A Stumper

**clocker** · 05-08-2006, 12:17 AM

Lynx,

I have been reading about problems with the new Maxtor Spinpoint drives and nF4 chipsets.
We'll try a new drive tomorrow.

Still, why would this affect the optical drives as well?

**lynx** · 05-08-2006, 12:43 AM

I hadn't considered the Optical drives, if they are gone too then it is probably the mobo.

In any case, I simply thought it would be quicker to try a known working drive rather than a potentially unknown quantity from Ebay before ripping out the mobo.

**Duffman** · 05-08-2006, 01:31 AM

can you downgrade the bios to the original version?

**clocker** · 05-08-2006, 02:48 AM

Originally Posted by lynx

I hadn't considered the Optical drives, if they are gone too then it is probably the mobo.

In any case, I simply thought it would be quicker to try a known working drive rather than a potentially unknown quantity from Ebay before ripping out the mobo.

I still like the HDD as the culprit even though the drives were both in original and apparently factory sealed packaging.
Admittedly shrink wrapping can be redone, but they sure looked brand new.
Maxtor has a firmware upgrade for these drives to address the "sporadic" (their description) problems that are cropping up but I'm leery of such an extreme fix...if something goes wrong we become responsible for replacement.

If we swap out the motherboard and the problem continues then it's on the owner, not us.

**Damnatory** · 05-08-2006, 03:54 AM

Originally Posted by Duffman

can you downgrade the bios to the original version?

Even if did that, there is no guarentee that it will reproduce the problems with the earlier BIOS, if there were any before.

Clocker, I've had the same problem as well, with a dying Maxtor HDD. It was random though, so I could never reproduce it at will either. I never tried unplugging it either, as I try not to make it a habit of moving my PC's around. Just thought I would second the suspicion of the HDD, as Lynx said. However the only difference between his problem and mine, was the fact that when the HDD didn't read, the opticals wouldn't either, moreso like your situation.

**clocker** · 05-08-2006, 04:15 AM

Thanks for the suggestions folks.

This problem/phenomonon is precisely definable and reproducable, which you'd think would make it easier to eliminate, not harder.
I'll let you know what we do and what happens.

**Duffman** · 05-08-2006, 05:16 PM

Have you tried swapping in a different psu?

**clocker** · 05-08-2006, 11:45 PM

It's the HDDs.
Actually, it's the pairing of the two Maxtors.

With just one drive connected the PC acts as normal.
Connect the second Maxtor and the issue returns.
Replace the second Maxtor with a Seagate and everything is back to normal as well.

The PC can handle two HDDs just fine as long as they are not both Maxtors.
Now it's up to the customer.