Delayed Write on 2nd Drive

[Guest]

Good day and thank you for reviewing this post.

Hardware in use: Barracuda 7200.7 160GB Seagate
Win XP desktop test computer
SATA to IDE adapter
IDE to USB adapter

Note that I have used the SATA to IDE and the IDE to USB adapters before -
numerous times.

I have pulled this Barracuda drive from a machine that was not booting up
due to a missing config file in order to run some tests on the hard drive. I
have done this many times before with no problems on other hard drives.

On this drive, however, the computer recognizes the drive and even goes
through all the balloons to tell me hard disk ready to use. Fine. All
normal so far.

On this one, though, shortly after all things are fine, I hear a sqeak from
the drive under test and then I get this delayed write error.

I have been reading through this community and other places, but each of
these situations are in regard to the drive in use on the machine .. in this
case it is a drive under test.

I am fairly knowledgeable regarding computers in general, and am an
electronics technician .. I have checked all my hookups and verified twice.

I'd at least like to get on this drive and copy off my important data files
so I can reformat it w/o worry. But even better, I would like for this
delayed write thing to go away.

Have you any suggestions? I certainly appreciate it.

Have a wonderful day and thank you for your help.

Don in Tucson
AizA

 

[Frank]

http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&q=delayed+write+&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

 

[Richard Urban]

Any noise coming from the hard drive, other than the heads flying back and
forth as they read/write, is NOT a good sign. Download the drive test
utility from Seagate and test your drive with it. You should then know if
the drive is failing. Get it here: http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

On Sat, 6 May 2006 23:34:45 -0400, "Richard Urban"

Any noise coming from the hard drive, other than the heads flying back and
forth as they read/write, is NOT a good sign.

True. HDs do not always fail gradually, through a progressive
increase in bad sectors, and SMART's thresholds are so lax the drive
can rot away before it raises the alarm even when progression is slow.

0) Do NOT write to any at-risk disk or file system!
1) Evacuate data ("cherry-pick" from OS that doesn't write to HD)
2) Evacuate entire HD (e.g. BING image backup)
3) Test HD, e.g. www.hdtune.com (SMART, temp, surface tests)

On (1): If NTFS, use Bart PE; can use that for (3) too. If FATxx and
< 137G, you can also use DOS mode with Odi's LFN Tools (LCopy) and
Scandisk surface scan for (3), as long as file system is OK.

The main rules here, are:
- get data off, then diags; HD may die in a few minutes
- cherry-pick first; half a partition image is no cigar
- see step (0), which makes WinME and XP unsafe (SR etc.)

---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

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[Guest]

My follow ups:

As for the Google search -- I had done that before I came here ... I have to
admit, for the most part they confused me, but I did try checking the drivers
for my disk controllers and they say they are good. (That seemed to be a
prevailing concept throughout most of the google returns)

As for the last two posts:

I would be PLEASED as punch to remove the data and just toss or reformat the
drive ... the problem is ACCESSING the drive. I have even attached it as a
second hard drive into my own system and it is not recognized. (First HD is
SATA, too). So I cannot access this via USB as external nor can I access it
internally. It BEGINS to act as if it is going to be accessible, then the
delayed write shows up and it goes away.
Let's assume for just sake of argument that the drive is not bad ... if it
is bad, I know what I have to do .. I would like to see if I can get this
thing to register on My Computer. I do not mind installing it as Drive #2
internally or using my USB external connection ... am I missing some setting
or something here? I can handle all the fixing once I get it to register on
My Computer .. any ideas here, folks?
I truly appreciate the time you guys have taken. Thank you for your help.

Don in Tucson
AizA

 

[Richard Urban]

If the drive can not be accessed, even for testing with the manufacturers
test program - it is either dead or the IDE controller is defective! Could
also be defective cables to the drive.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!