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WD20EARS drive failed?

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Apologies if this is in the wrong place...but I did read the FAQ and Troubleshooting sections and couldn't really find a specific answer...

 

Hi All,

 

I just started with a 4.7 "free" unRAID OS with a single BRAND NEW UNOPENED 2TB WD20EARS drive and a single Maxtor 120GB SATA drive i had lying around.

 

The Maxtor finished pre-clearing no probs and is still recognised by the BIOS of the PC.

 

The WD20EARS was recognised by the BIOS and unRAID started the pre-clearing.  All the FAQs said it didn't need the 7/8 jumper so I didn't use it, and should use the "-A" flag at the preclear, so I did that too.

 

Everything seemed fine, and the FAQ said it'd be 20+ hours so I started it then went to bed.

 

Got this emailed to me (i set the pre-clear to email me) and it says "success" but right now the PC BIOS doesn't even recognise the WD20EARS so I can't even try to troubleshoot it with unRAID!

 

Is it dead??? What can I do? Please help!

 

Please let me know if you need any more info!

 

Here's the pre-clear email I got...

 

========================================================================1.7

== invoked as: ./preclear_disk.sh -m [email protected] -A /dev/sda

==  WDC WD20EARS-00MVWB0    WD-WMAZA0512345

== Disk /dev/sda has been successfully precleared

== with a starting sector of 64

== Ran 1 cycle

==

== Using :Read block size = 8225280 Bytes

== Last Cycle's Pre Read Time  :  ( MB/s)

== Last Cycle's Zeroing time  :  ( MB/s)

== Last Cycle's Post Read Time :  ( MB/s)

== Last Cycle's Total Time    :

==

== Total Elapsed Time 6:54:26

==

== Disk Start Temperature: 33C

==

== Current

==

============================================================================

 

============================================================================

============================================================================

==

== S.M.A.R.T Initial Report for /dev/sda

==

Disk: /dev/sda

smartctl 5.39.1 2010-01-28 r3054 [i486-slackware-linux-gnu] (local build)

Copyright © 2002-10 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net

 

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===

Device Model:    WDC WD20EARS-00MVWB0

Serial Number:    WD-WMAZA0512345

Firmware Version: 50.0AB50

User Capacity:    2,000,398,934,016 bytes

Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]

ATA Version is:  8

ATA Standard is:  Exact ATA specification draft version not indicated

Local Time is:    Sun Mar 13 21:54:58 2011 EST

SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.

SMART support is: Enabled

 

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===

SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

 

General SMART Values:

Offline data collection status:  (0x80) Offline data collection activity

                                      was never started.

                                      Auto Offline Data Collection: Enabled.

Self-test execution status:      (  0) The previous self-test routine completed

                                      without error or no self-test has ever

                                      been run.

Total time to complete Offline

data collection:                (36600) seconds.

Offline data collection

capabilities:                    (0x7b) SMART execute Offline immediate.

                                      Auto Offline data collection on/off support.

                                      Suspend Offline collection upon new

                                      command.

                                      Offline surface scan supported.

                                      Self-test supported.

                                      Conveyance Self-test supported.

                                      Selective Self-test supported.

SMART capabilities:            (0x0003) Saves SMART data before entering

                                      power-saving mode.

                                      Supports SMART auto save timer.

Error logging capability:        (0x01) Error logging supported.

                                      General Purpose Logging supported.

Short self-test routine

recommended polling time:        (  2) minutes.

Extended self-test routine

recommended polling time:        ( 255) minutes.

Conveyance self-test routine

recommended polling time:        (  5) minutes.

SCT capabilities:              (0x3035) SCT Status supported.

                                      SCT Feature Control supported.

                                      SCT Data Table supported.

 

SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16

Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:

ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG    VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE

1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate    0x002f  100  253  051    Pre-fail  Always      -      0

3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027  167  167  021    Pre-fail  Always      -      6633

4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032  100  100  000    Old_age  Always      -      10

5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct  0x0033  200  200  140    Pre-fail  Always      -      0

7 Seek_Error_Rate        0x002e  100  253  000    Old_age  Always      -      0

9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032  100  100  000    Old_age  Always      -      0

10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0032  100  253  000    Old_age  Always      -      0

11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032  100  253  000    Old_age  Always      -      0

12 Power_Cycle_Count      0x0032  100  100  000    Old_age  Always      -      8

192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032  200  200  000    Old_age  Always      -      7

193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032  200  200  000    Old_age  Always      -      10

194 Temperature_Celsius    0x0022  117  117  000    Old_age  Always      -      33

196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032  200  200  000    Old_age  Always      -      0

197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0032  200  200  000    Old_age  Always      -      0

198 Offline_Uncorrectable  0x0030  100  253  000    Old_age  Offline      -      0

199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0032  200  253  000    Old_age  Always      -      0

200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate  0x0008  100  253  000    Old_age  Offline      -      0

 

SMART Error Log Version: 1

No Errors Logged

 

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1

No self-tests have been logged.  [To run self-tests, use: smartctl -t]

 

 

SMART Selective self-test log data structure revision number 1

SPAN  MIN_LBA  MAX_LBA  CURRENT_TEST_STATUS

  1        0        0  Not_testing

  2        0        0  Not_testing

  3        0        0  Not_testing

  4        0        0  Not_testing

  5        0        0  Not_testing

Selective self-test flags (0x0):

After scanning selected spans, do NOT read-scan remainder of disk.

If Selective self-test is pending on power-up, resume after 0 minute delay.

==

============================================================================

 

 

 

============================================================================

==

== S.M.A.R.T Final Report for /dev/sda

==

Disk: /dev/sda

smartctl 5.39.1 2010-01-28 r3054 [i486-slackware-linux-gnu] (local build)

Copyright © 2002-10 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net

 

Smartctl: Device Read Identity Failed (not an ATA/ATAPI device)

 

A mandatory SMART command failed: exiting. To continue, add one or more '-T permissive' options.

==

============================================================================

Does not look like a success if the final smart report cannot be taken.

 

I'd use

preclear_disk.sh -t /dev/sda

to see if there is a valid pre-clear signature.

  • Author

Does not look like a success if the final smart report cannot be taken.

 

I'd use

preclear_disk.sh -t /dev/sda

to see if there is a valid pre-clear signature.

Hi thanks for the reply, but I can't actually do this because the BIOS doesn't see the drive anymore so neither does unRAID!

 

I've even taken out the WD20EARS and put it into a USB enclosure to see if a different computer would recognise it (and ask me to format) but it won't...so I don't think the drive is actually alive anymore...

 

Any other ideas?

Does not look like a success if the final smart report cannot be taken.

 

I'd use

preclear_disk.sh -t /dev/sda

to see if there is a valid pre-clear signature.

Hi thanks for the reply, but I can't actually do this because the BIOS doesn't see the drive anymore so neither does unRAID!

 

I've even taken out the WD20EARS and put it into a USB enclosure to see if a different computer would recognise it (and ask me to format) but it won't...so I don't think the drive is actually alive anymore...

 

Any other ideas?

RMA it?
  • Author

Thanks Joe!

 

I gave it a few more attempts in different PC's and different USB enclosures and it all cases it's like it just won't want to start up!

 

Like it's not receiving power...it's so weird because it DID work up until I tried to pre-clear it.

 

Are there no known issues pre-clearing a WD20EARS without the 7/8 jumper on unRAID 4.7???

 

--

 

In any case after many hoops to jump, I've finally RMA'd the drive and will be sending it back to Singapore for replacement.  (I'm in Australia if that matters)

Thanks Joe!

 

I gave it a few more attempts in different PC's and different USB enclosures and it all cases it's like it just won't want to start up!

 

Like it's not receiving power...it's so weird because it DID work up until I tried to pre-clear it.

 

Are there no known issues pre-clearing a WD20EARS without the 7/8 jumper on unRAID 4.7???

 

--

 

In any case after many hoops to jump, I've finally RMA'd the drive and will be sending it back to Singapore for replacement.  (I'm in Australia if that matters)

It just died during its initial few hours of life.  One of the benefits of pre-clearing a drive is that it is a burn-in period for the drive.

 

Would you rather it have died after you filled it with your files?  If it stopped responding, and it does not respond in any of the enclosures/PCs you try it in, consider it dead.  I've got one that died in its initial pre-clear too.  I've got to send it in as an RMA too.

 

Joe L.

Big title on Morning Star:

 

PRECLEAR SCRIPT KILLS DRIVES

 

;D ;D ;D ;D

The smart report posted shows 0 power on hours. Something was definitely wrong with it.

Big title on Morning Star:

 

PRECLEAR SCRIPT KILLS DRIVES

 

;D ;D ;D ;D

Actually, I'd say that Microsoft Operating System kill drives. 

I'll bet more drives die when running Microsoft products than in any other use.  ;) ;)

I'm starting to think these EARS drives are the new Hitachi "Deathstar" drives.  I'm on my third one in less than a year.  I have 2 EADS and 1 EACS that have been flawless for 2+ years now.

I believe the problem has to do with the head parking power saving feature on the drive. The heads on these drives by default are set to park after 8 seconds.  This creates a lot of load/unload cycles on the drive when running things such as unRaid.

 

The very first thing I did after installing my two 2TB EARS drives was use the wdidle3.exe utility to completely disable the head parking power saving feature. I know that doing that will increase the power usage on the drives but it should also extend the life of the drive.

I believe the problem has to do with the head parking power saving feature on the drive. The heads on these drives by default are set to park after 8 seconds.  This creates a lot of load/unload cycles on the drive when running things such as unRaid.

 

The very first thing I did after installing my two 2TB EARS drives was use the wdidle3.exe utility to completely disable the head parking power saving feature. I know that doing that will increase the power usage on the drives but it should also extend the life of the drive.

 

Is that something I can run on the drive once it's already been formatted and added to the unRAID array?

As far as I know, yes. My understanding is that it just changes the settings on the drive itself for head parking. Be warned, it will try to make the setting changes to ALL hard disks in your system. It is set to ignore non Western Digital drives and some older drives do not support the command, so the change will fail. It won't harm the disk but just something to be aware of before playing with the tool.

 

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