XP freezes @ boot with WD20EADS; Extended test won't run

WD Internal Drives Desktop & Mobile Drives
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I have a WD20EADS installed as a data drive, not system drive. The PC would consistently freeze during boot-up at the BIOS’ SATA hard drive screen. The drive was properly identified by the BIOS, but the boot process would freeze with the drive ID on the screen.
I burned a “Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (CD)” and plugged in the drive after boot, and ran the quick test, and the attached smart attribute screen would pop up. The extended test would not run. The system just wanted to reset/reboot. So this is as far as I can get with this drive at this point.

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Does this drive need to be replaced?  It’s only 7 months old…

Here’s a pic of the boot-up freeze:

I did some more testing today…  booted up in windowsxp, then connected the drive after boot.  The drive showed up in windows drive management as “healthy”. I ran the WD windows tool, and had the following results:

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Yes, backup your data and replace the drive. The number of reallocated sectors has exceeded the SMART threshold.

To see the actual number of bad sectors, try a more comprehensive SMART diagnostic tool.

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.

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Your drive IS NOT BAD!!!

The  problem is in the Sil3114 Bios/Driver.

Do not  forget to update your Sil3114 Card’s BIOS to 5.4.0.3. :

http://www.siliconimage.com/support/searchresults.aspx?pid=28&cat=15

Raid   http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/BIO-003114-x10_5403.zip

non-Raid   http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/SiI3114_5500.zip

The version 5.0.20 is very very old, that does not support 2TB.

(I had the same problem 10/2009 but with WD20EADS-00S2B0, and also with 1TB drives)

You also need to update the Sil3114 driver to version 1.5.20.3. :

http://www.siliconimage.com/support/searchresults.aspx?pid=28&cat=3

XP-64 Raid   http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/3114r5_x64_15203_logo.zip

XP-32 Raid   http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/3114r5_x86_15203_logo.zip

XP-64 non-Raid    http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/3114_x64_1.2.9.0_logo.zip

XP-32 non-Raid   http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/SiI3114_x86_1.3.11.0_logo.zip

These Bios/Drvier versions paired together to achieve SataRaid5 features.

You also needs a Bios Update Utility:

DOS   http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/UpdFlash_v336.zip

Win   http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/SiFlashTool.zip

Do not forget to use the VinDLG v1.22 (or later)! Older than V1.17 does not support 2TB.

These capacity limits are not mentioned in the releas notes of Bios/Driver/SW above.

F.c.ed marketing policy!

The latest Sil3114 Bios/Drvier woks well, hot-plug works, but the device upnlug does not (on my PC / why?).

I have to disable the hdd device in device management if I want to disconnect them from the system. Upon disable device the hdd’s motor switched down.

If the WinDLG says “too many bad sectors detected” or “bad sectors detected that can be repaired” it does not mean, that there are some or a lots of REALY “bad” sectors detected. I had the situation with the same messages, but after the WinDLG’s “write zeros” (full erase) the reported problems are no more displayed.
But other displayed, “Failed to update disk property” after WinDLG’s “full erase”.
Who what where want to update?
Also displayed this message for “quick erase” and on other PCs with other SATA cards (Sil3114, nVidia MCP-Raid), but I do not know what to do.
Any explanation?

The WinDLG “surface test” is an “off-line test”. It does mean, if a bad or weak sector found, it will not be reallocated, only marked that off-line test qualifies that sector as bad or weak, no further actions taken. But at the end of surface test you can force the WinDLG to reallocate these sectors. If it is do, then these sectors are no more accessible.
But there is possibility, to erase the entire disk’s area by WinDLG “write zeros”, and the bad or weak sector qualifications may be removed.
I can not understand, how can these WD hdds (very very poorly) preformatted by factory, that the drives have some or lots of sectors detected as weak or bad at 1st WinDLG test.
(I have bought 2x -00MVWB0 and one of them has manybad sectors and the other a lots of bad sector.)

Cautions with DOS/Win format!
They are NOT offline test accesses. During format if weak or bad sectors are found, they reallocated immediatelly. So if you do not want to make your original hdd unusable because of lots of bad sectors, those may eventually be repaired without reallocation, then do not do the format by Win format. Only by WinDLG “full erase”.

csicsy

02/08/2011