For Geniuses – Strange Problem

I agree SNGX1275,
this is just too wierd... 3 Maxtor drives bad. What are the odds??? All the possible tests have been done. Are all the drives the same capacity or model?

lol, no I keep them as still as possible. I haven't even touched one of the drives before two days ago. It's the wierdest thing I've EVER encountered. I should be getting a new drive in tomorrow. If this one f's up when I plug it in, I'm going to go nuts....

Try running an xcopy through a cmd shell.
Something like this (below); it will not stop even if errors exist.

The >C:\copyresults.txt is a piped text file from the copy so you can see what it got and what it missed. Replace the drive letters and paths as needed.

xcopy E:\*.* F:\Files-from-E-Drive /h /i /s /c /e /r /k /y >C:\Copyresults.txt

Make sure the folder exists on the drive you are copying to (eg: Files-From-E-Drive).

Let us know how you go :grinthumb

Even on the Maxtor, it is fairly simple (if you have a good fourth drive) to install the maxtors, one at a time, as slave drives, then drag and drop all the data to the good drive.
It is also easy to use data recovery programs to copy the data on the bad Maxtor to the good drive...
Be advised that you must not turn off the Maxtor until all data is transferred, because you do not know when it will never work again.

point the finger at the failing component --> MAXSTOR

too late now, but ALWAYS low-level-format a new device with at least two full passes
before you commit to storing data on it.

btw: are you Overclocked at all?

Low-level formatting comes in handy, but it's not really necessary in most cases. These 3 bad Maxtors could probably use it though

Are the Three Maxtors similar as far as models and product ID]s go? How old are they...
Doubt that the computer could cause the failures, but the power supply could possible do so... Rather think it is a cooincidence... as so many Maxtor drives used in Gateway and Dell went bad before they sold out to Seagate.
Get a Seagate with the five year warranty, and forget about worrying.

I asked this same question a few posts back... I have 3 Seagate drives that were replaced under the 5-year warranty in my system right now

mikescorpio- The drives are C:/ and F:/....and I have a folder on my SATA that's called "olddrive" let me make sure I have this right?

I have the Ultimate Windows Boot disk(is that a cmd shell), which has the "unstoppable copy" program on it, but it wouldn't read the drive. Or do you mean the command prompt?

So I should put

xcopy F:\*.* C:\olddrive>C:\Copyresults.txt

I'm bad with coding...lol, but let me know if that's what you mean. Also, I don't know what the individual files are called, I have tons of files on the disk.

raybay - I can't access the drive as a slave, it freezes my system. Also, I put it back in the USB and did a file recovery on it by diskdoctor. It froze the system. I also tried Disk Image, and a few other cloning programs. They either won't read the drive or I get a no volume error.

joebeard - How do you low-level format? I just used disk management to format the drives when I first installed them. Also, no, I'm underclocked actually.

raybay - Nope, different model numbers and bought almost 1 year apart.....I'm ONLY buying SEAGATE drives now....lol

Command prompt - command shell ... same thing

Go to START - RUN - Type: cmd (hit ENTER)
A black box (cmd prompt) should appear, and in this screen type the following:

xcopy F:\olddrive C:\Files-From-F-Drive /h /i /s /c /e /r /k /y >C:\Copyresults.txt
If you have more files outside the "olddrives folder, replace olddrives with *.* (it will get everything on there ... hidden or not).

Before you run this make sure you create a folder in the root of C: called "Files-From-F-Drive".

If the xcopy does not work, and gives you an error such as "invalid parameters" try it again with the line in inverted commas. I wrote the line in a way though so if you copied it and pasted it in the cmd shell it will run due to no spaces. You need the switches that I have written after it (/h /i /s, etc).

Copy the entire line and paste it in a cmd prompt. It will work, although it will only copy what it can ... anything else suggests either disk errors or corrupt data table. For that you would need to schedule a chkdsk -f -r in a cmd prompt on F:, but this may or may not delete files.

Do this by going ot START - RUN - Type: cmd (hit ENTER) type the following:
F:
chkdsk /f /r

I have attached a text file. Simply save the text file as xcopy-script.bat and double-click it if you are unsure how to run it (edit the batch file once renamed and check to see I'm not doing anything incriminating!).

Good luck and plz let us know how you go :grinthumb

BTW: Western Digital is a HDD brand I swear by (if you got the $$$, buy a Raptor!)

Thats a pretty neat sript - so you can copy all non-corrupted files from a crashed hard drive as long as the destination drive works?

Yer it's good when your disk has bad sectors and/or corrupt data table. The drive still needs to show up in Windows and be assigned a drive letter (online).
I always pipe a text file to the root of C: so you can see what it did/didn't copy.

Got me out of trouble many times!

IF you want a more robust copier than xcopy, download the Windows Resources Tool Kit and play with robocopy.

my two pence
the enclosures are over heating the drives
don't set them on top of machine
enclosures supply power to the drives if erratic (cheap) this can cook motor :chef:
I'm bored need data recovery PM me

I got an invalid parameters error when I tried it. I also tried check disk and it didn't work either. The drive seems to be stuck and not spinning I think.

Samstoned - The externals have fans and are high-quality. I sure hope they're not overheating the drives if that is the case...

If the drive is not showing in Windows then you cant run the copy. You get an invalid parameters if you didn't create the folder in C: or if the path is different.

Copy this: "xcopy F:\*.* C:\Files-From-F-Drive /h /i /s /c /e /r /k /y >C:\Copyresults.txt" and make sure you create a folder in C: called: Files-From-F-Drive BEFOREHAND

The drive shows up in windows, but I can't get to it on my 160GB

The 300GB shows up in windows and I can access it, but can't copy or open anything on the drive.

I did create a folder on the C drive before hand. I tested out xcopy by using my CD rom drive...worked perfectly.

I tried it on the 160GB got an invalid parameters error

I tried it on the 300GB - started to copy files, then the drive hung and the activity light stayed lit, but the drive wasn't doing anything. The cmd prompt just kept blinking, but nothing was being copied (I waited 10 minutes, as it was stuck on a 35 meg file through USB 2.0)

Is all very strange, the 300GB drive is spinning, the 160GB drive spins, then clicks, then spins, then clicks(the click sounds like it's thinking) and this continues on and on forever...

How do you know it wasn't copying anything? Did you check inside the filder or read the text file? You can open the text file during the copy but do not save the changes when you close it.
The cmd prompt will just sit there until it is finished, looking like its doing nothing. If you add /f to the xcopy line, you will see the file names and paths as it copies.

The clicking noise is worrying ...

I opened the folder and looked at the files and the folder size. The folder wasn't getting any bigger, and no files were being added, and the file it was on was 35 megs. Shouldn't take 10 mins....or will it take longer if it's a bad sector?