Firewire enclosure issue

[gnef]

I've searched a bit, and couldn't find a similar topic.

I bought a bytecc 350u2f combo 3.5 inch external drive enclosure for my rma'd western digital 100GB SE drive. so i put it in, and all seems well.

I have random problems, i didn't enable write cache so i would be able to just unplug the drive as i liked, but i get error messages in the system tray saying that there was an error with the write-cache or something along these lines. sometimes the drive just disapears, and i have to restart the computer or the enclosure. i have a secondary computer with usb on board, and the usb actually seems to work much better than the fire to my chagrin... since i wanted to use the firewire, and am still set on using the firewire, because my main comp doesn't have usb 2...

i believe the bridge is an oxford 911, but when i try to upgrade the firmware, i get an error, it can't detect the current firmware on the enclosure, and can't load the default firmware or something, and can't install a new firmware... this is my first experience with firewire enclosures, and would appreciate any help.

thanks,

-Mel

edit- also on the secondary computer, the firewire card is an nec chipset... not the best, i know, but i think that may also have an issue, but on my main comp, it is through my ati all in wonder 8500dv firewire ports... could that also be an issue?

 

[InlineFive]

I don't know an answer to your problem so here is a bump for good luck!

 

[gnef]

bump of sorts.

But also, sometimes after the drive has been plugged in to my main computer for a while, it will give me the eroor: "Delayed write failed - Windows was unable to save all the data?"

and the LED on the enclosure will stay lit, and in order for me to be able to use the enclosure again, i have to turn it off and then back on again to reset it.

any suggestions?

 

[Sheriff]

Cable?

 

[gnef]

I have used many cables, one that came with the drive, and two that i bought separately at newegg. they were the cheaper ones, but i thought that they should be ok?

-Mel

 

[McCarthy]

Are you opening the "Unplug or eject hardware" in the taskbar and stopping the device or just pulling the cord without warning windows? If I just shut off or pull the cord on my firewire drive without doing that first Windows flashes up it's 'don't do that, it makes me angry' warning and usually that's the end of it, other times it'll give me that delayed write failure message at random intervals until I reboot. Though I don't recall it having done that since I changed motherboards - still the error message warning me to stop the device, but the delayed write failure I haven't seen for ages. Used to have a cheap PCI VIA based firewire card, with this motherboard it's built in (nForce2 AOpen AK79D-1394).

Anyway, are you stopping the device as it advises and still getting this?

 

[metalmania]

I have a 320U2F works fine. Before that, I had two different 1394 enclosure. The first one is a 3.5" case with power adapter brick, and it showed exact the same problem as you stated. I returned it and got a 5.25" case without power adapter brick (use stardard power cord), forgot the brand name, but no more headache.

The 320U2F is old compared to 350U2F, but I assume that your 350U2F uses power adapter brick, right? I don't know why, but it might be the problem.

 

[gnef]

Hmmmmm, so basically you are telling me that it is with the enclosure itself then... because of hte power brick? so integrated transformer in the enclosure worked?

Oh, and for the eject thing, i have it set so that it allows me to just unplug it, something about not enabling write-cache, i believe?

-Mel

 

[metalmania]

Yes, I think either the case or the power brick is wrong, more likely the brick.
I WILL enable the write cache because I am sure the transfer speed is better with cache on. As to unplug, I think it's better to use the unplug icon at lower right corner.