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Date:      Mon, 01 Oct 2001 23:45:30 -0700
From:      "Charles Burns" <burnscharlesn@hotmail.com>
To:        questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: IDE errors
Message-ID:  <F42ZXBjhHBS2wC1Hhat0000d9fe@hotmail.com>

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>Can anybody decode this error for me?  LIke, what does it mean? 'bn', 'cn',
>'tn', 'sn'...  And what is status=59 error=40?
>
>This is the third IBM DeskStar 75GXP 60gb I've had "die" with this.  All
>three make horrid grinding noises too.  I've been RMA'ing them, and the
>returned drive works for a while, then continues the problem.  Any ideas
>what else it could be other than busted drives?  I've seen it on multiple
>motherboards, so it isn't that...
>
>Oct  1 23:28:17 edgemaster /kernel: ad1s1a: hard error reading fsbn 
>10621031 of 5310484-5310485 (ad1s1 bn 10621031; cn 661 tn 32 sn 50) 
>status=59 error=40
>

The 75GXP series, designed for 5 platters in a half-height (now standard 
height) drive, has issues. Even the drives with fewer platters have had 
reliability problems because of the cramped space leaving room for the 
platters (easier to manufacture if the ONLY difference between the drives is 
the # of heads/platters)

Anyway, don't use 75GXPs. IBM is a good company and, other than the 75GXP 
series, makes a great IDE hard drive. (I haven't used enough of their SCSI 
drives--probably good too--to form an opinion)
The 60GXP seems to be fine, it beinbg a 75GXP designed for 4 platters and 
representing the lessons learned by the boo-boos with the 75GXP series.
Maxtor's DiamondMax+ drivers are good too, and while Western Digital has 
been junk for a while, their new WD1000 (or whatever--can't remember the 
exact model) represents their re-entry into "high-end" IDE drives, being the 
fastest IDE drive to date. (Dunno about reliability yet)
Strangely, 45GB Deskstar 75GXP's have reportedly been the worst as far as 
reliability.

I don't know what the errors mean exactly, but I would save some time and 
hair by replacing those drives with new ones. (replacements are usually 
refurbs anyway, making them a double-whammy)

>I'm really starting to hate IDE and IBM, especially since an RMA takes
>about a month with me sitting here without a drive.

Those Seagate Barracuda drives are reliable, fairly fast, and SCSI. I 
believe the most reliable drives as far as the traditional ratings-- 
start-stops, MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure in hours, which you should not 
take the numbers literally--just relatively) seem to be Seagate Cheetah 
X15's, but they are fairly small and VERY expensive and _VERY_ fast (unless 
you do streaming media, then they aren't so speedy)


Charles Burns

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