Gulp! Is it Going to Die?

I have had two instances now of my M6810 hanging and the HD just clicking repetitively [:0]

The was just like the one and only instance I had of HD failure in a desktop system last year.

Having been through this experience before my heart sinks to think I might be without my "play-center" while on assignment here in Israel...damn it is doing it again....I'm sure it is going to fail [ ]

Has anybody else experienced this? (HD failure)

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Well that's 3 times now...

I think I'm going to have to buy a spare HD just in case it fails - maybe time to grab a 7200rpm drive - can't be without this over here!

And suggestions regarding the hanging and clicking?

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Looks like I'm getting a new HD then from Technical support..which in one sense is good news but what a pain in the ar$e [ !]

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Well - I've had the machine up long enough now to burn some backups of my files and transfer some of my downloads.

I have a sneaking suspicion that running the notebook 24/7 is what has caused the problem in the first place.

Are notebook drives not built to run 24/7? We used to leave our cheapo Dell notebooks on at the office all the time with no sign of any problem...

This M6810 has been on continuously since perhaps September 19th so that's about 4 weeks (apart from reboots etc).

It must be time to stop using Edonkey2000 I assume..if it wasn't so slow it would not be on 24/7 either [ ]

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Here's a version of the 7200 rpm Hitachi drive that *is* designed to be run 24/7...

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=100519-1

Plug it in, go fast.

 

I just came across this article: http://www.leog.net/fujp_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4530 there was a deal on the non "E" version for $123 (or so?) this past couple of weeks but I'm too late for it now! [ )]

I think I'll just utilise the emachines HD that they send and then wait until next year for the price of the 7200 drives to fall further. I would also prefer to increase the capacity of the drive too as well as having extra snap when opening programs etc [ ]

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Well that was very quick indeed!

Emachines estimated 5 business days to receive the replacement HD.

I notified them of the problem on Thursday and it arrived on Saturday via Fedex.

Excellent service! [ ]

Now I just need to start again [V]

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Hi gtd2000,
Yes, the clicking sound you decribe means that on of the sectors cannot be read and it keeps retrying to read it. When this happens it could just be a one time occurance. If you have a new drive try formatting the suspect drive and run scan disk. If there is just one or two bad sectors, then go ahead and use it as an offline backup drive and keep an eye on it. If there are many bad sectors then it may be dying an early death. As far as leaving the notebook on 24/7, that will usually make the drive live longer as long as it is not spinning down all the time and going into standby. This is because what hurts the drive the most is spinning up as the heads are dragging somewhat and this causes lots of wear.

Jack

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

So you suggest just leaving it on 24/7 in the meantime then?

I did remove a lot of file from the HD due to the fact that I'll have to send it back.

Emachines charges a $75 deposit for this HD replacement service but I'm wondering what the actual cost would be in total if I kept the drive...assuming that it is not FUBAR.

I'll give it a go then and see how it fares - if anything at least I'll get that UK TV series "Survivors" from the the 1970s downloaded [ ]

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

If yo want the drive to live as long as possible until you get a backup made (do it soon) then leave the notebook on and make sure the drive is set to not spin down when it goes into standby.

Jack

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

Well I'll find out when I get home soon if it is still running or not.

I originally had the drive set to "always on" but it is set to turn off afer 2 hours of being idle for now.

I've got all my important stuff saved on disk so that it is not a disaster if the drive actually fails. [ ]

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Well I finally cracked open the package from Emachines today and note that the drive is a Hitachi Travelstar (only a 4200rpm though...) and not the same Fujitsu that is currently in the machine.

Any opinions on the quality/performance of Hitachi vs Fujitsu notebook drives?

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

I would say the Hitachi drives are of a little higher quality than the Fujitsu, but if the drive that was originally in the notebook was faster than the 4200 rpm they sent you, then call them back and tell them you need a drive that is just as fast the the original, to not do this would be considered letting them downgrade you.

Jack

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

Hi gtd2000, I was just reading all the posts to this thread. You don't want the Hitachi drive that mecdave mentioned, it costs more is not what you want. You may think, hey it's a 24/7 drive made to be on all the time, but that not always a good thing. Sure they are made to be running 24/7, but not to go through all the spinup spindown cycles that notebooks usually go through in a day. The air-bearings on the heads are made to last that many start/stops.

Jack

"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" (Ben Franklin)
http://pbase.com/joneill

 

As far as I know the Fujitsu drive is also a 4200rpm drive.

I've not had any trouble at all with the Fujitsu drive since I deleted several files in anticipation of sending it back to Emachines though...[:I]

Sounds like it might have been a bad sector that was the problem.

I'm just considering keeping the drive they sent me and paying the $75 dollar charge for the replacement (+ postage costs) as this seems pretty decent for a 60GB notebook drive?

What do you think?

(Another reason I might just pay is that I am sure that I will not get the drive back to Emachines within the stated 15 days that they require the return to be made. It has already been about a 9 days since it turned up....)

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

I know I am not alone on this one. I had an HD in my HP go out as well...it was built by Toshiba (I just hate that HP and others use Toshiba drives in their computers. Nothing against Toshiba, but the irony is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife).

Hard drives are tricky items. The grand majority of them work well for years, and then, poof! They die on you. Some are defective right out of the case.

Once the prices of solid states come down in about FIFTY YEARS, that will be the way to go. Otherwise, invest a few more bucks in the 7200RPM drive and enjoy!

 

Well I am still running fine on the original drive and running the machine 24/7 yet again...[ ]

I'm actually considering a change to the Gateway upgrade with the DVD/RW driver.

I have a couple of people at the office that are interested in the M6810 so it would make sense as I'll be back over in the USA at the start of December - I just hope BB has some good rebate deals on the go at that time [ ]

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Also, after the HD upgrade, I plan on using the M6810 as a total desktop replacement (although I'll have my current desktop laying around incase of emergency). Can I just leave this thing on for months at a time like my current desktop, or will the notebook just burn out? I was thinking of just attaching my CRT monitor, mouse, and keyboard to it, and only using it as a notebook when I'm on the go.

 

I have the M6810 on order now. I want to grab that 7200RPM Hitachi Travelstar HD at the link above (is that even the right drive for this system).
Anyway,I want to install it before I start using the new M6810. What issues will I have with windows....will the system CD that comes with it work on a blank drive? The actual physical installation will be no problem for me. I'm just worried about software issues.

 

Tbones,
You should not have any issues with your machine using a newly formatted drive.

As far as I am aware the replacement HD that Emachines sent to me was actually formatted and I installed the setup program from the supplied DVD.

Personally, I'd recommend that you format and partition your drive with a separate copy of Windows XP. That way you know you have only the componenents that you need installed on the HD too.

I'm running XP Pro on this failing drive for now. And will revert to that on the replacement HD if I do not sell it before December.

Trouble is that I'm now set on the DVD burner and 80GB HD...[} ]

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be

 

Well the HD is in the final straight of its life I think...it starts to screech after a certain amount of time then everything slowly locks up!

Will be back in the USA on the 4th of December (with or without the m6810!) and sending the drive back to Emachines and hopefully getting a credit back to my CC for $75.

I was looking at the price of HD's on ebay and it appears you can sell 4200rpm 60GB drives for as much as $100!

If I sell the m6810 to one of my coworkers here I'll be up for the Gateway version at Best Buy hopefully.

Tell it like it is...NOT how it should be