Advanced Format Samsung F4 HD204UI with Windows XP

[Alusan]

I'm ready to jump on one of these drives, but I'm still using Windows XP, and I don't have the option to set up the hard drive in Vista/7 first. I know that the EARS Western Digital drives give you a jumper to align the sectors for XP, but these drives don't seem to be the same. I've seen conflicting anecdotes online about this Samsung drive working fine with XP or being crippled in some way, but is this Advance Format Align Tool what I'll want to use to get it working properly? I would just install the drive, boot up in Windows, and use this program to format the drive instead of using Disk Management?

 

[bryanl]

It's easier and faster to just create aligned partitions in the first place. Windows 7 and Vista will do that, or you can use a 3rd party tool, such as Gparted (run from self-booting Linux live CD or DVD): http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php

The Samsung HD204UI drive needs a firmware patch to prevent loss of write data when an Identify Device command is issued: http://www.samsung.com/global/system...550HD204UI.EXE

 

[Alusan]

Thanks, I didn't know about the firmware issue. I forgot to mention that I'll just be adding this drive to my existing setup, but I'll still boot using Gparted live.

So I'll apply the firmware patch and then format using Gparted live, with the starting sector of the partition set to 1M and "Round to cylinders" unchecked. That should do it? Or should the patch be done after formatting? I'm always a bit worried about setting up hard drives.

 

[sub.mesa]

Sounds like a good plan, and it shouldn't really matter whether you do the partitions or the firmware fix first; i would start with the firmware.

I share the recommendations with bryanl.

 

[Alusan]

Thanks guys, I've got it set up now, and speeds seem to be fine for me.

Do these look about right? They're a pretty big increase from the 1TB drives I have.

I suppose I'll run Samsung's ESTool diagnostic tests to see if the firmware flash worked.

 

[eapg]

Could you please post the exact details of Gparted live how you partitioned the drive?

Also, did you change any jumper settings?

 

[sub.mesa]

Take special note that if you use the jumper, and align your partition properly, you will have a MISALIGNED partition instead. Do not both use the jumper and an aligned partition; either the jumper + misaligned partition or no jumper + aligned partition.

I recommend you never use the jumper on the EARS drives, its a crude fix that introduces new problems, such as aligned partitions being misaligned because of the jumper. Do not use the jumper instead align your partition!

Just boot Windows 7 and create partition; DONE! Then install Windows XP to it. If you don't have Windows 7 then you can use a free MagicParted/GParted livecd to do this for you. Make sure the first partition starts at sector 2048 or 1MiB offset. Each sector is 512 bytes.

 

[andy2004]

Hi I've just bought well yesterday infact one of these drives, the drive itself isnt going into my pc, its going into a external enclosure/case, and I am running windows XP and have no intention of upgrading to windows 7.
After reading the above i'm not too happy about Samsung selling these drives with the ability to LOOSE peoples data if thats the case by a simply Identify Device command, as if you use everest/aida64 would mean everytime it was run whilst the drive is connected would result in a loss of data.
And no one in the computer shop where i bought the drive even said it had a issue, let alone anything about it being a advanced format drive, or needing to be formatting using windows vista/7 or anything else.

I believe samsung should be held accountable for selling drives THIS BAD,
considering the fact i didnt know of the issue until i decided to google formatting to advanced format, and found this page discussing the problem.
How many people are going to be really annoyed (keeping it clean what i really think 6 letters begins with P end in D, another word for drunk) when they loose the data they have moved onto the 2tb for safe keeping.
As I am at reading this.

As i am currently moving the data from a bad drive read/write errors onto the 2tb drive and have no other drive to put it on, so backing up is NOT A OPTION. i guess i can not use the PATCH to fix the issue.

note: the link posted above for the patch no longer works.
http://www.samsung.com/global/busine...bbs_msg_id=387

ok found this info on another forum, and it has a link to a freedos cd containing the patch.

LOL... I just used that bootable ISO that you are speaking of with FreeDOS and the patch included... I did 4 drives in 10 minutes... very easy and very fast.

For anyone else looking go here http://********/pw6id to download and follow these instructions:


- download the file
- burn it on a CD
- boot your PC from the CD
- chooe 1) "continue to boot from FreeDos"
- chose 1) "install to harddisk using FreeDos"
- chose your desired language
- chose "run FreeDos from CD"

Now you should get the prompt x:

- type "HD204UI" and press enter

http://forum.qnap.com/viewtopic.php?f=182&t=34201&start=210
for the original post and download link, took a min to run the cd and apply the patch.
after i had to change my hdd from sata300 to sata150 using ESTOOL 3.01