Help: Hitachi/IBM 180GXP Problem

[Darkmatter]

Hi all

Looking for some help / advice, recently bought a Hitachi 120GB Deskstar 180GXP hard drive (8MB cache model)

Ive started to notice everynow and again, the drive makes what i can only describe as a short sqeak noise about 2 seconds long. Its not the drive going into standby, disabled that just to test.
Drive is only a month old and not really had much use.

This a normal triat or is my drive turning into a Deathstar

Thanks in advance

[acidrainy]

I've never heard of that before, well until i put my drive vertical in a mates case

Would probably be best contacting the manufacturers on that one :/

[TeePee]

I had the same with a pair of 120GXPs from new. I only kept them for a year, but they held up with no problems during that time.

[Mr Meltdown]

Try the IBM drive fitness test util on it and see if it finds anything wrong with it. (get it off the IBM storage site....now hitachi I guess)

CHeers,

MM

[Zaphan58]

Haitachi/IBM drive sin generall arent the best, i had 4 on RMA befor ei learnt my lesson and went with a different brand. The screech you described bost likely is a bearing inside or a problem with the platters.

If i where you i would back up all the data you need, run the drive fitness test as Mr Meltdown said witch shoudl give you an error code so you can go to the Hitachi website and get an RMA number, or if it still has return to base warranty on it just take it back and explain what its doing.

[SilentDeath]

check how uve mounted the drive, that its horizontal (vertical might cause problems?), its screwed in properly with 4 screws, and that the temp isnt too hot (mbm5 with SMART or just touch it and guess). afaik it was only the 65/75gxps that had major problems, and i wont aviod a brand just because 1 or 2 models had problems in the past, esp when ibm drives are some of the fastest, there is just as much chance of the next WD having major problems, although i dont c y ibm didnt fix this it might have been there drives just overheated to easly. id run the drive fitness program, and if u have win9x, the dos based scandisk to checkfor problems.

[Behemoth]

My pair of 120 GXP's that I had used to do that, they don't do it any more, at least they don't in my system because I sold them off some time ago.

They're still going though, so I'd say that was a goodpair of 120 GXP's.

Behemoth

[GuruJockStrap]

I would'nt worry m8. I've got 2x 60GB 180GXP's in a Raid 0 setup and I'm not bothered.
The high pitched, short squeak you hear is the heads on the hard drive re-calibrating/reseting themselves. It's a normal operating proceedure for the 180GXP's. It does it every now and again. I leave my PC on all day and it does it during the afternoon and around 10.30pm everyday religiously at exactly the same time.
If your hard drives are constantly making that noise non stop for more than 2 seconds, look into it. If not, relax and let the 180GXP re-calibrate the heads on the drive.

[Darkmatter]

Thanks very much to all you guys, will run the Disk Fitness Test and see what turns up. Hopefully its nothing to worry about as GuruJockStrap pointed out

[Doctor.Bob]

Whatever you do - make sure u are backed up.

I learnt that lesson with a whiny deathstar a year ago.

[Stringent]

I get that on my IBM drives, but only on shutdown when things are powering off. If you are worried, get the diagnostics disk from IBM and put the drive through its paces. Maybe a burn in test as well seeing as it has not had much use.