FreeAgent Products

[mrdenis]

Advice in the locked thread is as follows

1) Install the updated FA Desktop software for Mac.  That software will divert the "responsibility" for setting the sleep interval to the MacOS operating system rather than the FA software.

please can you let me know where in OS X Leopard 10.5.3 I can see and adjust these settings?

Many thanks

D

[zlemur]

I am having the same problem with my Seagate Freeagent drives spinning down every 60 seconds or so. I don't understand the proposed solution. I am using OS X 10.4.11 on a Mac G5. I have two drives attached and it is very difficult to get work done when they are spinning down and spinning up all of the time!

Is the "FA Desktop software for Mac" the same as Drive Manager? Drive Manager is the only Mac software included in FreeAgent-DT-WW.zip.

In Drive Manager, I don't see any way to adjust the sleep time setting. Where is it? I only see "My Drives" which does a diagnostic test, and "Backup" which sets a back up schedule.

How does the software divert "responsibility" for setting the sleep interval to the Mac OS operating system? Is it automatic? Where is the setting to divert responsibility to the Mac OS?

Thank you for any advice!

[zlemur]

Does anyone have an answer to the question above? Please!

My FreeAgent drives have become ABSOLUTELY STUPID because they go to sleep every minute. There appears to be no sleep setting in the Drive Manager application, and the OS does not control them.

I have about 30 hard drives from various manufacturers, and only the FreeAgent drives do this. I'm so frustrated with them.

[AlanM]

zlemur and others,

Did you try the tips listed in the locked thread?
There are multiple ideas there.

[zlemur]

From the closed thread and other threads, I gathered these six ideas, none of which work, as explained:

1. Install Windows version of Drive Manager on an Intel Mac with Parallels and use it to adjust the sleep setting. I have a G5 (non-Intel) Mac, so installing Windows is not an option. I don't have Parallels or an extra copy of Windows and wasn't planning on buying them to support these drives. The Mac version of Drive Manager has no sleep setting.

2. Disconnect drive from eSata cable and connect via USB; then use Drive Manager to adjust the sleep setting. Again, the Mac version of Drive Manager has no setting for "Adjust Sleep Interval".

3. Try a program called HD Awake. I tried it; it doesn't work.

4. Connect the drive to a Windows computer and use the Windows version of Drive Manager to set the sleep interval. My drives are formatted to Mac OS Extended, so they can't be read by a windows computer. They have lots of data on them, so reformatting them to NTFS is not a practical option.

5. Install the updated FA Desktop software for Mac -- that software will divert the "responsibility" for setting the sleep interval to the MacOS operating system rather than the FA software. I asked (and mrdenis asked) above how it diverts responsibility to the Mac OS because, as far as I can tell, it doesn't. I can't find a setting anywhere that affects the sleep time of FreeAgent drives.

6. Buy another brand that is Mac compatible. Not a practical solution now; maybe next time. I thought these were Mac compatible.

[mrdenis]

I'm in the same boat as Zlemur - drive is formatted as Mac OS Extended

AlanM - I find it hard to believe that the sleep responsibility now lies with OS X as if it did you could point us to the control. You can't do that and so I assume you have been misinformed and are now misinforming us.

 It is a great shame that you suggest we try a series of tips rather than actually pointing us to a solution

[zlemur]

Has anyone come up with a solution for Mac users? My Seagate FreeAgent Pro hard drives are still all narcoleptic. They go to sleep every minute or sooner. As I described above, the Mac version of the software has no "Adjust Drive Sleep Interval" setting.

It's now time that I need to buy more drives and I will certainly be looking at other brands. But I would still like to get these Seagate drives operating normally.

I see that another user, guruuno, posted a thread on 8/29/08 about the same problem. He explained the problem in detail. AlanM's reply refers him to the Common Issues thread, which as already described, does not contain a solution to this problem for Mac users, especially those who have Mac-formatted drives.

I'll repeat it once more: THE MAC VERSION OF THE FREEAGENT SOFTWARE HAS NO "ADJUST DRIVE SLEEP INTERVAL" SETTING.

Thank you in advance for any real solutions.

[AlanM]

Yes, I am well aware of that, which is why the solutions I offered do not hinge on using the Mac version of the software to turn off the sleep interval.
I urge you to read the tips carefully and follow them - they might just solve the problem.

[zlemur]

I've read as carefully as I can, but fail to find your solution for Mac users with Mac-formatted drives.

I've gone to the Common Issues thread and the first item there is about setting the drive sleep interval. I've clicked on the links for each of the drives, and all of the solutions advise going into the software and adjusting the drive sleep interval. All of the videos show the Windows version of the software, and the Mac version does not have a setting for adjusting the drive sleep interval. Mac users with Mac-formatted drives can't use the Windows version of the software.

So, I've read and re-read and still missed it. Please be more specific. What is the solution for Mac users with Mac-formatted drives?

By the way, I tried to get technical support from Seagate about this issue, but go into an endless loop like this:
1. click on Contact Support
2. click on Technical Support
3. click on email
4. fill out support form with all details
5. fill out New Account page
6. receive message that new account creation failed because email address is already in database
7. login successfully using email address and password used for the forums
8. click on Contact Support
9. click on Technical Support
10. click on email
11. fill out support form with all details
12. fill out New Account page
13. receive message that new account creation failed because email address is already in database
14. repeat steps 1 through 13

[kajh]

>1) Install the updated FA Desktop software for Mac.  That software will divert the "responsibility" for setting the sleep interval to the
>MacOS operating system rather than the FA software.

Hi!

I have a FA Pro disk which I use on osx 10.5.4

Is there a similar update for this disk as described above for the FA desktop disk that would divert the "responsibility" for setting the sleep interval to the MacOS operating system rather than the FA software?


-Kaj