Returning Drive to Maxtor

[Hopeful]

Recently I've had 2 drive fails on me, both Maxtors. One a 200GB PATA
DM Plus 9 drive which now just makes rapid seeking noises followed by a
loudish thud/click and lockups (I've given up trying to get data from
this drive). Checked online guarantee and its outside .

However I have also got a 250GB Maxline II Plus SATA drive which while
it hasnt failed (it even passes Maxtors own tool PowerMax) does suffer
from extremely sporadic bouts of corruption (tested on 3 different SATA
controllers). This drive is still in guarantee (original supplier has
gone bust) and I was wondering if it was worth shipping this off to Maxtor?

Will they accept drives without a "failure code" generated by PowerMax?

Am I likely to just get the drive shipped back to me with "no fault
found" as the corruption is so sporadic (sometimes goes for days without
sign of a problem) then they might not find fault.

I'm in the UK so shipping would be to Maxtor Europe, if that makes any
difference (anyone have experience of returning a drive to them?).

 

[steve]

I'm in the UK so shipping would be to Maxtor Europe, if that makes any
difference (anyone have experience of returning a drive to them?).

A few years ago a Maxtor drive failed on me. I found a Maxtor
freephone number in the UK. The woman who answered said she would send
a returns pack to me. It never arrived. Eventually I gave up and
chucked the drive in the bin. Do a search for a Maxtor free phone in
the UK. You may get a better response than I did.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Recently I've had 2 drive fails on me, both Maxtors. One a 200GB PATA
DM Plus 9 drive which now just makes rapid seeking noises followed by a
loudish thud/click and lockups (I've given up trying to get data from
this drive). Checked online guarantee and its outside .

However I have also got a 250GB Maxline II Plus SATA drive which while
it hasnt failed (it even passes Maxtors own tool PowerMax) does suffer
from extremely sporadic bouts of corruption (tested on 3 different SATA
controllers). This drive is still in guarantee (original supplier has
gone bust) and I was wondering if it was worth shipping this off to Maxtor?

Will they accept drives without a "failure code" generated by PowerMax?

You do not get an RMA number without and they will likely
send the drive back without even opening the package....

Am I likely to just get the drive shipped back to me with "no fault
found" as the corruption is so sporadic (sometimes goes for days without
sign of a problem) then they might not find fault.

Are you sure the problem is in the disk? If the data is corrupted, but
you dont get an error message that implicated the disk, then the
problem is very likely somewhere else, e.g. in your RAM.

I'm in the UK so shipping would be to Maxtor Europe, if that makes any
difference (anyone have experience of returning a drive to them?).

Yes. Maxtor Europe is in Ireland, as far as I remember. If you
have an error code, there are no issues, except that they
ship via UPS and UPS has a fee close to extortion for them doing
the customs fomalities. That should not apply to you, but
I am in swizerland and tha customs idiocity (warrantly
replacements are free crom customs fees, but UPS refuses
to believe that...), makes returning drives definitely not
worthwhile for me.

Arno

 

[Odie]

Recently I've had 2 drive fails on me, both Maxtors. One a 200GB PATA
DM Plus 9 drive which now just makes rapid seeking noises followed by a
loudish thud/click and lockups (I've given up trying to get data from
this drive). Checked online guarantee and its outside .

However I have also got a 250GB Maxline II Plus SATA drive which while
it hasnt failed (it even passes Maxtors own tool PowerMax) does suffer
from extremely sporadic bouts of corruption (tested on 3 different SATA
controllers). This drive is still in guarantee (original supplier has
gone bust) and I was wondering if it was worth shipping this off to Maxtor?

Will they accept drives without a "failure code" generated by PowerMax?

Am I likely to just get the drive shipped back to me with "no fault
found" as the corruption is so sporadic (sometimes goes for days without
sign of a problem) then they might not find fault.

I'm in the UK so shipping would be to Maxtor Europe, if that makes any
difference (anyone have experience of returning a drive to them?).

"Hopeful"

Any dealings with Maxtor should be treated with the same attitude as
purchasing a lottery ticket.

You take your chances, and you hope for the best.

However, if you don't fancy your chances, I'd be prepared to pay you £20
each for those hard drives as spares.

This will go some way toward an alternative for you, such as Seagate.

I'm also in the UK.


Odie

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

You do not get an RMA number without and they will likely
send the drive back without even opening the package....

Right.
Obviously no point in replacing a completely dead drive that's under warranty.
Or a drive used in an obcure system that doesn't support running PowerMax.

He is so clever our, Arnie.

 

[Al Dykes]

Recently I've had 2 drive fails on me, both Maxtors. One a 200GB PATA
DM Plus 9 drive which now just makes rapid seeking noises followed by a
loudish thud/click and lockups (I've given up trying to get data from
this drive). Checked online guarantee and its outside .

However I have also got a 250GB Maxline II Plus SATA drive which while
it hasnt failed (it even passes Maxtors own tool PowerMax) does suffer
from extremely sporadic bouts of corruption (tested on 3 different SATA
controllers). This drive is still in guarantee (original supplier has
gone bust) and I was wondering if it was worth shipping this off to Maxtor?

Will they accept drives without a "failure code" generated by PowerMax?

Did you apply for an RMA on the Maxtor website? If the web site says
the drive is still on warranty and accepts the code as proof of
failure then I've never heard of a drive RMA being refused, assuming
the drive isn't physically damaged.

Read the fine print for packing and shipping instructions. They have the
right to refuse your RMA if they don't think it's packed correctly.

Am I likely to just get the drive shipped back to me with "no fault
found" as the corruption is so sporadic (sometimes goes for days without
sign of a problem) then they might not find fault.

I'm in the UK so shipping would be to Maxtor Europe, if that makes any
difference (anyone have experience of returning a drive to them?).

The American web site is very specific. I'd assume your's is, also.

 

[Al Dykes]

Right.
Obviously no point in replacing a completely dead drive that's under warranty.
Or a drive used in an obcure system that doesn't support running PowerMax.

Powermax has a provision for making a bootable CD or floppy, no?

That may be x86-specific and require a test system CD or a floppy but
that covers 95% of the desktop world, and more now that Apple has
switched to x86 architecture.

I don't know what alternative vender would do any better for people
not included in the above list.

 

[Garfield]

Al Dykes as usually completely missing the point but still finds it ne-
cessary to give a posters reply address away in the attribution line.

Powermax has a provision for making a bootable CD or floppy, no?

And this helps you how exactly on a system "that doesn't support running PowerMax".
Or a drive that is completely dead.
(Note absence of question marks).

That may be x86-specific and require a test system CD or a floppy but
that covers 95% of the desktop world,

So to hell with the rest.

and more now that Apple has switched to x86 architecture.

Which will do a lot of good to all who don't have it yet.

I don't know what alternative vender would do any better for people
not included in the above list.

Accepting that a drive is dead and that it needs replacement irrespective
of what system it is used in? Other drive makers have no problem with that.