Deskstar 60 GXP woes

[Dracas]

Model: IC35L060AVER07-0
SN: TZ1L8555

I got this drive from a friend, didn't cost nothing - he said it was having issues when he got rid of it, and I could currently use a larger hard disk, so I said I'd take it and see what I could do about repairing it for fun.

So here's the dice. If you plug it in and run it, the computer won't boot, and it sits in some wierd spin process making a noise like a soft "shhk shhk shhk shhk shhk........shhk shhk shhk shhk shhk..." over and over if anything tries to access the drive, including POST.

The drives spinning and vibration is limited, I considered it might be a firmware failure or a bad circuit board, which is easy enough to replace if I can find another bad 60GXP that suffered a mechanical failure (as apposed to an electrical failure) ftheres some specific rigors with doing that though, so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas what *might* be wrong, or if its a mechanical issue

Particularly, I wonder - because its plugged into IDE Channel (1) as Master with my normal HDD/CDrom on IDE Channel (0) and the system boots fine, and recognizes the Hard disk in the BIOS (more than it will do if its the only drive available).

But unless the read/write head carrier got stuck somehow, I'm not sure what to do but toss the thing, and give up - its been fun, but its not getting anywhere, any of you folks have any ideas?

Thanks in Advance

:t

IFS - Active S.M.A.R.T Shows the drive as "OK" no problems, and running at 36 C degrees, I'm considering taking this over to my friends optometry office and putting it in the clean chamber to take it apart and take a look at its innards, because to the BIOS, its own SMART firmware and everything else, the Drive looks good, its just mechanically retarded I guess, but it doesn't *sound* like a mechanical problem due to that repetative shhk noise

blarg!

[Vernon Frazee]

http://www.tech-report.com/news_reply.x/3035

http://www.sysopt.com/userreviews/harddrive/reviewhtml/IBM_IC35L060AVER07-0.html

http://www.sysopt.com/userreviews/harddrive/reviewhtml/IBM_IC35L060AVER07-01.html

http://www.sysopt.com/userreviews/harddrive/reviewhtml/IBM_IC35L060AVER07-02.html

http://www.tek-tips.com/gviewthread.cfm/lev2/66/lev3/68/pid/751/qid/438815

[BipolarBill]

That "chuffing" sound is what an irrecoverable IBM hard drive sounds like. Don't waste your time. You could always see if it's still under warranty (3 years) and RMA it.

http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/pre_rma.htm

[NDD]

Click'o'Death :rolleyes:

[Dracas]

Hmm, as it were - the drive is still under warranty until 12-28-2004, lucky huh? My friends willing to give me the receipt and information/packaging to return it on RMA as a 'tech/client' repair, to get a new one

So I guess I won't worry about it past that

Hehe, click of death

[BipolarBill]

You shouldn't need a receipt. The SN# is sufficient usually.

[Dracas]

So just get it packed up and have them issue an RMA on it? On their website it mentions downloading and runnnig some drive diagnostics and whatnot to determine if its really dead or not...well...I would, but it won't let anything access it/let the system boot when its plugged in.

So into a box and away it goes, to the RMA funny farm?

[BipolarBill]

Just start here:

http://www.hgst.com/warranty/jsp/arma31.jsp

You don't need proof of anything. You'll get your RMA number and ship it off. Done.

[Dracas]

Thanks BpB, appreciate the help. Going to (try) to run DFT and then get the RMA processed.

Thanks to everyone else too :t

[Bigjakkstaffa]

Sadly the only deathstar, whoops i mean deskstar, worth getting hold of was the 120GXP, the 'click o death' syndrome was rife amongst the rest of the series :(.

Good luck on the RMA, hopefully they'll give you one of the newer drives :)

--Jakk:t

[Dracas]

Think it has anything to do with the glass platters IBM started using in the GXP series? (iirc).

Ultimately, I think it was cheaper than using solid metal platters, and less for 'performance and durabilities' sake.

I heard the new ones (after 2002) don't have these problems, so hopefully I do get one. It'd certainly be nice :)

[BipolarBill]

They will send you the same in return. It will be a rebuild and might have updated components.

[Dracas]

Hmm, well - as I understand it, the IC35L060AVER07-0 was their newest version of the 60GXP 60GB (excluding interface Revisions and minor mechanical revisions) so ohwell, if it works then it works - thats *if* they RMA it. My experience with RMA'ing anything lately has been nil, you pretty much void the warranty by using the given component

Blah :(

[Someone Stupid]

From what I've read in the past about the Deathstar is it blows on you, your replacement has just as good a chance, unless you can convince them to give you a new model. Though it's been several months at least, so I would hope they are actually replacing them with drives that won't die so easily, as the rest of the line minus it and the 75 are good.

[Dracas]

Here's a stupid question . . .


Anyone happen to have a Four-wall rubber foam Hard Disk box (EG, a retail box, or shipping box), Anti-static sleeve and an antistatic warning sticker I could use to SHIP this POS back to IBM in?

Such high standards for shipping, for something so very very broken *faceplant*

Tried CBC computers, CompUSA, Fryes, UPS/MBE, no one has any - and I threw any backup HDD boxes I had some time ago.

If anyone has one in good shape, I'll cover sending/shipping it (woohoo, empty Box!)

[mike511]

Had the same problem with mine, lucky i could back up the data before it really went, called ibm was under warrenty all u need is the serial number, and got the replacement in a week or 2. Haven't had a problem with the replacement yet. As for the antistaic bag, go into any little techy computer store around u, they should have some laying around in back where they work on computers. Try Best Buy, ask in their backroom where they work on computers they have to have a bag laying around.

[Someone Stupid]

Try local shops, many buy one or two Retail boxes for such occasions now that the packaging as gotten stringent. They might not give it to you, but you would get it for much cheaper then they will send you one. Someone found out it cost more to have an empty box shipped to you by most manufacturers than it does to ship a box with the drive in it. It's just their way of making extra money and to deal with the occassional idiot who throws it in a box to bounce around.