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

[third3]

Hello,

I recently noticed odd behaviour with my system (irregular freezing, inconsistant music playback, unstable web browsing, etc), and thought it might be my hard drive. I downloaded SeaTools v1.2.0.1 for my ST3500320AS on firmware SD1A, and performed Short DST, Long DST, and Short Generic basic tests. They all failed with SeaTools Test Code: AAD39FFC.

What does this mean?

Thank you in advance.

[third3]

Hello,

I recently noticed odd behaviour with my system (irregular freezing, inconsistant music playback, unstable web browsing, etc), and thought it might be my hard drive. I downloaded SeaTools v1.2.0.1 for my ST3500320AS on firmware SD1A, and performed Short DST, Long DST, and Short Generic basic tests. They all failed with SeaTools Test Code: AAD39FFC.

What does this mean?

Thank you in advance.

[fzabkar]

It could be that there are marginal sectors that require several retries. I would try to confirm the SeaTools failures using a DOS version on a bootable CD.

I would also 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/

The SeaTools test codes are claimed to be unique to your drive. They are encoded from the failing test number, and the serial number of your drive.

About SeaTools Test Codes:
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=wvc&vgnextoid=573797f40cce3210VgnVCM1000001a...

My understanding is that the second last digit identifies the failing test, as follows:

xxxxxx4x - SMART Fail
xxxxxx5x - Long Test, long LBA test
xxxxxx6x - Short Test, short LBA test
xxxxxxAx - Self-Service SeaTools Test Code
xxxxxxCx - Short Generic
xxxxxxDx - Long Generic
xxxxxxEx - Short DST
xxxxxxFx - Long DST

[third3]

I ran both of those programs you listed, and here are some screenshots of them:

http://i45.tinypic.com/zo7q8h.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/2wpjk0z.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/vynzhh.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/2hwg7l.jpg

I assume this means I should start looking for a new drive? How do I transfer Windows over without having to reinstall everything?

[fzabkar]

I would backup and replace your drive ASAP.

You can clone it with DiscWizard:
http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/drivers/discwiz.html
http://www.seagate.com/support/discwizard/dw_ug.en.pdf

[third3]

Okay, thank you, I'll do that tonight. Is there anything I should know before cloning my drive? I assume I need to have the replacement drive installed in the computer to clone it to? After cloning is completed, the replacement drive will be my exact computer as it was on the old drive? I don't need to reinstall Windows or anything?

Thanks again for your help.

[fzabkar]

The replacement drive needs to be as large as, or larger than the existing drive. You can install it inside the computer, or in an external enclosure. However, a USB 2.0 enclosure will limit the data transfer rate to about 20 MB/s.

You don't need to preinstall anything on the new drive. If you select Automatic cloning mode, then the new drive will be an exact logical copy of the old drive. The new partitions will be upscaled in size to fill the new drive, in the same proportions as the old drive. OTOH, if you select manual mode, then you can adjust the partition sizes. You can also perform a sector-to-sector copy, in which case the new drive will be byte-for-byte identical with your original, with the remaining capacity being unallocated.

[third3]

Perfect, I just picked up my replacement drive and am about to install it. Thank you so much for your help.