How do you know a 75gxp is dead?

[fs5]

Woke up this morning to a WinXP blue screen, something about a atapi.sys faulting. Reset my computer and heard a whirrrrr, click, whirrrrrr, click, whirrrrr click.

Just to make sure, is that what a dead 75gxp sounds like?

If so what's the site with detailed instructions on how to RMA this thing back to IBM? Because by now I'm sure somebody has a WHOLE freakin' site dedicated this. Do I need my receipt? Does it need to be purchased from an "authorized vendor"? Can I just send the drive in because the date it was manufactured on was Sept 2000. There's a 3 year warrenty I believe. Probably no way to get the data out of it is there?

Sorry the search doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

[edit] this is on the memory test screen during boot up btw, sorry wasn't more clear. I was 99% sure the drive was dead when I heard the sound. Just in a state of disbelief because this is the first piece of computer hardware to fail this badly on me[/edit]

 

[neutralizer]

The clicking sound of death.

 

[Ausm]

Generally any clicking sounds from ANY hard drive manufacturer would be considered bad.....Where did you buy that Hard drive if I may ask...


Ausm

 

[fs5]

Some online vendor, OEM. I'll get back to you when I find the receipt.

 

[SanDiegoPaul]

Quick go to IBM's website and download their DFT - Drive Fitness Test.

Then you have the ammo you need in order to RMA that drive.

 

[fs5]

The fitness test won't work if the computer doesn't boot up because it doesn't recognize the drive anymore. It sits there on the memory test screen while the drive makes that whirrrr click sound over and over.

 

[Thyme]

I just had the same BSOD a couple days ago. We're just one big meloncholy family here at AT, aren't we?
I'd say if you got the clicking sounds of death and now your BIOS won't recognize the drive, it's dead. There are a few ways to try to revive it, but I wouldn't reccomend the time and effort unless you have important things stored.

 

[fs5]

Thyme if they don't void my warrenty lets hear them. I have some impOrntant, I mean important stuff on there! They all probably involve opening up the drive anyways.

I backup most of my personal files a months ago when I heard the scratching sounds.

 

[XeonTux]

Strange as it sounds, sometimes sticking a drive in the freezer overnight will help. Moreso with drives that have been up and running for many years then are powered off and won't spin up again. Just leaving it unplugged for a few hours may let you access it again for a short time if you are lucky...I have come accross drives that only start to click when they get wamed up.

I am not familiar with the exact problem that plagues 75GXPs so I have no idea if these would be effective at all or if freezing could make it worse. Might not be a bad last resort tho. My biggest fear would probably be the possibility of moisture forming tiny specs of frost.

No I didn't pull this out of my ass...I've actually read success stories (a long time ago, sorry no links)

 

[fs5]

I've read the same thing about freezing a drive, in this case I don't think it is the electronics or heat that is causing the drive not to be recognized. Its most likely a mechanical problem.

 

[Thyme]

I've heard freezing too. That and beating the crap out of it... I burned my files to CD-R before it degressed to the point where my BIOS didn't recognize it.

 

[fs5]

well I got a RMA for it, called IBM's helpdesk. Told him whirr click and my bios didn't recognize it and he gave me a RMA #.

Now lets see if I get a 120 gig 60gxp like that other fellow on this forum did. Probably end up with a 60 gig like everybody else.

 

[spamsk8r]

How do you know a 75gxp is dead?
If its outside its box *rimshot*

 

[Thyme]

You talked to me, so my bad luck has rubbed off on you and you will get a frikkin' 45MB 75GXP that will fail again.

 

[Derango]

<< well I got a RMA for it, called IBM's helpdesk. Told him whirr click and my bios didn't recognize it and he gave me a RMA #.

Now lets see if I get a 120 gig 60gxp like that other fellow on this forum did. Probably end up with a 60 gig like everybody else. >>



Not so! I ended up with a 75GB 75GXP, made in hungary, refurbished. I sent in a 60GB 75GXP. The space boost is nice, but I would have prefered a drive that will survive longer than a month or two. Needless to say, that hard drive is sitting on my dresser unused. (I previously bought a 100GB Westren Digital Drive to replace it)

 

[Thyme]

The bad models should be used in Raid 1 in that's about it.

 

[Carrot44]

Derango give that drive to me

I had the same error with my 75GXP when it went to HD Heaven but it did not make a sound. Just could not write to it anymore and the bios to read it.... go figure and its setting here being a paperweight now cause its a Dell OEM and they won't RMA it even though its brand new sniffle :disgust:

 

[jbond04]

How can I detect if a 75GXP is going dead? I get a high piched beep noise (almost like a bios boot up beep, but about twice as long), then the hard drive starts seeking for about 0.5 seconds. It does this just randomly, not ever during bootup, though. I have WAY important files on it, but they're a little large to back up to a CD (3D animation files, uncompressed video).

Do these noises mean that it is going bad? How do I test it?

 

[XeonTux]

Dude, HDs are not supposed to beep. I think thats a bad sign

A related story, a couple weeks ago I had a hard drive start wailing like an alarm. Never heard anything like it! Scared the crap out of me at first. I swear it sounded like a loud piezo speaker.

As far as beating the crap out of drives...well, beating on them GENTLY can help. On a couple occasions I had a drive that would stop reading and start clicking. I was trying o copy data off them and kept an eye on them...when they started pausing and clicking I gave them a whack with a screwdriver handle. Got the data, RMAed the drives, had happy customers. Of course this does not work if the BIOS does not recognize the drive.

 

[AndyHui]

Please read the FAQ: IBM 75GXP problems and how to get an RMA

 

[Strawberrymom]

you know its dead as soon as you pull it out of the static bag

 

[fs5]

I actually drove to the RMA address they gave me thinking it was some type of IBM service desk. It wasn't, it looked like a huge warehouse and only a small room that qualified as an office I guess. I asked them if I could drop it off instead of paying $10 for UPS to ship it to them. They said no and sent me away. Then I ended up paying $15 for mailboxes to wrap it in bubble wrap and send it UPS insured. Booooo to IBM. I'm selling whatever I get back and buying a WD or Maxtor.