Errors in hard drive how to test port? Hard Drive? ICH 5 ICH5 problems?????

[Vette73]

OK I have a NEW SATA Hard drive on a ICH5 sata port. I am getting errors on this way to much. I did a disk scan, the one included with windows, and it said 24GIG!!!! of a 160 gig hard drive was bad. So I format and it drops down to around 1 gig now.

Is there a better program to check the drive out itself and or the SATA port to see if it is a bad southbridge/port for the SATA???

 

[RabidPossum]

I wish I had a good answer, but I'm having the same problem (in a manner of speaking). I've been running two drives in a RAID 0 on the ICH5 SATA controller and every drive I've connected to the 2nd channel has died within a week of installation (I've killed 2 brand-new drives so far).

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: RabidPossum
I wish I had a good answer, but I'm having the same problem (in a manner of speaking). I've been running two drives in a RAID 0 on the ICH5 SATA controller and every drive I've connected to the 2nd channel has died within a week of installation (I've killed 2 brand-new drives so far).

Well I bought BOTH items new from newegg.com, so returning one is not the problem, I just rather not send BOTH back because I can't tell which it is.
I hate people that juts say, "Oh it ALL bad so just send it back...." with out testing it, esp memory and CPU's, things that are easy to test. But if no one has a answer by monday, I will just have to send both back.

Of course this is my FIRST intel computer. And I have been using computers since 286 days, and I never had a prblem with ANY amd, VIA, cyrix, etc... systems. But I also know it is NOT a CPU problem. Either a ICH5 problem or a hard drive problem. aarrggg!!

 

[swank121]

Download the diagnostic utility from your hard drive manufacturer's website. I seem to remember some low-level interface/cable tests there, at least for Maxtor drives.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: swank121
Download the diagnostic utility from your hard drive manufacturer's website. I seem to remember some low-level interface/cable tests there, at least for Maxtor drives.

I looked at maxtors site but did not see anything that would work with SATA?

If anybody knows where it is at, I may have just over looked it, please speak up as I am unaware of any for the SATA drives.

 

[RabidPossum]

If you're running a Maxtor drive, the Powermax utility should work. That's what I've been using to check my Maxtor SATA drives. The catch is that I have to set my SATA to run in legacy mode to get the program to recognize the drives.

Powermax Utility

There is an interface test, but I don't think it's going to help you ID a faulty controller unless it's completely crapped out on you.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: RabidPossum
If you're running a Maxtor drive, the Powermax utility should work. That's what I've been using to check my Maxtor SATA drives. The catch is that I have to set my SATA to run in legacy mode to get the program to recognize the drives.

Powermax Utility

There is an interface test, but I don't think it's going to help you ID a faulty controller unless it's completely crapped out on you.

Yea thats one thing I am worried about, Something saying bad hard drive, but it is not bad, its just the SATA controller is bad and making it seem like a Bad Hard Drive.

I will probable just send both the drive and board back for replacment.