Momentus XT, Momentus, Momentus Thin, MobileMax, and other notebook drives

[M Gozler]

Question:  is the Seagate 100 GB drive that is my C: drive working so badly it needs replacing?

Notes and Background (please patiently look this over to see what I have not covered):

1. I have an exactly 3-year old HP notebook (dv9500t custom-to-order, running 32-bit Vista Home Premium) with its two original Seagate ST910021AS 100 GB drives.  The one drive was basically the logical C: (code:  system & apps) drive, while the other was a D: (data) drive but had the system-managed page file put on it to balance the wear-and-tear on the drives.

2. At 3 years, with a potential of 26,000 hours of use, I estimate that the drives have been powered-on and used for probably as much as 16,000-19,000 hours (60-80% of the time...I almost live on the device).  At one point, the cooling system was working inefficiently, and it is possible that drive temps exceeded 55 deg C (max?).  I don't know the working lifetime in hours of a Seagate drive of this model.  (Item 4 addresses SMART checks)

3. When using Vista Home Premium, the Microsoft system / disk check utilities 'sfc /scannow' and 'chkdsk /r' will halt and do nothing.  I have learned that this is because of errors in the Seagate LBA system.  When I use SeaTools for Windows and see the Short DST failing, I then run SeaTools for DOS and do the Long DST and then I am able to correct the errors in the LBA system.

4. The first time I had to use SeaTools for Win or DOS was just short of 2.5 years of the notebooks' / disks' lives.  In the last 6-8 months however, I have had to use the SeaTools for DOS another 3-4 times to correct these LBA errors.  In every case, SeaTools for Win or DOS did a SMART check on both drives, and they have always passed.

5. I am thinking of the possibility that software problems (defects or faults in BIOS?  the OS? malware or virus??) could be creating the LBA errors--is that possible?  I am getting no indication from Seagate's only disk performance checking software that the drive is gasping its last breaths.

What to do?

[macstar]

From my recent communications with Seagate support... any seatools failure = reason for replacement.

Check your warranty status... and just replace ether way... because you WILL lose data... and eventually the whole disk...

Andreas

[M Gozler]

Well, after 3 years of probably heavier-than-average use, I don't think warranties are an issue.  Besides, I bought the machine in one country and now live in another on the other side of the planet.  The fact that the drive withstood the oven that is the HP notebook is actually rather remarkable.

Moreover, the SMART check has not raised any problems.  In addition, all the LBA errors are always correctable.

When chkdsk /r completes, there are really no bad sectors.

If the disk really was about to blow a gasket, would I be able to correct the errors and see few bad sectors?

[macstar]

Warranty check: http://support.seagate.com/customer/warranty_validation.jsp?form=0

LBA Remapping: Your disk is magnetically fading away and you should replace ASAP.

Relavent quote from another forum:

This doesn't matter all that much if you decide to install a new 
operating system on the drive as you will (should) perform a full format 
when you install the operating system. You should also note that if 
chkdsk reports bad sectors it usually means that the spare sector pool 
is depleted and the disk should be replaced as sector failure is 
somewhat like a snowball rolling downhill, as soon as a few bad sectors 
are found other sectors usually start failing in ever increasing numbers 
at an ever increasing speed. 

I hope I convinced you to have a warranty check and replace that disk no matter what

Andreas

[M Gozler]

Thanks for all your information, Andreas.


The warranty check reports that Seagate provided these parts (the 100 GB drives) to an OEM, namely HP, so warranty service is provided by the OEM.  I looked at HP's site and it does not have the easy warranty checker like Seagate does, but I am pretty sure that my warranty on the notebook and all its components is long since expired, inasmuch as I did not buy any extended warranty/service agreement (HP "Total Care").  As I recall, a 1-year warranty seems rather standard on notebook/desktop computers for products bought in/shipped to U.S.-based addresses.  It may differ for other parts of the planet.


I just noticed the *.log files within the SeaTools 4 Win program directory (in the course of generating saved drive information) and I post them below.  I notice too that Seagate drives keep track of their power-on hours, and how good I was in my earlier estimate.  Unfortunately the log only goes back to April of this year.  I really started using SeaTools for the first time in December last year (2009), about 28 months after I purchased the notebook with its original Seagate drives.  I had probably used it less than a half dozen times.  I had to do a Vista re-install back in December, and then one in April, for reasons unrelated to disk performance or physical defects.  Data+pagefile drive D is a champ, as one might expect, while code(sys+apps) drive C is still hanging tough (logs below).  Keep in mind that these log files do not include the longer log files for SeaTools for DOS, which is booted up from the CD and whose log files I have not saved.  This would show the results of a Long DST for drive C and the identification of the LBA values in error and which were corrected.  Note that when they are corrected, Microsoft's disk and OS checking utilities actually complete to 100% and Windows shows no file corruption in its Windows Protection System.  Also no application code or support files, nor data files I use, show corruption.



 

==== log for "code" [OS+apps] drive ( C: ) begins =======

--------------- SeaTools for Windows v1.2.0.1 ---------------
23 Apr 2010 11:25:11
Model: ST910021AS
Serial Number: 5MH0HE2F
Firmware Revision: 3.13
SMART - Pass 23 Apr 2010 11:25:11
Short DST - Started 23 Apr 2010 11:26:07
Short DST Aborted 23 Apr 2010 11:33:18
Short DST - Started 02 Jun 2010 14:24:23
Short DST - FAIL 02 Jun 2010 14:25:40
SeaTools Test Code: 9B9FCDEF
Short DST - Started 29 Jul 2010 14:41:30
Short DST - FAIL 29 Jul 2010 14:42:32
SeaTools Test Code: 9B9FCDEF
Short DST - Started 04 Aug 2010 08:56:43
Short DST - FAIL 04 Aug 2010 08:56:58
SeaTools Test Code: 9B9FCDEF
SMART - Pass 04 Aug 2010 15:34:11
Identify - Started 04 Aug 2010 15:48:22
Identify - Started 04 Aug 2010 15:49:56
SMART: Supported and enabled
48-bit Address feature set supported: True
Max LBA: 195371568
Host Protected Area features: Not Supported
Mandatory Power Management: Supported and enabled
Security Mode: Supported not enabled
SET MAX security extension: Not Supported
Advanced Power Managment: Supported and enabled
Download Firmware: False
SMART self-test supported: True
SMART error logging supported: True
Drive Temperature(C/F): 46/115
Power-On Hours: 16804
Short DST - Started 04 Aug 2010 15:51:01
Short DST - FAIL 04 Aug 2010 15:51:17
SeaTools Test Code: 9B9FCDEF
Identify - Started 05 Aug 2010 06:47:04

==== log for "code" [OS+apps] drive ( C: ) ends =======


==== log for Data+pagefile drive ( D: ) begins =======

--------------- SeaTools for Windows v1.2.0.1 ---------------
23 Apr 2010 11:25:12
Model: ST910021AS
Serial Number: 5MH0HE6H
Firmware Revision: 3.13
SMART - Pass 23 Apr 2010 11:25:12
Short DST - Started 23 Apr 2010 11:26:39
Short DST - Pass 23 Apr 2010 11:29:30
Short DST - Started 29 Jul 2010 14:41:40
Short DST - Pass 29 Jul 2010 14:43:44
Short DST - Started 04 Aug 2010 08:56:50
Short DST - Pass 04 Aug 2010 08:59:39
SMART - Pass 04 Aug 2010 15:34:11
Identify - Started 04 Aug 2010 15:49:02
SMART: Supported and enabled
48-bit Address feature set supported: True
Max LBA: 195371568
Host Protected Area features: Not Supported
Mandatory Power Management: Supported and enabled
Security Mode: Supported not enabled
SET MAX security extension: Not Supported
Advanced Power Managment: Supported and enabled
Download Firmware: False
SMART self-test supported: True
SMART error logging supported: True
Drive Temperature(C/F): 41/106
Power-On Hours: 15997
Identify - Started 04 Aug 2010 15:49:56
SMART: Supported and enabled
48-bit Address feature set supported: True
Max LBA: 195371568
Host Protected Area features: Not Supported
Mandatory Power Management: Supported and enabled
Security Mode: Supported not enabled
SET MAX security extension: Not Supported
Advanced Power Managment: Supported and enabled
Download Firmware: False
SMART self-test supported: True
SMART error logging supported: True
Drive Temperature(C/F): 41/106
Power-On Hours: 15997
Short DST - Started 04 Aug 2010 15:51:08
Short DST - Pass 04 Aug 2010 15:54:12
Identify - Started 05 Aug 2010 06:47:04

==== log for Data+pagefile drive ( D: ) ends =======

[M Gozler]

Now I am officially confused!

I opened SeaTools for DOS to fix the LBA error indicated by the Short DST fail within SeaTools for Win.

I started the Long DST which enables the ability to fix the LBA error.  The Short DST indicated there had been an error reading element LBA 16568031, which is 8.5% into the test.

But when the Long DST finished, it indicated that the reading had passed!  And then it immediately runs the Short DST again, which indicates it failed.

From reading on the net, this actually might be the result of another kind of hardware failure...RAM?  Maybe corrupted drivers?  I note that 'sfc /scannow' reports one member file cannot be repaired:  bootmgr.exe.mui

[fzabkar]

Try a more comprehensive SMART diagnostic tool. Look for reallocated, pending, or uncorrectable sectors.

HD Sentinel (DOS / Windows / Linux):
http://www.hdsentinel.com/

HDDScan for Windows:
http://hddscan.com/

See this article for SMART info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.M.A.R.T.

This thread may help you repair the bad LBAs, or recover the files that occupy those LBAs:
http://forums.seagate.com/t5/Internal-ATA-and-Serial-ATA/Sector-read-failed-ATA-Maxtor-7y250mo/m-p/4...

[macstar]

May I suggest again that you start backing up and change a drive or two?

Use those tools suggested from fzabkar to verify... but I think it's inevitable!

Andreas