My hard drives keep dying, what's wrong?

[mcbiff]

In the last few months I've already lost two drives (IBM 75GXP 30gb, Maxtor D740X 80gb), and now my Maxtor D740X 60gb is starting to develop bad sectors as well. Now, the IBM I didn't think much of since those are basically supposed to die, and the first Maxtor I thought was a fluke. But now that one more is going sour I'm pretty sure something else is to blame. PSU perhaps? Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[Zugzwang152]

might just be a fluke, and you've had REALLY bad luck. Everything should be covered under warranty though, right? So no problem...

 

[Vinny N]

Bad sectors? Probably a fluke.

If it was just plain insta-dead (no more motor spinning), then you might have more reason to blame a PSU.

 

[camara120]

what do you have the drives hooked up to?

were they hooked up to an IDE controller with an HPT chipset?

 

[Gaunt]

Is your computer sitting on something unstable, like a cardboard box or something? A few years ago I set up a computer for my family, and since the tower was small, and sitting on the floor, they put an empty printer box under it to lift it up a bit. It went through 2 HDs in 3 months time, both quantum fireball's. When I replaced the drive the second time, I took it off the box and set it on the floor. The drive is working fine to this day. I don't have any solid proof that it was the box, but my guess is the case vibrated more than it should, and possible was knocked by the user a little bit more, leading to the destruction of the drive. But this is all just speculation.


Side Note:
Is there something wrong with the HPT chipset? I bought a board with RAID support, and I'm using it just as extra IDE channels....

 

[Shooters]

I was going to ask if you overclocked your FSB, but I noticed that you're running at stock speed. I've heard that improper shut down (just turning the computer off instead of doing it through the Windows start menu) can possibly lead to hard drive problems, but most people around here are smart enough to shut down their PC properly. I think it's probably just bad luck.

 

[Fjive]

Originally posted by: camara120
what do you have the drives hooked up to?

were they hooked up to an IDE controller with an HPT chipset?

urm...i have a maxtor D740x which is hooked up to a HPT 366...and i have bad sectors...for twice....first time the diagnostic manage to 'fix' it....now the 2nd time....i havent have the time to 'fix' it....
so are u suggesting the HPT controller is causing the bad sectors ??
i hope this solves the misery i've been having ... over this maxtor hdd....

 

[mcbiff]

Well, I replaced the drive with another D740X (80gb this time) and the PSU with an Enermax 350W (I was gonna replace it anyway). Let's hope everything works from now on. They're hooked up to the standard IDE controller on my Epox 8kha+ BTW, so no fancy stuff.

 

[BFG10K]

It could a flaky power supply, heat related and it could also be caused by overclocking the FSB and/or PCI bus.

Also make sure you keep your case in the correct position required to keep your HDs upright (ie don't lie a tower case on its side) and keep your case in a stable, clean and cool environment.

 

[R2D2]

Your IDE is probably trashed.

 

[Rhombuss]

The IBM 75GXP dying is no surprise - they've been having QC problems for quite some time now. Maxtor used to be garbage in terms of reliability, but supposedly they have improved that rating in the last 2 years or so. I haven't had any Maxtors manufacted after 2000 that died on me. Doubt it's a fluke, considering both Maxtors.

Check IDE cable, maybe you're using a rounded cable and some of the insulation is peeling off? There could be cross-over frequency interference.
Check the PSU like you said, maybe it's overpumping the ampeage on the 12V rail.
Check placement of the tower, any rotating disc media should be mounted parallel or perpendicular to the tangent level. Maybe yours is slightly out of alignment, and it's wearing down on the spindle.
Maybe your IDE controller is iffy - usually IDE controllers aren't problems because they're had so many years to mature, although sometimes RAID setups have difficulties, normal IDE should be AOK.

Those are the only things I could think of at the moment...good lucky in reviving that 60GB D740X

 

[foofoo]

i have also had disk problems using early highpoint hpt370 controllers. i would try to get disks off of that controller. i had to rma 3 seagate drives out of that experience (sometimes i'm slow to figure things out, but it was on 2 separate computers).
good luck

 

[corkyg]

It also can be due to frequent power surges. Use a UPS to fix that.

 

[camara120]

I have a KR7A-RAID with the HPT 372 chipset on it. There were 2 Maxtor D740X's on it. One of them got some bad sectors. The bad sectors disappeared after i did a low level format. Im not going to use the HPT 372 controller anymore. Dont want to risk it. However, I cant get XP to install on this setup. I get a blue screen in the late stages of the installation. Oddly enough, 2000 installs just fine.

 

[Jgtdragon]

Make sure your hard drive are screwed in securely. Get the right screws for the hard drive. Happen to my brohter's computer before. Got him some screws just for hard drive and he has been ok for a year now.

 

[LordAccord]

fsb just causes corruption right?? not hardware faliure.... I had a wd se 80gb go down on me today...i dunno what it would be, I am overclocked, but not that much and the system has plenty of power, cooling, hdd security, etc.... who knows.

 

[bedidos]

This problem is most likely caused by bad RAM.

I had the exact same problem with my Epox 8k3a. First it killed my WD300BB, then my maxtor 80GB. In the case with the maxtor, I had the drive in the computer for 10 minutes before windows rebooted and started finding bad sectors.

I had generic PC2700 RAM in my system which "seemed" to work fine (never again with going with generic).

I have not tried this fix myself - but it is the only component that I haven't switched out trying to find the problem. I have searched in almost all hardware forums on the internet, and bad ram was always the case. Another guy had the same problem with an Abit board, switched to a stick of crucial and never had a problem.

As I said, I haven't tried this fix myself yet; but I would be interested in hearing if you find anything else out.

 

[mcbiff]

Thanks for all the tips. My computer is on a firm, flat surface. No carpet or anything underneath it. Actually the reason I'm so confused is that if something were not functioning correctly in my computer I don't think it would be as stable as it is. It hasn't crashed *once* since I first booted it up, and I mean not even once. Not a lockup, not a hang, nothing. It's usually on something like 10 hours a day too, so it's not from lack of usage. If the motherboard/ram/whatever were faulty, shouldn't other strange things happen?

EDIT: I should probably mention that the first "dead" Maxtor drive actually could be repaired by the Maxdiag program, it's just this one that was beyond salvation. Also, if something were seriously wrong with the motherboard for instance, would a drive survive for six months before going belly up? I'm not trying to dismiss anyone's ideas, it's just that I think it's strange that I have no other problems.