Another problem with my 7k250

[Vapor]

Really starting to get pissed off with this drive. Anyway, I got it running and formatted, etc.

Now that I'm starting to put some data onto it, I'm noticing HORRENDOUS performance. CPU utilization is north of 90% and write rates are no more than a few MB/sec.

I have not installed IAA yet. Nor have I tested read speed yet (still waiting for the files to finish writing).

It is the only drive on the Primary IDE channel on my motherboard and the jumpers are set to Cable Select.

Damn Rambus.

 

[Vapor]

Okay, now the drive is no longer recognized by Windows. Also ran the Hitachi diagnostic tool with a test quoted to take 30 min, mine took well over an hour and a half. RMA time?

Damn Rambus.

 

[Toejam31]

You must have a parallel model of the drive?

<A HREF="http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/d7k250/d7k250jum.htm" target="_new">Deskstar 7K250 Jumper settings</A>

I'd first rejumper the drive as a Master instead of Cable Select, make sure it is correctly auto-detected in the BIOS, and then, if the drive shows back up in Windows, first install the <A HREF="http://developer.intel.com/design/software/drivers/platform/" target="_new">Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility</A> version applicable for your mainboard ( the latest version is 5.00.1012), next ... check the DMA settings for the IDE channels in the Device Manager, reboot, and <i>then</i> install the Intel Application Accelerator. You'll get better results.

The key here is that if the BIOS recognizes the drive, there is a much lower likelihood of physical damage, test or no test. You might also have a bad cable. And choosing Cable Select really isn't a good option for jumpering; not with an regular IDE cable.

It might also be necessary, for the drive to be correctly detected in Windows, to remove the IDE channels from the Device Manager, and allow Windows to reinstall them with default drivers ... which should also allow Windows to redetect any devices on the cable, although you'll probably need to reboot twice for this to happen.

If the Drive Fitness Test doesn't detect anything wrong with the drive, but it only is detected intermittantly in the BIOS ... you might need to flash the BIOS to a newer version for stability.

That's the best I can do without more system specifications.

Toey

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[Vapor]

I rejumpered to Master awhile ago, forgot to say. Still recognized in BIOS, but not in Windows (actually, I haven't been able to do anything to get it rerecognized in Windows [Device Manager will recognize it as "Disk Drive" {not the model number as it did for awhile} every so often]).

Of note is that the computer will not boot past my Promise PCI bios's screen if I connect it to the card (Fasttrak S150 TX2+). Tried doing all that software stuff you listed (which took FOREVER, anything that accesses the drive takes forever to complete), was not recognized anymore and I still can't test performance because of it. Drive is also cold to the touch unless I run the DFT. Can't hear the drive over the fans that I have.

I tried all the cables I have, none offer any better results.

I have the newest BIOS for my motherboard (seems that it upgraded my 850E to 860 chipset, too).

Here are my specs:
p4B 2.66
Iwill p4r533-N, BIOS: p4r0902 (newest, September 2, 2003)
1GB PC1066 RDRAM
Promise Fasttrak S150 TX2+
2x 36.7GB Raptors in RAID0
120GB WD 7200RPM drive on Channel 3, device 1 of the Promise card
80GB Maxtor 7200RPM drive on Channel 3, device 0 of the Promise card
Liteon DVD-ROM
Memorex 52x24x52x CD-RW
GeForce 4 Ti 4400
Soundblaster Audigy
noname floppy
lot of fans
Fortron 550W PSU
and a problematic Hitachi 7k250 (IDE, not SATA)

Damn Rambus.

 

[Vapor]

Alright, I was playing with it a little and got the drive to recognize, but performance was still horrible. IAA was still killing my boot times, so I got rid of it. But I wasn't going to stand for 4MB/s performance.

I tried putting it on my PCI card again, still won't boot. At this point I'm just going to ask Hitachi or newegg for an RMA.

Oh yeah, I tried my 80GB Maxtor and my 120GB WD on the mobo IDE, they work perfectly fine (no problem with my motherboard).

Any other ideas?

Damn Rambus.

 

[Toejam31]

All that's left, I think, is to try and attempt a low level format of the disk, and then repartition and format, all while connected to the Promise card ... if you want to use it on the PCI card, instead of directly connected to the mainboard.

There can sometimes be unusual problems if a drive is formatted while using the mainboard IDE controller, and then the device is moved to a PCI card.

If that doesn't work, I'd send the drive back, and stick with a brand and known model that functions well with the card.

I don't know why that adding the IAA would increase your boot time, especially with an i850E chipset. Most of the time, it functions flawlessly, and increases performance. I've been using the v2.22 of the driver for many months, without any issues whatsoever. Very odd, that. But I've seen stranger things happen while using ordinary programs and devices with Iwill boards. I've used a few in the past, and although they look great, and often have many nice features, they also tend to be problematic, and Iwill support is nothing to write home about. I recall having one board in stock that shipped with a BIOS that proved to be incompatible with WinXP, and it took the company over a year to write a stable BIOS version ... and <i>that</i> was released for a newer revision of the board, and not the one I had already purchased. Two RMA's, and I finally got a working board, but I never trusted the company again, and finally just gave the board away. I think it's sitting in a Packard-Bell box, somewhere in Alabama, happily running AOL, and collecting dust.

Just something for you to consider while you wrestle with strange issues, and different combinations of hard drives.

Toey

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[Vapor]

I'm just gonna RMA it I think. I had no real intention of putting it on the PCI card, it was just another way to test the drive.

As long as the 250 isn't installed, IAA does its job, with no increase in boot time. All the more pointing at an error with the Hitachi.

IAA was great before I upgraded the HDD part of my system, ran perfectly before the PCI card, the 7k250, 2x Raptors. I agree that Iwill really isn't that great in terms of support. Their different websites (location based) don't all have the same information either. Took me forever to find out that the latest BIOS for my mobo (and the only update that supports 48-bit HDDs) is only on the international site. When I emailed a tech about where to find the update (before I knew it was on the international site), took them forever to reply and they weren't so nice.

Do you know much of Hitachi's RMA process, namely how long it takes?

Damn Rambus.

 

[Toejam31]

I wish I could tell you something about Hitachi's support, but I'm out-of-the-loop on their products. I quit buying IBM/Hitachi drives back when the IBM 75GXP and 60GXP Deathstars began dying in droves, and I've bought nothing but Western Digital, Maxtor, and Seagate ever since. And I get my drives through a local distributor, which means I rarely find myself in a position of needing to speak to a tech support rep, or wade through the automated answering systems. It simplifies a few things, if you know what I mean. I get shipments in on Mondays and Thursdays, and if something doesn't work, it goes right back out.

I'm sure that there will be several folks on the forum who will be interested in hearing about your experience with Hitachi (good or bad) after the RMA is finished, and you've got a new device in hand. Something like this can be a deciding factor when someone is searching for a new drive, and wishes to have information for comparison's sake.

Personally, I am fond of Western Digital's RMA process, and the company usually responds within a reasonable length of time. You also aren't required to furnish an error code during the RMA, which is a nice touch, since the Data Lifeguard Tools are mostly junk, and sometimes only work once per test. Then you have to reformat the floppy disk, and start over from scratch.

Such is life.

Hope the new drive works better than the old one.

Toey

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