheetah is C:\ with the OS. You're talking about
reinstalling the OS then.

-edwinn

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

Will check the specs.. here's a view with the front cover off.

The horizontal bay is designed for 4 SCSI drives with
a terminated 4-connector U2W ribbon going across.

Will check all of the cables and move to a different SCSI port. Best
to use END connectors (near termination) or ones closer to mainboard?

It doesnt matter for this sort of test.

Worse yet.. it almost never leaves an entry in Event Viewer.

Yeah, that's quite common with that lockup with the drive light on
situation.

Yeah.. but the Cheetah is C:\ with the OS.
You're talking about reinstalling the OS then.

Not if you have an IDE which you dont care
about the contents of, just clone it to that.