I'm thinking of buying a drive that does not initialize under Windows or Linux but which does ok with a sector scan done via a boot disk. Can someone advise me what these symptoms might point to?

Thanks much,
Paul

test the drive with the manufacture diagnostics, download hddscan check the smart or hdtune if any smart is tripped don't buy or if tests fail

Unfortunately the above information is all I have to go on. And if the drive won't initialize, I'm not sure how to run OEM diagnostics.

The previous suggestion from networks is a good one, but IMHO you need to give much more info, for readers to have a better chance of helping you - to start with:

* What is the make & model of the disk (not enclosure) that you're asking about?

* How is it attached - internal SATA, or external USB, or something else?

* You've said you're thinking of buying this disk (so it's not yours yet), but you also seem to have access to run tests. Please explain, to make sure we're getting the whole story - for example, how is this disk being used at the moment, if you're having these difficulties?

* What exact tests have you run so far - for example, you say you ran a successful scan from a boot disk, so what was the name of the program that you ran and why did you choose that one?

* What exactly do you mean by "won't initialize"? Different people use the term "initialize" to mean various things.

* You said you tried Linux - I hope you used the command line (not GUI), so what exact Linux command did you run and what exact error message did you get on the screen? Were there any errors logged in the Linux messages (check dmesg for example) at that time?

If you give full and clear answers to the above questions, IMHO there's a much better chance of someone understanding you, and perhaps giving further suggestions / explanations.

Thanks, Vulcan, for your detailed response. I don't have the drive in my possession, so I'm just going on what I was told. What I was hoping for here was some general guidelines that I might apply in this case and others - like: if the sectors read ok but the drive won't initialize, it's a firmware problem, and correctable. Something like that. I'm not sure if any generalities are possible. Unfortunately, I can't offer much more information.

BW,
p.

Thanks for the reply.


IMHO the description given of the disk's behaviour is too incomplete to allow anything more than guesses, of which only one might be right - but you wouldn't know which guess (if any) was right! An accurate diagnosis is needed, and that needs more information.


And therefore, unfortunately, I can't give useful advice.

Ok, well at least I know a bit more about how much I don't know... That is valuable.

Thanks much,
p.