My WD 80G HD is Dying -- Drive Image to the Rescue?

My WD HD is getting a bit flaky. It's crashed my XP system several times in the last
few days. I've been able to recover pretty easily, but something is amiss. I
downloaded ActiveSmart's disk diagnostic program, trial version. As best I can tell,
the temp is a little out of control. My secondary drive is a 160G WD and hardly has a
thing on it. Is it possible to use Symantec/PowerQuest's Drive Image to create an
image of the master drive and save it on the secondary? I would then hope to copy it
all to a new master.
--
Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet, Nevada City, CA)
-- GMT-8 hr std. time, RJ Rcvr 39° 8' 0" N, 121° 1' 0" W

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky."
-- James Taylor, Rhymes for the Nursery (1806)

Web Page: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews
sierra_mtnview -at- earthlink -dot- net
Imaginarium Museum: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews/imaginarium.html

W. Watson wrote in
message ...

My WD HD is getting a bit flaky. It's crashed my XP
system several times in the last few days. I've been
able to recover pretty easily, but something is amiss.
I downloaded ActiveSmart's disk diagnostic program, trial
version. As best I can tell, the temp is a little out of control.

Looks like either you have fooled yourself there,
or ActiveSmart has fooled itself. That drive doesnt
have an internal SMART temperature sensor.

The best diagnostic is WD's diagnostic.

My secondary drive is a 160G WD and hardly has a
thing on it. Is it possible to use Symantec/PowerQuest's
Drive Image to create an image of the master drive
and save it on the secondary?

Yes, and its important to do that as soon as possible
in case the boot drive does die completely soon.

I would then hope to copy it all to a new master.

Yes, drive image will do that fine.

I talked with WD this morning about getting a new drive. I mentioned the little
clicking noise I once had just before the system went down. The tech guy leaded at
that hint had me check the jumpers. For some bizzare reason, I had two jumpers on the
drive, pin 1 and 2. I think the problem is now solved. Interestingly, this problem
didn't manifest itself for almost 2 months after I installed the slave. He said
that's about par for the course. ActiveSmart thinks there is no temp sensor on the
80G WD but thinks there is one on the 160G. Dunno.

The WD diagnostic tool is a weird duck. I had to use the DOS version. I tried
WinDLG.exe, but it was an odd package. Never did figure out how to use it. XP asked
odd questions when I tried to execute it. ActiveSmart looks like it might have some
potential. Sandra has some diagnostic disk tools, but they aren't in the free trial
version.

Rod Speed wrote:
W. Watson wrote in
message ...


My WD HD is getting a bit flaky. It's crashed my XP
system several times in the last few days. I've been
able to recover pretty easily, but something is amiss.
I downloaded ActiveSmart's disk diagnostic program, trial
version. As best I can tell, the temp is a little out of control.


Looks like either you have fooled yourself there,
or ActiveSmart has fooled itself. That drive doesnt
have an internal SMART temperature sensor.

The best diagnostic is WD's diagnostic.


My secondary drive is a 160G WD and hardly has a
thing on it. Is it possible to use Symantec/PowerQuest's
Drive Image to create an image of the master drive
and save it on the secondary?


Yes, and its important to do that as soon as possible
in case the boot drive does die completely soon.


I would then hope to copy it all to a new master.


Yes, drive image will do that fine.




--
Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet, Nevada City, CA)
-- GMT-8 hr std. time, RJ Rcvr 39° 8' 0" N, 121° 1' 0" W

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky."
-- Jane Taylor, Rhymes for the Nursery (1806)

Web Page: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews
sierra_mtnview -at- earthlink -dot- net
Imaginarium Museum: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews/imaginarium.html

W. Watson wrote in
message ...

I talked with WD this morning about getting a new drive.
I mentioned the little clicking noise I once had just before
the system went down. The tech guy leaded at that hint
had me check the jumpers. For some bizzare reason,
I had two jumpers on the drive, pin 1 and 2.

Cant understand that, do you mean a single jumper
between pins 1 and 2 ? Thats normal, thats cable select.
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp

I think the problem is now solved. Interestingly, this problem
didn't manifest itself for almost 2 months after I installed the slave.

I guess its possible that you have a flakey cable,
that doesnt support cable select properly now.

He said that's about par for the course. ActiveSmart
thinks there is no temp sensor on the 80G WD but
thinks there is one on the 160G. Dunno.

Dunno either, havent tried a 160GB drive myself on that.

The WD diagnostic tool is a weird duck. I had to use
the DOS version. I tried WinDLG.exe, but it was an
odd package. Never did figure out how to use it.
XP asked odd questions when I tried to execute it.

Must be some way to use it tho.

ActiveSmart looks like it might have some potential.

Its nothing like a manufacturer's diagnostic.

Sandra has some diagnostic disk tools,
but they aren't in the free trial version.

I'd get the WD diagnostic working, even
if you have to do that on a non XP PC.


Rod Speed wrote:
W. Watson wrote in
message ...


My WD HD is getting a bit flaky. It's crashed my XP
system several times in the last few days. I've been
able to recover pretty easily, but something is amiss.
I downloaded ActiveSmart's disk diagnostic program, trial
version. As best I can tell, the temp is a little out of control.


Looks like either you have fooled yourself there,
or ActiveSmart has fooled itself. That drive doesnt
have an internal SMART temperature sensor.

The best diagnostic is WD's diagnostic.


My secondary drive is a 160G WD and hardly has a
thing on it. Is it possible to use Symantec/PowerQuest's
Drive Image to create an image of the master drive
and save it on the secondary?


Yes, and its important to do that as soon as possible
in case the boot drive does die completely soon.


I would then hope to copy it all to a new master.


Yes, drive image will do that fine.




--
Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet, Nevada City, CA)
-- GMT-8 hr std. time, RJ Rcvr 39° 8' 0" N, 121° 1' 0" W

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky."
-- Jane Taylor, Rhymes for the Nursery (1806)

Web Page: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews
sierra_mtnview -at- earthlink -dot- net
Imaginarium Museum: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews/imaginarium.html

Yes, for some reason I had two jumpers on the drive. A jumper goes across two pins. I
call that a pin. I suppose properly it's called a pair of pins or jumper #x. One
(pair) next to the power plug (which I'll call pin 1), and one next to that jumper
(which I'll call pin 2). I removed the one next to the power plug. I think that's
called cable select. I have no idea how it got that way. My guess is that maybe I did
it in cramped and darkened quarters. Yesterday when I went to inspect the pins, I
could easily see pin 1's jumper since it was white. I removed it to put it on pin 2
and had a lot of difficulty. I was doing this while under my desk. I finally realized
there was a black (and not easily seen) jumper already on pin 2. Haven't had a
problem in the 24 hours since using pin 2 only. Haven't had a problem in 36 hours.

Rod Speed wrote:
W. Watson wrote in
message ...


I talked with WD this morning about getting a new drive.
I mentioned the little clicking noise I once had just before
the system went down. The tech guy leaded at that hint
had me check the jumpers. For some bizzare reason,
I had two jumpers on the drive, pin 1 and 2.


Cant understand that, do you mean a single jumper
between pins 1 and 2 ? Thats normal, thats cable select.
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp



--
Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet, Nevada City, CA)
-- GMT-8 hr std. time, RJ Rcvr 39° 8' 0" N, 121° 1' 0" W

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky."
-- Jane Taylor, Rhymes for the Nursery (1806)

Web Page: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews
sierra_mtnview -at- earthlink -dot- net
Imaginarium Museum: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews/imaginarium.html

W. Watson wrote in
message ...

Yes, for some reason I had two jumpers on the drive.

A jumper goes across two pins.

Correct.

I call that a pin.

Its actually a jumper.

I suppose properly it's called a pair of pins or jumper #x.

The usual way to say it is a jumper between
pins 1 and 2 in the case of the first jumper below.

One (pair) next to the power plug (which I'll call pin 1),

That is a jumper between pins 1 and 2.

and one next to that jumper (which I'll call pin 2).

That is a jumper between pins 3 and 4.

You had the drive jumpered for both cable select and Dual (Slave)

I removed the one next to the power plug.
I think that's called cable select.

Correct.

I have no idea how it got that way.

They do usually come jumpered for cable select today.
Maybe you added the Dual (Slave) jumper. You didnt
say if its the boot drive or an extra drive.

My guess is that maybe I did it in cramped and darkened quarters.
Yesterday when I went to inspect the pins, I could easily see pin 1's
jumper since it was white. I removed it to put it on pin 2 and had a
lot of difficulty. I was doing this while under my desk. I finally realized
there was a black (and not easily seen) jumper already on pin 2.

Very unusual to have white jumpers at all too.

Haven't had a problem in the 24 hours since using
pin 2 only. Haven't had a problem in 36 hours.

What is the drive config ? That drive should be
the slave on a ribbon cable with another drive as
master for that to be the correct jumper config.


Rod Speed wrote:
W. Watson wrote

I talked with WD this morning about getting a new drive.
I mentioned the little clicking noise I once had just before
the system went down. The tech guy leaded at that hint
had me check the jumpers. For some bizzare reason,
I had two jumpers on the drive, pin 1 and 2.

Cant understand that, do you mean a single jumper
between pins 1 and 2 ? Thats normal, thats cable select.
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp