Dell sent a REFURBISHED 60GB HD replacement for my i8600 ...

[kwo]

Hey all!

I've just bought a Dell Inspiron 8600 and have had a 'ticking' issue with the 40GB Hitachi Hard drive

See this thread for more details.

Anyway, I just wanted to get some feedback about the "replacement" I was sent.

Dell sent a *REFURBISHED* *60GB* Hitachi to replace the 40GB Hitachi that is currently in my system.

I can't decide whether to try the refurbished 60GB (and get the extra 20GB) or complain about getting a refurbished drive delivered for my ~1 week old laptop.

I'm just *very* nervous about how a hard drive is refurbished.......

any thoughts?

 

[LordPhoenix]

Try the refurbished out and see how it goes. If it works it works and if it breaks you replace it again.

 

[HermDogg]

Yeah, see if it works, if it don't you send it back with a note saying, "HEY! I payed for a new hard drive, now give me a new bloody hard drive! And then get your ass back in the kitchen, and make me some PANCAKES!"

Hope this helps

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Originally posted by: kwo
Hey all!

I've just bought a Dell Inspiron 8600 and have had a 'ticking' issue with the 40GB Hitachi Hard drive

See this thread for more details.

Anyway, I just wanted to get some feedback about the "replacement" I was sent.

Dell sent a *REFURBISHED* *60GB* Hitachi to replace the 40GB Hitachi that is currently in my system.

I can't decide whether to try the refurbished 60GB (and get the extra 20GB) or complain about getting a refurbished drive delivered for my ~1 week old laptop.

I'm just *very* nervous about how a hard drive is refurbished.......

any thoughts?

Refurbished means its failed at least once already. Not exactly an ideal replacement for a new laptop. And an extra 20 GB means nothing if it fails again.

Get a new drive.

 

[vegetation]

Don't be so paranoid. Refurbished may simply be due to a pull on a customer return that had no problems, but since was used they scrapped the system for parts. May have up to 30 days of wear and tear on it. No big deal.

 

[jvarszegi]

'vegetation' is the voice of reason. Dell wouldn't send out a hard drive that's already failed-- it would just mean more work and loss for them down the road. Faulty hard drives are always scrapped. Refurbished in this case probably means exactly what the man says-- it was taken from a return, etc. If I were you, I'd keep the larger drive. By the way, what are the RPM specs on the old and new refurbished drive? If it also spins faster, you're really getting a good deal.

Even if you've had hard drives fail in the past, one thing you should remember is that drives these days are worlds better than ones from five or ten years ago. Keep in mind that even your old one didn't strictly fail-- it made annoying noise, which prompted you to replace it. In your worried state, you may think that it's a possibility that this refurbished drive will fail right away. Chances of that are really miniscule.

 

[kwo]

OK,

This has me confused..I put it in today (both are 5400rpm Hitachi drives - identical, I think except for *supposed* capacity).

Anyway, I find that they've formatted this 60GB as *ONLY* a 40GB drive. I checked under fdisk, and it sees a 60GB drive, but for some reason, they only did their typical 3partition format:

1. Non-DOS (~40MB partition)
2. NTFS C: system partition (~35GB)
3. CP/M "Hidden" system restore partition (~3.5GB)

Yet, In between 2 & 3 is an extra 20GB of **UNFORMATTED** disk space. What the.....?????

This had me concerned that perhaps there were some bad sectors or something on the disk. I'll tell you, I'm *NOT* going to take a disk that has bad/failed sectors.....

How would I test rigourously for that?

Anyway, what I did is create a partition using up that unformatted capacity (~20GB) and ran chkdsk /f /r on it. It reports no bad sectors, but how accurate is that, really?

So, I'm now even more confused - I'm tempted to just wipe the whole thing, set up my typical partition scheme, and reinstall my ghosted partitions from my 40GB....but well, maybe I'm just being paranoid..

*WHY* would they send out a refurbished 60GB hard drive as a 40GB partitioned hard drive if there was *nothing wrong* with the other 20GB???? Are they that careless? Or am I being played for a fool?


(BTW, thanks for all the replies everyone!)

:?

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Originally posted by: kwo
OK,

This has me confused..I put it in today (both are 5400rpm Hitachi drives - identical, I think except for *supposed* capacity).

Anyway, I find that they've formatted this 60GB as *ONLY* a 40GB drive. I checked under fdisk, and it sees a 60GB drive, but for some reason, they only did their typical 3partition format:

1. Non-DOS (~40MB partition)
2. NTFS C: system partition (~35GB)
3. CP/M "Hidden" system restore partition (~3.5GB)

Yet, In between 2 & 3 is an extra 20GB of **UNFORMATTED** disk space. What the.....?????

This had me concerned that perhaps there were some bad sectors or something on the disk. I'll tell you, I'm *NOT* going to take a disk that has bad/failed sectors.....

How would I test rigourously for that?

Anyway, what I did is create a partition using up that unformatted capacity (~20GB) and ran chkdsk /f /r on it. It reports no bad sectors, but how accurate is that, really?

So, I'm now even more confused - I'm tempted to just wipe the whole thing, set up my typical partition scheme, and reinstall my ghosted partitions from my 40GB....but well, maybe I'm just being paranoid..

*WHY* would they send out a refurbished 60GB hard drive as a 40GB partitioned hard drive if there was *nothing wrong* with the other 20GB???? Are they that careless? Or am I being played for a fool?


(BTW, thanks for all the replies everyone!)

:?

Well, if you didn't pick up on any bad sectors when you scanned it, it should be good to go. Sounds like they just had a refurbished 60 GB lying around and decided it was more economical to send you that than a new drive. They probably just set up some partitions to match your replaced drive, as the average PC user wouldn't even notice the difference.

As I said in my former reply, I tend not to trust refurbished hardware, especially when its something as sensitive as an HD. Yes, there are less serious reasons for returning a drive, but there are also very serious ones and you've got no way to tell the difference. But hey, if it works out for you, seems to me you're getting a good deal.

 

[govtcheez75]

Dell has marked all of their boxes that they ship replacement parts for as "refurbished" to cover their tail after some lawsuit. Most likely, the part that's inside these boxes are NOT refurbished.

 

[kwo]

Originally posted by: govtcheez75
Dell has marked all of their boxes that they ship replacement parts for as "refurbished" to cover their tail after some lawsuit. Most likely, the part that's inside these boxes are NOT refurbished.

Really? Where did you find that out? I'd like to think this is new.....

Ran

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

I work (at times ) for a company that provides technology solutions for pharmaceutical companies. We deal in fairly large quantities (1000's) of identical systems at a time for a client new-hardware rollout. If, say, a laptop arrives with a bad screen, any SKU'd item from it that remains in service is considered "refurbished", although its really brand-new.

On another note, often in the manufacturer's warranty information there is language to the effect that any item replaced by the manufacturer may be refurbished.

 

[toshgeek]

So Ran, Did your clicking noise GO AWAY with the new (maybe refurbished) 60 gig hard disk.
If so , what is your conclusion.
a) All Hitachi models do not make ticking noise
b) The problem is not related to Hitachi drives. It is the driver/firmware problem
c) The probelm may or may not go with new drives.

How many days you have to return the old one. I would assume play with both drives for sometime to see which is "more reliable"

I also ordered the 8600 and got last week. I was surprised to find out the ticking noise. Mine is 80 gig Hitachi disk. I called Dell last Friday night. The rep asked me to run diagonostics.
She asked me to remove hard disk and then power up. To check if the drive is indeed making noise. After 45 minutes, and after threatening to send the laptop back to return with 21 days, she told
they will send the replacement. I asked if they can send Toshiba or other brand hard disk. Told only exact replacement will be sent.

My question is whether the problem will disappear or not. One thing I noticed, if I load Linux the clicking noise does not come. This leads me to believe something in windows triggering it.

If i install win xp pro, will it go away ?

 

[kwo]

Originally posted by: toshgeek

My question is whether the problem will disappear or not. One thing I noticed, if I load Linux the clicking noise does not come. This leads me to believe something in windows triggering it.

Now that's weird. Or maybe not. I'm not convinced this is necessarily a harware "problem" more of a hardware "annoyance". Whether the heads are seeking,parked or doing the twist...I just don't want to hear them.

Originally posted by: toshgeek
If i install win xp pro, will it go away ?

.....I'm running XP Pro, so I don't think the "version" of Windows will alter anything....


Beyond formatting that extra 20GB and checking for errors, I haven't done anything else with it. I'll put my stuff on tonight and start listening.....

 

[toshgeek]

Originally posted by: kwo

Now that's weird. Or maybe not. I'm not convinced this is necessarily a harware "problem" more of a hardware "annoyance". Whether the heads are seeking,parked or doing the twist...I just don't want to hear them.

How do we know it is not a problem. Anything concerning hard disk noises make me paranoid. I have had an IBM hard disk crash after crash till they told it is a defect and replaced my hard disk. Apparantly all hard disk with some specific serial numbers were prone to some erratic behavior,

Any moving mechanical parts are prone to failure. This click click noise may accelerate it. If it is 5 year old, I will not care. But the sound is coming from a brand new 4 day old machine.

 

[GimpyOne]

I'm not sure if it is related, but I noticed these same sort of repedative clicking noises after I had had my 8600 for a couple of days. Although, I had to have my ear withing about 2in of the hard drive to actually here it.

One of the things I did was disable index servicing for the hard disk. (Like I actually care if I can search the thing 2sec faster, the fewer services the better)

I haven't heard a noise from the hard drive since. If I actually place my ear against the case I can hear it reading and writing, but that's it. So I wonder if this clicking everyone is paranoid about is due to windows checking the hard drive frequently for new files. As a laptop hard drive will try to park it's head constantly to prevent damage and lower power consumption as I understand it, this could be the cause.

Just my half cent worth.

 

[toshgeek]

Originally posted by: GimpyOne

One of the things I did was disable index servicing for the hard disk. (Like I actually care if I can search the thing 2sec faster, the fewer services the better)

I haven't heard a noise from the hard drive since. If I actually place my ear against the case I can hear it reading and writing, but that's it. So I wonder if this clicking everyone is paranoid about is due to windows checking the hard drive frequently for new files. As a laptop hard drive will try to park it's head constantly to prevent damage and lower power consumption as I understand it, this could be the cause.

Just my half cent worth.

Can you tell how did yoy disable index servcing. If tis is the cause, this should cause problem for all notebooks running Win XP right? or is it the combination of xp and Hitachi drive that cause this problem.
What side effect it has when you disable index servicing? I will try out this later in the day.

BTW, I called Dell and they will be sending me a new hard disk.

 

[kwo]

Originally posted by: GimpyOne
I'm not sure if it is related, but I noticed these same sort of repedative clicking noises after I had had my 8600 for a couple of days. Although, I had to have my ear withing about 2in of the hard drive to actually here it.

One of the things I did was disable index servicing for the hard disk. (Like I actually care if I can search the thing 2sec faster, the fewer services the better)

I haven't heard a noise from the hard drive since. If I actually place my ear against the case I can hear it reading and writing, but that's it. So I wonder if this clicking everyone is paranoid about is due to windows checking the hard drive frequently for new files. As a laptop hard drive will try to park it's head constantly to prevent damage and lower power consumption as I understand it, this could be the cause.

Just my half cent worth.

That's a good idea - however I've disabled indexing from the getgo (created an unattended Install CD with that permanently disabled).

I'll have to agree with Toshgeek, however in that if that was the case - then all should do it.....then again, this may get back to hardware where other manufacturers just "park their heads" more quietly...

Ran

 

[JasonK]

Ive been thro this problem before, recently newer 600m, 40gb hitatchi, same ticking crap. Called up dell, requested a fujitsu 40gb. Recieved it, labeled refurb. Runs fine no ticking. The funny thing is ive been through this same exact problem 3 years ago on my inspiron 8100. 20gb hitachi drive. Had that replaced with an IBM (before buyout) Ticking went away. Seems like hitachi still has not figured out what on earth is causing the ticking/head parking problem. Anyways the newer/refurb fujitsu drive I received is working fine. Dont think its refurb really though cause it has a manufacture date of Sept 04 on it. Hope this helps

 

[toshgeek]

Jason:

How did you convince Dell to send a different brand HD,
I called Dell and they would not listen to my request. I had a 80 gig Hitachi disk
and they are sending the same type of disk to me again. Shipped yesterday.
So I am keeping my fingers crossed. They told they cannot send a different brand of HD and
would send only the same type as came in original laptop.

If the parking tick noise continues, do you think I should return the whole damn thing
back and go for a different brand. I am leaning in that direction. (I am still under 21 days policy).

ALso when you returned the hard disk back, does Dell send you a prepaid box to send the stuff back
or do you pay for shipping/insurance etc. Let me know how the return thing works

thanks

 

[toshgeek]

BTW I tried to disable index servicing, disable write back cache for teh hard disk, nothing solves the problem.

Oh well .... LIfe is full of headaches..

 

[kwo]

Well,

I think I'm going to cave. I received this "refurbished" (with a Sep. '04 build date) 60GB and finally put it in last night.

I reformatted the drive to delete their junk and recover the other 20GB, then "ghosted" back my partitions from the 40GB and ran it last night and today.

It has a "different" softer click noise (not like the 40GB tick) which is still noticeable in a quiet room but not as noticeable....

And, ...well.....now I've got an extra 20GB!

So, I think I'm going to keep this one and just thank God for the extra 20GB!

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix

Originally posted by: kwo
Hey all!

I've just bought a Dell Inspiron 8600 and have had a 'ticking' issue with the 40GB Hitachi Hard drive

See this thread for more details.

Anyway, I just wanted to get some feedback about the "replacement" I was sent.

Dell sent a *REFURBISHED* *60GB* Hitachi to replace the 40GB Hitachi that is currently in my system.

I can't decide whether to try the refurbished 60GB (and get the extra 20GB) or complain about getting a refurbished drive delivered for my ~1 week old laptop.

I'm just *very* nervous about how a hard drive is refurbished.......

any thoughts?

Refurbished means its failed at least once already. Not exactly an ideal replacement for a new laptop. And an extra 20 GB means nothing if it fails again.

Get a new drive.

7 out of 10 hard drives are not hardware failures, but image/software based in nature - yet they get sent back to the manufacturer under warranty replacement.

There's generally nothing wrong with getting a "refurbed" drive.

 

[toshgeek]

Originally posted by: kwo

It has a "different" softer click noise (not like the 40GB tick) which is still noticeable in a quiet room but not as noticeable....

Can you better qualify the sounds you are getting. regarding the newer softter click noise , how often
are you getting it. every second. every two seconds.

can you also run Cntl-Alt-Dell - click performance and tell how CPU utlization goes.

 

[JasonK]

They overnite the new hd to you via airborne express. I like how fast it arrives. I basically demanded a fujitsu brand because I told them I have been through this whole ticking thing with my other 8100 20gb hitachi. Support from india said they will put it in the notes. And as noted they sent me a fujitsu instead. Dam hitachi drives suck imo, the ticking thing is caused by the head parking. The last drive did it roughly every 10 minutes. Firmware upgrade does nothing, or sometimes makes it happen even more often.

Inside the new box they send you, is a shipping label you wack on the box to ship your ticky one back.

 

[kwo]

Originally posted by: toshgeek

Can you better qualify the sounds you are getting. regarding the newer softter click noise , how often
are you getting it. every second. every two seconds.

let's see....it's sort of like, "TssssK....<random # of clicks ranging from 1 to several>.....Tssssk"

Is that any better?

...maybe I'll hold my microphone above it and try to save a sound file..

can you also run Cntl-Alt-Dell - click performance and tell how CPU utlization goes.

Umm...nope. not sure what Ctrl-Alt-DELL is.....