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From: "Randal, Phil" <prandal@herefordshire.gov.uk>
To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: RE: IBM Desktar disk problem?
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2002 16:04:57 +0100 
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Here's a good place to start:

http://www.geocities.com/dtla_update/

Cheers,

Phil
---------------------------------------------
Phil Randal
Network Engineer
Herefordshire Council
Hereford, UK 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Anton Altaparmakov [mailto:aia21@cantab.net]
> Sent: 05 July 2002 15:30
> To: Thunder from the hill
> Cc: Daniel Egger; venom@sns.it; linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
> Subject: Re: IBM Desktar disk problem?
> 
> 
> At 15:03 05/07/02, Thunder from the hill wrote:
> >On 5 Jul 2002, Daniel Egger wrote:
> > > <advise>
> > > Buy decent drives, then get DriveFitnessTest (DFT) from 
> their website
> > > and check the harddrives, note the TRC number, request an 
> RMA on their
> > > website and ship the drives as soon as possible to IBM. 
> Wait for the
> > > replacement drives and sell them ASAP on Ebay to some 
> freaks who don't
> > > give a dime about data security.
> > > </advise>
> >
> >...and tell all the people who got a DTLA (because it's not 
> as expensive
> >as others in some countries, mind France, USA, Germany) to drop their
> >disks if they want to use Linux, because we're too lazy to find a
> >solution. That might be cool to you, but we want HARDWARE SUPPORT for
> >Linux! That's why we're here.
> >
> >There _is_ a solution, we just have to find it.
> 
> Um, the solution is already known. Upgrade the firmware on 
> the drive, low 
> level format if the drive thinks there are bad sectors, and 
> be happy. At 
> least it worked for me...
> 
> The very first question when making a support call for my 
> broken deathstar 
> was "Have you installed the firmware update?" "No." "Download 
> it here and 
> install, come back if it still doesn't work."
> 
> I never thought it would work but it did! It seems there is 
> something wrong 
> in the firmware the drives are shipped with and some 
> suppliers obviously 
> know this considering my experience... When I was running the 
> DFT test 
> utility it was telling me my drive is broken and needs to be 
> returned. 
> After the firmware update the same test utility passed all 
> tests repeatedly!
> 
> With 5 deathstars (one DTLA and four IC ones), all with 
> firmware updates 
> now, I have no problems and the oldest of the drives is now 
> over 3 years 
> old IIRC and some are pretty much in constant spun-up state 
> since purchase...
> 
> The only problem I can see is that IBM is not pushing people 
> to apply the 
> firmware updates. I have never been even able to find where 
> to download 
> them on the IBM website. - I downloaded them from the website 
> of my supplier...
> 
> Best regards,
> 
>          Anton
> 
> 
> -- 
>    "I've not lost my mind. It's backed up on tape somewhere." 
> - Unknown
> -- 
> Anton Altaparmakov <aia21 at cantab.net> (replace at with @)
> Linux NTFS Maintainer / IRC: #ntfs on irc.openprojects.net
> WWW: http://linux-ntfs.sf.net/ & 
http://www-stu.christs.cam.ac.uk/~aia21/

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