External Hard Dives and more chinese junk

[JD]

About 18 months ago I bought an Advent computer - IT CAME FROM CHINA -
and a couple of months ago it went belly up. The video disappeared
because the video card was built into the Foxconn motherboard and it
died. Now the computer is dead. I tried to add a video card without
success. My Sony monitor is now 7 years old and is as good as the day it
was made.

One year ago I bought an external SATA box, inserted a SATA drive, and
it worked. I used it for several days. Since then I have used it about 3
times but, 10 days ago, that SATA box with cable and electronic crap
died. Now I can't get my data from that SATA drive. MORE CHINESE JUNK.

Anyone have suggestions?

TIA

 

[Paul]

About 18 months ago I bought an Advent computer - IT CAME FROM CHINA -
and a couple of months ago it went belly up. The video disappeared
because the video card was built into the Foxconn motherboard and it
died. Now the computer is dead. I tried to add a video card without
success. My Sony monitor is now 7 years old and is as good as the day it
was made.

One year ago I bought an external SATA box, inserted a SATA drive, and
it worked. I used it for several days. Since then I have used it about 3
times but, 10 days ago, that SATA box with cable and electronic crap
died. Now I can't get my data from that SATA drive. MORE CHINESE JUNK.

Anyone have suggestions?

TIA

Price around for a replacement motherboard, same model number ?

That might be a place to start.

*******

On the SATA box, the most likely explanation is a bad power supply.
Followed by a bad disk. But a bad disk, you'd expect warning
symptoms first. While the power could die in an instant.

On the SATA box, you check customer reviews for the product, and
see what failure modes were popular on it. Maybe those enclosures
just aren't very reliable.

If you carefully remove the drive from the enclosure, you can
test it on some SATA equipped computer (as an internal drive).

Paul

 

[John McGaw]

About 18 months ago I bought an Advent computer - IT CAME FROM CHINA - and
a couple of months ago it went belly up. The video disappeared because the
video card was built into the Foxconn motherboard and it died. Now the
computer is dead. I tried to add a video card without success. My Sony
monitor is now 7 years old and is as good as the day it was made.

One year ago I bought an external SATA box, inserted a SATA drive, and it
worked. I used it for several days. Since then I have used it about 3 times
but, 10 days ago, that SATA box with cable and electronic crap
died. Now I can't get my data from that SATA drive. MORE CHINESE JUNK.

Anyone have suggestions?

TIA

Well, you could stop buying anything from China. While you are at it you
could boycott items with Chinese parts and Chinese materials. Hey, if you
are doing that you might as well include Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea,
the Philippines and all of those other untrustworthy Asians -- they all
look the same to most westerners and you might confuse them with Chinese.
Better include Japan too; they are notorious for for something or other
although I forget what at the moment. BUY NOTHING BUT GOOD HONEST
AMERICAN-MADE COMPUTERS WITH All-AMERICAN COMPONENTS! ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!

 

[JD]

Price around for a replacement motherboard, same model number ?

That might be a place to start.

*******

On the SATA box, the most likely explanation is a bad power supply.

Not in this case - a 750W Corsair.

Followed by a bad disk. But a bad disk, you'd expect warning
symptoms first. While the power could die in an instant.

The hard drive always started up after the I clicked the on button,
but I could not see anything on the drive.

On the SATA box, you check customer reviews for the product, and
see what failure modes were popular on it. Maybe those enclosures
just aren't very reliable.

You are right on:

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&gs_n..._pw.r_qf.&fp=5b00dd9cdcea452b&biw=964&bih=684

If you carefully remove the drive from the enclosure, you can
test it on some SATA equipped computer (as an internal drive).

Will try that with the ASUS.

Paul

Hello again Paul,

You really are a pal I am fed up with the Advent and won't wait
any longer.

Many months ago I bought a 750W Corsair power supply, with a 5 year
warranty, and an ASUS motherboard 9.5" x 12". It is ASUS M4A 88TD-V
EVO/USB3. You were in on that when I first stated on that motherboard.
I'll have another try at getting this going and I am sure I will have
more than a few woes

Will keep you advised and have a great weekend.

 

[JD]

Well, you could stop buying anything from China. While you are at it you
could boycott items with Chinese parts and Chinese materials. Hey, if
you are doing that you might as well include Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia,
Korea, the Philippines and all of those other untrustworthy Asians --
they all look the same to most westerners and you might confuse them
with Chinese. Better include Japan too; they are notorious for for
something or other although I forget what at the moment. BUY NOTHING BUT
GOOD HONEST AMERICAN-MADE COMPUTERS WITH All-AMERICAN COMPONENTS! ACCEPT
NO SUBSTITUTES!

That is a very good thought. Will bear it in mind. Taiwan is a very good
choice. No more China for me.

 

[SteveH]

JD laid this down on his screen :

About 18 months ago I bought an Advent computer - IT CAME FROM CHINA - and a
couple of months ago it went belly up. The video disappeared because the
video card was built into the Foxconn motherboard and it died. Now the
computer is dead. I tried to add a video card without success. My Sony
monitor is now 7 years old and is as good as the day it was made.

One year ago I bought an external SATA box, inserted a SATA drive, and it
worked. I used it for several days. Since then I have used it about 3 times
but, 10 days ago, that SATA box with cable and electronic crap
died. Now I can't get my data from that SATA drive. MORE CHINESE JUNK.

Anyone have suggestions?

TIA

Yeah, get rid of all your computer kit and get an abacus, as you're
plainly too stupid to own a PC.

 

[philo]

About 18 months ago I bought an Advent computer - IT CAME FROM CHINA -
and a couple of months ago it went belly up. The video disappeared
because the video card was built into the Foxconn motherboard and it
died. Now the computer is dead. I tried to add a video card without
success. My Sony monitor is now 7 years old and is as good as the day it
was made.

One year ago I bought an external SATA box, inserted a SATA drive, and
it worked. I used it for several days. Since then I have used it about 3
times but, 10 days ago, that SATA box with cable and electronic crap
died. Now I can't get my data from that SATA drive. MORE CHINESE JUNK.

Anyone have suggestions?

TIA

Just about everything is made in China

and if it isn't it still has Chinese parts in them.

The quality is generally just fine.

 

[H.W.]

BUY NOTHING BUT GOOD HONEST
AMERICAN-MADE COMPUTERS WITH
All-AMERICAN COMPONENTS! ACCEPT
NO SUBSTITUTES!

I only buy computers with Mercedes, Audi and BMW components.
Simply the best. ;-)

H.W.

 

[JD]

JD laid this down on his screen :

Yeah, get rid of all your computer kit and get an abacus, as you're
plainly too stupid to own a PC.

I'm glad to hear that YOU are learning your A B C..... and 1 2 3...

 

[JD]

Just about everything is made in China

and if it isn't it still has Chinese parts in them.

The quality is generally just fine.

How many External Hard Dives have you bought and found to be crap?

 

[larrymoencurly]

About 18 months ago I bought an Advent computer - IT CAME
FROM CHINA - and a couple of months ago it went belly up.
The video disappeared because the video card was built
into the Foxconn motherboard and it died. Now the computer
is dead. I tried to add a video card without success.
My Sony monitor is now 7 years old and is as good as the
day it was made. One year ago I bought an external SATA box,
inserted a SATA drive, and it worked. I used it for several
days. Since then I have used it about 3 times but, 10 days
ago, that SATA box with cable and electronic crap died. Now
I can't get my data from that SATA drive. MORE CHINESE JUNK.
Anyone have suggestions? TIA

Foxconn motherboards are supposed to be decent quality, but some companies don't assemble their computers too carefully, so the motherboard may eventually short to the case. Power supplies vary greatly in quality (JonnyGuru.com ), and some companies install cheap ones, even in their higher performance computers.

I've seen some Chinese circuit boards that were horribly soldered, like this one inside a Bytecc USB 3.0 external drive enclosure. For some reason, it was decided that the voltage from this AMS1117 regulator chip had to be increased from the normal 1.25V to 1.30V by tilting it slightly to make roomfor a couple of adjustment resistors on its pins:

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2931/lm1117adjresistors.jpg

Also its non-certified AC power adapter blew out (diode and transistor shorted), and when I took it apart I found that its 3-wire grounded AC cord wasn't grounded to anything inside:

http://www.fatwallet.com/static/attachments/197818_spp34_5.jpg

It had a lot fewer parts than a similar (actual) capacity UL approved unit and apparently no overvoltage or overload protection.