Seagate HDD Won't stay awake?

[bennyd]

Have a 3 TB Seagate HD that used to be an external but decided i'd rather just have it in the case, but now, I can't stop the thing from going to sleep and it won't wake up when I want to access data, I have to reboot... Quite annoying... I've tried the seagate software but when i go to set the drives sleep time, there is no options in the list...

I'm assuming the drive test fails because it's not in the enclosure as there are LED settings and such in the seagate dashboard.

Let me know please! Thank you guys!

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, bennyd.

Perhaps it might have something do with the enclosure as you've already mentioned, however, there's still some things you could try. I'd advise you to try the drive with different SATA cables and a different port, to see if the same thing happens. It wold be even better if you could give it a try with a different computer as well, just to compare how it behaves when it's connected to a different system.

Other than that, you could take a look at the power settings for the power plan you're currently using and make sure that under Hard Disk > Turn Off Hard Disk it is set to "never".

You've mentioned that the drive fails tests, are you referring to diagnostic tests and if this is the case, would you please post the results here. If the HDD is having issues, the first course of action should be to backup any important data which you might have on it, just to be on the safe side.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[smorizio]

in windows make sure you go under device manager...usb hub/usb ports turn off power savings there and make sure under power settings profile ....set hard drive to sleep to disabled.

 

[bennyd]

The only thing I've not done from the above is change the power settings on the usb hub/ports, I didn't think that would be required as the drive is no longer used as a USB device.

Boogieman, the drive failing tests that I was talking about, Seagate Dashboard has a test button, however, I believe the test is doing things with the LED's and such which are longer present and therefor can't be tested causing it to immediately fail the test... The drive is there and seems to work perfectly fine for whatever I decide to do with it, I use it as file storage, and if I run out of room on my other drive to install games, i will and have installed and played games from the drive. It happens randomly, the sleeping thing. I will mention that I was running an active game install/download to that drive when I went to sleep as I live in the sticks and am stuck with a complete crap whopping 1.5mb/s DSL line... So, sometime after I went to sleep the drive went to sleep and I had to wait another 6 hours through the day for the damn install to finish downloading... RATHER ANNOYING! To say the least!

Thank you for your responses, hopefully we can get this thing figured out... Also Boogieman, I have had this drive in my old machine and also this new machine that I built. Same thing happens.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

I see. Well if the same thing happens no matter which computer you try it with, then it definitely seems like it's the drive. Unfortunately I can't figure out what could be causing that. Perhaps you could check the manufacturer's website for a firmware update solution to this problem.
Other than that, I would recommend that you test the drive with a regular diagnostic test (short/generic/long or whatever it is called by the specific tool), just to be on the safe side regarding the health of the HDD.

 

[bennyd]

Well I didn't mean to pick your post as a "Best solution." That was a miss click. Sorry about that. I'll check around and see what I can come up with.

Thank you guys.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

No worries, I've unselected it. Let us know what you find out.

 

[bennyd]

Haven't found out anything... However, I'm currently in the process of installing Xubuntu Linux and going to attempt GPU passthrough for a Windows Gaming VM. I'll see if the drive reacts any different under Linux... I was also going to format it, however my 3rd drive doesn't have enough room to keep everything backed up that I don't want to lose so I'm not sure... I may see if I can't slim down on some things to make it fit for a format..

 

[Boogieman_WD]

This is a good idea. I usually tend to suggest that (format) as a last resort if there's data, as I personally hate installing and moving everything back to the drive afterwards and assume the users won't much more willing to that, than me. However, it would be even better if you could completely move everything you might need, out of that drive and write zeros on it, to see anything changes after wards. You can go more back to basics than a completely wiped drive.

On the other hand I'm a bit concerned that this might be related more to the drive's firmware rather than an issue which might be fixable by a format. Anyway, I hope you that you'll prove me wrong.

 

[bennyd]

Well, I haven't had much time at all to screw around with this issue, as I'm going to be moving and what-not soon, funerals, and other life crap. However, I'm just going to call it a day and get myself a new HD after I move...

I picked up a second SSD off of a buddy of mine that didn't have a need for it, so after the move I'll be re-doing all of my partitioning and formatting and such, OS's on the 128gb SSD, then apps and other stuff on the 256gb SSD, storage on a western digital black 2 TB(or other if maybe you've got another recommendation).

 

[Boogieman_WD]

I'm sorry mate. :\

The setup you're planning on sounds fine and perhaps starting from scratch is a good idea. Just remember to have only the SSD you are installing Windows to, connected to the motherboard during the installation process, whenever you decide to do that. You might want to give it a try with the old drive and the fresh OS, to see if the issue still persists.
As for the WD Black drive, this is our performance model and even though it's a great drive, it might be a bit of an overkill for regular storage, but if it fits your budget, I don't think you are going to regret it with its 5-year warranty.

Please let me know if you have any questions whatsoever when the time comes.

Good luck!