Toshiba MK2023GAS Slows Down

[cybernick]

I have a very strange problem with MK2023GAS 2.5 inch HDD drives. I am using these drives in industrial PCs and I am not keeping data on them. I am just using those to boot the needed software. So I do not care for the data.

I do not know why but some of those disks (about %25) after a usage of a period (1-2 years) became very slow and causes software crushes. Normally a regular Acronis restore should take 4 minutes but these 'defective' drives took 12 or more minutes.
HDD scan gives some <500 and few >500 results. But no bad sectors.
Is there any suggested solution except replacing the drive?


Thank you in advance for support.

[pepe]

Hi,

if U check one drive let's say two or three times, are these slow sectors at the same position ?
pepe

[cybernick]

Yes every time at the same place... Any idea..

[vsc]

If the drive is this one:http://www.superwarehouse.com/Toshiba_MK2023GAS_20GB_SuperSlim_Hard_Drive/HDD2187/p/281521, have quite same problem with two of them- from a total of 6!!- used in some embedded Digital Video Recorders.
Think it's a surface degradation, toshiba's slim drives are quite fragile...
I had to change the model and the manufacturer-BTW now are all WD.. and the problem is gone-- almost 1 year without RMA for those DVR.

[cybernick]

Yes exactly this model. So What should I do?

[jono-ats]

It sounds like you have a bearing failure, which is quite common for Toshiba laptop drives. Fortunately, it is not too hard to swap out the platters.

[cybernick]

What do you mean by "swap out the platter". Am I going to make a hardware intervention ? How?

[cryoborgofthevenus]

What do you mean by "swap out the platter". Am I going to make a hardware intervention ? How?

What the mean is, that you remove platter(s) out from the damaged drive and mount it in the new HDA. You just another new working identical model (and yes...ROM replacement)

[Starling]

You can't fix this problem.
If you don't need data from them try to replace them all in your PCs until they crash completely and you lose your data.

[jono-ats]

What do you mean by "swap out the platter". Am I going to make a hardware intervention ? How?

What the mean is, that you remove platter(s) out from the damaged drive and mount it in the new HDA. You just another new working identical model (and yes...ROM replacement)

Well, almost. What I meant was to transplant the heads and platter(s) into another drive body that has a good motor & bearing. Toshiba is probably the easiest to do.

[pepe]

And U would use it after the transplantation.... brave
pepe

[jono-ats]

And U would use it after the transplantation.... brave
pepe

Only long enough to get a client's data back.

Personally, I would never use a mechanically repaired drive, and probably wouldn't use one that had failed electronically. Drives are very cheap now -- why take any risk?

Jono

[pepe]

Hi,

I agree with U.
Let me quote from the original post

I have a very strange problem with MK2023GAS 2.5 inch HDD drives. I am using these drives in industrial PCs and I am not keeping data on them. I am just using those to boot the needed software. So I do not care for the data.

From this it is quite trivial he needs the drive itself, not the data, that's why I was so ironic, sorry about that
pepe

[jono-ats]

My mistake. Sorry for mis-reading the OP.