HDD crashes frequently

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14.12.12, 22:38
Master Razor

HDD crashes frequently

I'm having a weird problem with one of my HDD. Last Saturday I replaced my computer case with a much bigger one that has a very good airflow.

I powered on the computer, everything was running ok and after several hours a crash occurred. It doesn't crash all the time but just sometimes. There are no reallocated sectors (ie. no bad blocks). DLC from WD and HDDTune confirm the drive is OK.
Could it be the low temperature that is causing this? My HDD's used to run at 30 - 40 degrees and now they're running at a max of 20.

Thanks.
14.12.12, 23:29
gu5t3r

Had that problem, eventually HDD DIES...Better backup as soon as possible...
14.12.12, 23:37
yoco

Weird problem indeed. Did you just replaced the case? And I'd take advice above. Better safe than sorry, trust me, talking from my own experience.
15.12.12, 00:17
Master Razor

HD Tune is going haywire before this freeze happens. Every SMART item is seen as unknown and says something like communications interrupted... On one of HDDs I got an error from Ultra DMA CRC Check. I know it means the cable is dead but can't be sure.

For now I replaced all SATA cables with some good ones. I pray that everything was caused by a defective cable.

Quote:

Did you just replaced the case?

Yes and also changed all SATA cables. I'm thinking it has something to do with it. Those cables were 3 years older than what I used before (came with a motherboard manufactured in late 2006).

LE: you're right. HDD is going down and I am going with it.
15.12.12, 11:44
yoco

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Razor

LE: you're right. HDD is going down and I am going with it.

:frown:
Did you make backups?
15.12.12, 13:14
DarkSaibot v.1.3.10

20 degree temp is a strange temp for a HDD..i have on mine even a radiator Deepcool Icedisk 100 and still don't reach 20 degree .still around 30-40
15.12.12, 17:16
Master Razor

Now it's running at 16 degrees. I'll start zero-ing out the HDD and maybe it'll run correctly.
17.12.12, 21:43
Master Razor

I really need all the suggestions I can get because I'm running out of ideas. Now here's the whole story:

A friend of mine gaved me a new PC case as gift along with some DDR2 RAM. Now, that memory came from a burnt motherboard.
My PC was working fine until I changed the PC case and RAM. Then everything went wrong.

Symptoms:
• HDD appears to turn on and off randomly. A shutdown sound is noticeable.
• OS freezes when the HDD is turned off. Can't move cursor, type in keyboard/ can't do nothing.

Things I tried:
• changed data SATA cables and power cables
• changed HDD
• changed SATA position (from 0 to 1 etc.)
18.12.12, 00:10
roberto1972

I heard that lifetime of SSD is 700 transfered itself size.
To clarify e.g. If You have 60GB SSD It can broke after transfered 42TB (700x 60GB).I think thats not much for traditional HDD (700 times).
18.12.12, 01:17
slikrapid

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Razor

My PC was working fine until I changed the PC case and RAM.

try isolating the problem by returning the PC to its previous state (when everything was working properly), then changing one component at a time and monitoring how it behaves (several hours or even days under different working scenarios)

from the former description sounds like a RAM problem (random crashes) or maybe the case power supply is not providing proper power for the HDD or for the motherboard (random HDD power-down)
18.12.12, 15:29
DarkSaibot v.1.3.10

you can try also to update bios ..maybe is some compatibility issues with RAM ...or the RAM has some problems gained by the burnt motherboard.

as slikrapid says you can try each component to see from where is the problem
20.12.12, 22:12
Master Razor

Quote:

I heard that lifetime of SSD is 700 transfered itself size.

Could be possible but I changed the HDD with a new one and it acts the same.

I have found one of the culprits (yes there are more than 1, sadly). It appears changing the SATA power cable did the trick. No more crashes, freezes anything. Yet sometimes the HDD is not responding but only for 1 - 2 sec.
Could it be the power supply? But why? I didn't change anything.
21.12.12, 15:26
Mihai

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Razor

Could be possible but I changed the HDD with a new one and it acts the same.

I have found one of the culprits (yes there are more than 1, sadly). It appears changing the SATA power cable did the trick. No more crashes, freezes anything. Yet sometimes the HDD is not responding but only for 1 - 2 sec.
Could it be the power supply? But why? I didn't change anything.

I a having exactly the same problem on my PC. And when I say exactly I mean it.
I start using the PC and when in windows or Linux, it sometimes freezes. All i can do then is use the mouse and wait until it unfreezes. I have noticed that when that happens the red HDD light is not on. And when I have a problem like that the light starts blinking from time to time, even when copying stuff on the HDD.

What I have tried so far:
-clean the HDD and do a fresh install of windows and Linux
-check the RAM with some RAM testing software(the one provided on the Linux disk)
-check the HDD for errors
-change the SATA cable

The only thing I haven't done is change the power cable for the drive which I will probably do. Also I have had this problem for more than 6 months and it seems it happens randomly.