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Really need Tech help


Baddcog

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OK, so I recently 'lost' my secondary Hard Drive.

 

Had been having issues with one 'blinking' out a couple times. At one point changing the Sata connect brought it back, but maybe it was just reboot.

 

Last week it went out again and came back once or twice for a short period of time. Now it's just gone.

 

So I got a new HD, was there right when I plugged it in. Formatted it, partitioned, started copying SVN over, blink... it's gone.

 

---------------------

 

OK, so I tried another HD from the store the other day, it never registered, but the cashier did drop it on the floor.

 

I tried swapping the sata cable with my current main HD, but it never registered, also swapped with my dvd, never registered. So I figured it was just busted.

 

When I plugged in my new one tonight and it worked fine I figured, yeah, it was just a bad HD.

 

-----------------

So now the new one blinks out too.

 

Could it be my mobo?

 

Why would my main HD work on ANY sata channel, and my DVD will too.

 

But any other HD just blinks out and is never detectable again?

 

---------

I checked all the drivers, sata, mobo, HD, JMicron storage controller... Everything is up to date and working.

 

I am completely stumped, it doesn't make sense.

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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Crap man, what is it with store employees dropping components? Wasn't there a user saying another store employee did the same thing a few days ago? Where do they get these employees, the zoo?

 

I would try *all your drives* on a different system for a semi-extended period of time to isolate the issue. Either it is the motherboard, or the drives. Sounds like more of a mobo issue. Do you have some old P4 system laying around with SATA interfaces? (The later ones had that.) Also, swap out your SATA cables just in case.

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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Just the one guy dropped it ;)

 

-------------

 

Don't have another system.

 

What's weird is the main HD and DVD always work, no issues. Across all sata channels/connections/cables.

 

But the other HD's on same connections/cables either don't show or did for a second. Major bummer.

---------------

 

Even worse, looking at Mobo's.

 

I have ATX. All I can find is Mini ATX. I have DDR2, they are all DDR3. I have a 5850, HUGE! which looks like a tight fit with any of the micro boards.

 

So $100 for a mobo and ram to stay with 775 socket?

 

Or $400-$500 for a new mobo and processor (and ram)

 

would be good to have option of crossfire... if I ever get a new card when this one is still alive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.835426

 

Not cross fire but will I ever go there anyway?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.839648

 

I have no idea about any of the new stuff. I guess I've gotten a good 5 years off of this set-up, but was hoping to maybe pass it down when/if I ever upgraded. But now it looks like I'll just have a few wasted parts. Can't afford a new set-up, and don't really want to do this...

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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If you haven't done it already, try booting a linux live-cd (or usb stick) and see if the drives work there. That should tell you if it's an OS/driver issue, or if it's hardware related.

 

BIOS update, perhaps?

 

Also, better get GSmartControl or similar, and do the long self test on the drives, especially the one that got dropped...

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Are you sure it isn't your power supply? I've heard that as they age, they lose the ability to provide as much power. This could be a problem if you were just barely scating by in terms of power to begin with. Do the disks also spin down when they stop responding to commands?

 

What about just getting a PCI or PCIe SATA card and using the offending drives on that? I'm always looking for an easy solution to a problem and it may save you from having to swap out motherboards.

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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Before you fork out a bunch of good money for those, check the prices on an Intel 2500k and a z68 (or p67 if they're cheaper and do what you want)

motherboard, you might be able to get a combo (if you want a functional not insane mobo) for 300-350 usd.

Intel Sandy Bridge i7 2600K @ 3.4ghz stock clocks
8gb Kingston 1600mhz CL8 XMP RAM stock frequency
Sapphire Radeon HD7870 2GB FLeX GHz Edition @ stock @ 1920x1080

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I was going to say the same thing. The 2500k is perfectly fine, I am running it myself. Here is my config:

 

Intel Core i5 2500K 4x 3.30GHz So.1155 BOX: € 189,86

Gigabyte GA-P67x-UD3-B3 Intel P67 So.1155 Dual Channel DDR3 ATX Retail: € 111,07

16GB Corsair Vengeance LP Blue DDR3-1600 DIMM CL9 Quad Kit: € 83,94*

 

So € 384,87 in total. If you just apply the exchange course you'd end up with 507,90 US $. But I believe you guys in the US have a way lower sales taxes, so it should be cheaper. You could also get cheaper mobo and ram. That's quite some quality stuff there. But I guess your previous assumption of 400 US $ is about right.

 

Still, what lost_soul said seems worth investigating. Maybe a friend could borrow you a power supply just for testing...

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Cheaper mem + cheaper mobo is quite a large saving - When I purchased, I saved 40% off distribution price by doing that, once you've halved the price you're paying for the majority of your components, it makes sense that you could upgrade in half of the time (and move gfx over to the new box if needed). Considering the aging of the overclocked and stock clocked components will be linear while newer hardware will be assumed to be exponential with the same starting point, it makes more sense to upgrade those components than pay a premium, and you get some interest for being clever. This only really applies to high end stuff, not mid range or ultra high end - the premium scaling of the ultra high end, and the performance degradation of mid range products is pretty horrible.

 

But maybe that's just my thrifty hobo logic at work!

 

That and there's nothing worthy of the hardware at the moment :)

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I took the dropped HD back, just noting it because it never worked

--------------

 

Well, after diggin a bit I found these which seem to be a pretty good way to go

 

am3+ Quad 3.6 (I'm OCed to 2.7 now so that would be a nice upgrade) $109

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996

 

ripjaws ram 4 gigs 1600 $29

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

 

Asus am3+ Mobo $94 (No dual card)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767

 

It's all highly rated on Newegg, it's all a big upgrade to what I have, and each component is exactly $100 less per piece then what I currently have, lol. $250, didn't want to spend it, but I don't see what else I can do. It can't be the HDD.

==========

 

Don't know how I would test the psu,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-103-940&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

 

The HDD's don't seem to spin down, they just disappeared. Poof, gone. I was transferring stuff over to this one (Doom3/SVN) and it was just gone...

 

-----------

The weird thing that is happening and nobody has commented in either of these threads is...

 

 

My main HDD (the oldest one) and my DVD show up fine, everytime, in every sata slot.

 

The other Hd's never show up (well, the new one did long enough to format it) , even if I use the same cables as above^ any slots... With or without the main one plugged in.

 

So did it get zapped? Is it cooked? Why would my main HD still be fine?

 

Is it a Windows thing? I've been searching and it seems like win7 has been dropping Hd's, but I've been running it a few years now and it was fine (On what I thought was a legit copy), I installed a legit copy not too long ago (2 months) and now this is happening.

 

The HD's isn't showing in Bios either.

------------

I do have a Linux disc, I'll try that.

-----------

The sata card sounds like a good cheap way to test. But that's another $20-30 bucks, wasted if it doesn't work. And my Main HD works on all connectors, so I don't know if it's that.

 

Maybe my Mobo just can't recognize a second HD now?

 

Well, off to try the linux disc

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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I'd still go with cheaper stuff, cpu is fine - however since you work with asset creation and such, 4gb is going to be a pain after a while. Mobo seems rather overpriced(), if you're not going to be overclocking to the edge of stability, there seem to be plenty cheaper models which will cover the increase in ram.

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Well, the mobo seems to be pretty average price for that socket.

It's only a couple bucks more for 8 gigs (2 sticks), but honestly I don't think I've ever maxed out my 4 gigs of 800 ddr2 yet. (and I keep Max, ps, DR, Doom3 and other stuff running all at once)

 

$250 for the upgrade isn't bad. Don't want to do it but for the upgrade I can live with it. I just want to be sure I need to.

===========

 

All my Linux discs were fail, so I went ahead and tried a Win7 disc boot with only my new HD in. Didn't detect it. (Though I swear the hd was making a little noise).

 

I did a Win7 'fix' but nothing changed.

 

I'll try some tech forums...

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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I'd still go with cheaper stuff, cpu is fine - however since you work with asset creation and such, 4gb is going to be a pain after a while.

As long as he doesn't make any highpolys or sculpts (and it doesn't look like he does) 4gb should be fine.

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Speaking of thrifty hobo things, it seems crossfired 7770's perform at the same level as a gtx580 for 2/3 the price (this may be different in your regions).

 

For me, the cheapest gtx580 is 680 bucks, the average price seems to be mid 700s... cheapest 7770 is 250 bucks, average 260 odd.. max power draw on the 580 is around 270 watts, max draw for the 7770 is 80 watts..

 

I realise you're only out to solve the mystery of the vanishing hard drive, but we can't find Scooby and the gang's number. However, if you were debating grabbing some extra parts, or anyone reading this is, 2 7770's seems pretty damn good bang for buck right now vs the gtx580

Intel Sandy Bridge i7 2600K @ 3.4ghz stock clocks
8gb Kingston 1600mhz CL8 XMP RAM stock frequency
Sapphire Radeon HD7870 2GB FLeX GHz Edition @ stock @ 1920x1080

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Who else is on Win7? I'm starting to suspect there is some bug going around. I've seen old threads about HD's vanishing, and at win7 forums a new thread where a guys 2 externals just vanished on one boot.

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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I am on win7 and have no probs with my asus P8Z68-V.

 

1. have you replaced the Sata cable you wereing using on said faulty drives..?

2. which sata ports have you been plugging said drive/s into and I need to know the actual port.

3. have you updated the bios of the motherboard to the latest..?

4. have you updated the chipset driver for the motherboard? - whats the make and model and version no. of your mobo so I can look it up..

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1: yep. and also used the same ones that the working drives (HD and DVD ) use. No luck.

 

2: 1-6. again, all work fine for working drive and DVD. None work for any other drives (or at least other dirves still dont show).

 

3: Yep, about 3 times now. It's an Abit IP35Pro, they are out of buis, but the drivers have been working for 3+ years now. (along with sata and jmicron drivers)

 

4: --

Can't eject my windows 7 cd right now without boot, sometimes the dvd player just wont eject and I have to catch it quick on reboot.

I just reinstalled win 7 to see if that would help, so far NOPE.

 

But all the mobo related drivers are on the same disk and have reinstalled them 3 times, plus checked for newer ones through device managaer and all were 'best available'

 

Was actually just trying to get my win7 disk out so I could reinstall them again :(

 

off to reboot

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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Yeah, the main issue there (not even sure it's the problem) is that I can only find micro atx, and it seems like my gigantic GPU will make it hard to use.

 

So a couple bucks more and I have a newer up to date system.

 

They're sending out a new HD, but I gotta figure this out. Was the dropped one not working because it was dropped? Was the new one a dud or did my comp kill it? Why did both my old ones die at the same exact time...

If I put a new one in and it goes bad right away too I'm gonna be really bummed.

 

Or is one of my other components that seems to work with my Main hard drive causing an issue?

 

I posted at the Win7 forums where I've gotten help before. 350 views and not a single reply.

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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Got another box, or a friend nearby you can take the drives to and doublecheck with?

Intel Sandy Bridge i7 2600K @ 3.4ghz stock clocks
8gb Kingston 1600mhz CL8 XMP RAM stock frequency
Sapphire Radeon HD7870 2GB FLeX GHz Edition @ stock @ 1920x1080

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