Barracuda XT, Barracuda, Barracuda Green, DiamondMax and other desktop SATA and IDE drives

[XenonKilla]

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Ryle wrote:

They dont ´t have to replicate the problem, we already said it´s caused by a feature called APM which shouldn't be enabled in the first place for a 3,5" hdd. The whole forum is full of threads about this issue. It shouldn´t be that hard to release a firmware without APM 

btw. I don´t know if you aware of this, but the whole 1TB Plattern series is affected by this too (ST1000DM003, ST2000DM001, ST3000DM001) maybe some more

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spcxxx wrote:
I 100% agree... The source of problem is clear as finest diamond, making `THE FOG` with words about `testing`, blaming Intel, blaming bad power supply etc. is just WASTING OF TIME At first I don't understand how big company like Seagate can ever send these product to stores and next half year make a `dead bug` about complains or trying to act like this issue is a `great feature` and not a failure....

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WOW! It's nice to finally see some people with some backbone!

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AlanM wrote:

Hello everyone,

I'd like to ask you to Private Message me your serial number(s) so I may pass them on to the staff who are researching these things.

Thanks!

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I PM'd you both of mine. Thanks!

[Cantbecanit]

@ Ryle

We don't know for sure it's the APM causing it, just because turning it off stops it doesn't mean it's actually that doing it

@ Spcxxx

The reason I asked for user data is that is the way you solve things, in the listings you will see only 1 apple user whose not been back yet to say what chip is in their machine, and 1 AMD user who could be fake anyway, (please don't think I am calling you out  as I have no idea if you are using AMD or doing a lets play on the net thing right now) so it could still be related to Intel drivers and that is one of the things the lab will be investigating, there is also user error to consider as well but this can be ruled out if we can get a confirmed chirper back to the lab for testing (so if any of you from the USA want to offer your drive  say so and if the company decides it's a good idea they can contact you, closer to Oklahoma the better btw)

This also happened 3 years ago, the company rushed out a fix and it made things worse resulting in a disaster until a proper fix was tested and released, so for now you know what to do as a temp fix with Crystal, when and if a fix is issued you can then choose what to do,

I will say this, if anyone is in position to be able to do it without going to too much effort, re-format the drive and fresh install Windows and install any SP's, then your MB drivers and the RST driver console, thats for bootables btw

Storage solutions with the drive as the store drive, wipe both that and your C drive and re-install as above,

This will be to rule out a piece of software that is causing an interupt, it should also rule out missing/damaged O/S files and also program files that may be incomplete, this is optional btw, but at least you will know if it still chirps that you did all you could before pointing the autofinger at Seagate, like I've said earlier, I have an earlier series 3TB and I know this chirped at some stage but I can't remember how it was configured at the time, as I've done my cleaning since and changed it's use it's no longer chirping, which is why I still think this might not be a Seagate fault at all,

Now you know I'm on it for you, you now know Alan is on it for you and that the lab is on it for you, so those that aren't being patient could you keep your dig comments to a minimum in future, because tbh I''m sick of helping ppl who in SOME cases don't deserve any help, I didn't break it, nor did Alan or the lab, we are all here working towards getting this sorted for you so post things positive or just stay away and watch for any news,

Those that maybe reading who I've helped previously and have been good enough to pop back and say thx please disregard any of the above, it's not aimed at you, but I like good manners and it's getting to the stage where my help level will change according to customer attitude in future,

And finally Spcxxx, when you've read enough posts that go like this .........I've cloned my 2002 XP install on my 2012 PC but all I get is a bsod ........ you'll understand why I look for as much info as I can get, no point being a CSi who arrives at a murder scene and says....oh look he's been shot and leaves again is there.

[jologski]

PM'd my serial number.

Thanks.

[spcxxx]

@ Cantbecanit

Dear Seaguru, i have nothing personal against you.

I can write you something about me - i am very rational person, with aging more and more lazy to do pointless things  I have near 20 years practice with computers....

I ignored Seagate harddrives from about year 2003 in favour of Samsung ones (i sold many of them with 100% satisfaction) This year after my beloved Samsung HDD division is dead (or in the coma) i was forced to decide between `two devils` in my eyes WD or seagate and seagate won this because i have no bad experience with it personaly and their `1GB platter line` has nice specs for good price!!!

I read reviews that pointed to frequent head parking so i was expecting it and have `quiet hdd` ready - I was just suprised by the unpleasant nature of this sound.

Here are the facts:

-some users experience these sounds even with drive just powered on (without attachment to ANY COMPUTER)

-users experience these sounds under various OS, even under pure DOS without any drivers (me personaly)

-there are sound records available where all users recognizes `their familiar and hated sounds`

-disabling APM miracleous cures this

-publishing firmware that just disables this function on startup (and you can turn it on thru SW if you wish oposite like current condition) is according me very easy for SEAGATE technical stuff that made it personaly and have it like job

WHY?????? why just don't publish firmware with this simple change for so many demanding users (this forum is full with them)??????

MAYBE it is something else (i know everything is possible), but personal question - if you have an eye problem are you going first to dentist???? Yeah, it can be sometimes cause by teeth - but rational decision is first to check high probability case and if unsucessful THEN trying less probable ones, right???

thanks 

(Mod note - I deleted your previous, unformatted duplicate post.)

[spcxxx]

Yeah, right - you can see how `battle` can have person with simple posting - where using one browser removes all formating...

I understand your points, but these drives are half year on market (in IT area very long time) - enought time for big manufacturer to solve issues with GUARANTED solution.

Maybe `clever` persons here don't know what they're talking about - but it is so hard to `fed them` with some `beta` UNGUARANTED solution with big warning? 

Even better for seagate this `betatesting` for free

I bet on `APM`, because if it does in pure DOS environment - there is no sense to waste time with playing  with drivers from my experience.

btw. my harddrive is in RMA (dead after day od use) and i'm not bitching about it here even it is much more serious problem than some ugly sounds turnable off by SW. 

It can simply happen, there is no simple solution for this...

But one thing makes me really mad - these HDD are very GOOD!!!! They are superfast, with high capacity, good SW to cope with 2TB barrier, quiet operation, not too much heat... just this stupid anoying issue with APM makes bad feeling RUINING good work of many engineers

If these drives are crud, i don't waste my time writing anything here and just simply forget that they exist

[cmerc]

I'm so glad I found this topic. I have the ST1000DM001 model and that noise was really driving me crazy, thought my drive was going to fail or something. Listening to the sound in the OP gave me a lot of joy hahaha. I had searched the net for days trying to find the same noise anywhere.

I have disable APM and it works like a charm, but if there is in fact a better and permanent fix I look forward to it. Thanks for all the advice and news here.

[Tritous]

My thoughts, before tensions snap.

Yes, the AMD user could be lying but so could any of us.  A forum like this can only ever be based on trust.  We don't (yet) have any proof of what causes it, and we don't have any pattern to who it affects other than that it only seems to happen with APM is enabled.  I have to say that until you mentioned that it had happened to people powering it up standalone and outside a PC I was thinking about the possibility of a SATA controller, particular motherboard, etc.  I guess I'm just as guilty of making unproven assumptions. 

Thanks to someone putting the recording online and this sound being very unusual and distinctive we can be sure we are all hearing the same sound.  What we don't know is why we hear it.  It isn't necessarily the APM causing it, it could simply be a trigger.  If it turns out it is a property of the physical disk design, and by disabling APM we don't hear it because the heads don't park, then there isn't much we can do.  I don't consider disabling APM a full solution; we lose something in the process of this workaround.  I can live with it, but I would prefer to use APM than not use APM if it weren't for this problem.  

Of course I agree with the point that we don't want a bad firmware fix.  I'd rather live without APM for a while longer if it means we get a proper fix first time

[ityeti]

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Cantbecanit wrote:

I will say this, if anyone is in position to be able to do it without going to too much effort, re-format the drive and fresh install Windows and install any SP's, then your MB drivers and the RST driver console, thats for bootables btw

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Done! I changed my drives from IDE to ACPI, reinstalled windows, i even made a bios update that caused even more problems! I think i have heard the chirp just while/after the reinstall.

 For now i've purchased a new toy:

http://www.orico-online.de/home/product_details.html?pid=71

 When the drive is not needed i won't give him power so it can't chirp around.

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Now you know I'm on it for you, you now know Alan is on it for you and that the lab is on it for you, so those that aren't being patient could you keep your dig comments to a minimum in future, because tbh I''m sick of helping ppl who in SOME cases don't deserve any help, I didn't break it, nor did Alan or the lab, we are all here working towards getting this sorted for you so post things positive or just stay away and watch for any news,

Those that maybe reading who I've helped previously and have been good enough to pop back and say thx please disregard any of the above, it's not aimed at you, but I like good manners and it's getting to the stage where my help level will change according to customer attitude in future.

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I'm not saying you make a bad job so far, i totaly agree on your way to find out what is going on, but this new attitute...??? (if this is the way you thinking ok - but to write it down in an official help forum?).

Be a Pro and ignore "dig-comments" and again: thank you for your help so far.

But I don't get it yet, are you official work for seagate? Sometimes it seems you fight a war that isn't yours.

I'm not a native, sorry for wrong spelling etc.

[cmerc]

I should have mentioned this in my last post, but I just wanted to add that I am an AMD user here. I see that there has only been 1 other AMD user(?) to post this issue and Cantbecanit wasn't totally convinced of his legitimacy. I'm using an Asus M5A97 mobo with a Phenom II X4 so yeah...nothing Intel here.

[MILLY_BAYS]

Alright, I just got 4 of these HDDs installed, and all of them are making this same noise. Honestly I don't care about the noise. All I want to know is, are the hard drives going to be damaged if I don't turn off the APM. My computer may sound like it was made by Alfred Hitchcock, but my car's old tape deck makes this sound like a pin drop. This doesn't make me want to stop buying seagate hard drives, every big company makes a few noisy apples, and the rest of there products are great. I'm not asking for paranoid maybes, because of course it might be damaging it. Using a hard drive in general might damage it. Does anyone know if the function that is making this sound, is something that would actually hurt the hard drive? They run fine and sound like they are doing what they were built to do, just louder and more often then what we are used to. If it came with a built in "sounds of the rain forest" special feature to help me sleep, then I can role with it.