Which Seagate drive to use?

[mrtickle]

Hiya. I need to replace my Maxtor 160GB drive quite soon as I now have 30 recordings with blockiness in all set to keep forever so that those bits of disc don't get used again. And I'm getting a new blocky recording almost every day :(

I'd like a Seagate drive for the 5 year warantee. SATA drives don't work, or do they? I must be losing it in my old age :). I'd prefer around 250GB for this one. Any model numbers recommended please?

I plan to do a piped backup/restore from this dying disc with all recordings deleted, as I have my customised graphics strewn across multiple MFS partitions and I know than I can't get a nice clean divorced backup. pdisk -l gives:

Partition map (with 512 byte blocks) on '/dev/hda'
#: type name length base ( size )
1: Apple_partition_map Apple 63 @ 1
2: Image Bootstrap 1 4096 @ 76194880 ( 2.0M)
3: Image Kernel 1 4096 @ 76198976 ( 2.0M)
4: Ext2 Root 1 262144 @ 76203072 (128.0M)
5: Image Bootstrap 2 4096 @ 76465216 ( 2.0M)
6: Image Kernel 2 4096 @ 76469312 ( 2.0M)
7: Ext2 Root 2 262144 @ 76473408 (128.0M)
8: Swap Linux swap 524288 @ 76735552 (256.0M)
9: Ext2 /var 262144 @ 77259840 (128.0M)
10: MFS MFS application region 1048576 @ 77521984 (512.0M)
11: MFS MFS media region 76194816 @ 64 ( 36.3G)
12: MFS New MFS Application 1024 @ 78570560
13: MFS New MFS Media 241598464 @ 78571584 (115.2G)
14: Apple_Free Extra 3008 @ 320170048 ( 1.5M)


Am I right in thinking I can expand one more time from this and so use the extra space on the new drive? Does/can mfsrestore create a new swap partition or am I stuck with my 256MB one?

I plan to use the version 1.00 CD from [http://www.tivoheaven.com/download/ptv-mfstools2-large-disk.iso] , is this still best practice?

Any other advice appreciated :)

[cwaring]

I'm just relieved you didn't mention Maxtor ;) I bought a Samsung a few years ago and had no problems with it but it was recently replaced (in December) with a 200gb Seagate (don't remember model number) and that's been fine too.

Also, no, IDE only :)

[6022tivo]

My advice would be a Samsung, there are some around that are designed for AV use, very quite and all that. Good prices also.

Blindlemon uses them for his upgrades and as far as I am aware he has no problems with them.

Forget the actual model number but they have 250GB IDE ones.

[Heuer]

Another vote for Samsung SP2014N. Very quiet and reliable

[Mike B]

I upgraded my original 40GB drive with a Samsung Spinpoint 160GB over a year ago, and have been very pleased with it, so I'd second the recommendation of a Samsung.

[frogster]

I would also buy Samsung or Seagate. I currently have one of each in my Tivo and two of each in my PC.

[mrtickle]

Don't worry, I'm already sold on either Samsung or Seagate! I do have a Sumsung in my PC. But AFAIK Seagate have the longer warantee which is why I was after model nos.

(I'll never buy another Maxtor, the one that's in there now is the 4th in a line of Maxtors that started with one being purchased in 2002, then that died and was RMA'd, then the replacement died etc. They're all out of warantee so I have to buy a new drive.)

I've seen blindlemon mentioning the Samsung HA250JC and it does seem very nicely specced; even 5400RPM which I didn't think I'd find! Hmm.

[blindlemon]

I can't recommend the HA250JC highly enough!

They are superbly quiet (like the SP2014N) but run cooler and with less vibration at 5400rpm, and so far - touch wood - no problems :)

[mrtickle]

Hmm, I've found one problem - who sells them? Komplett.co.uk don't seem to do so any more. Did you buy up the entire UK stock? ;)

[edit: aha. http://www.ultratec.co.uk/ has them for £78.49, is that reasonable?]

Which Seagate drives do you use at the moment?

[tray]

Hi - I've just replaced the orignal drives with a Samsung it - really is quiet. Do you really need a 5 year guarantee ? Even the crummy originals have lasted me 4 years.

[Mike B]

Hmm, I've found one problem - who sells them? Komplett.co.uk don't seem to do so any more. Did you buy up the entire UK stock? ;)

[edit: aha. http://www.ultratec.co.uk/ has them for £78.49, is that reasonable?]

Which Seagate drives do you use at the moment?

Dabs.com does them - http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=3YLK

[mrtickle]

Ta but they are out of stock and on my black list (wouldn't refund a faulty item or respond to any emails at all on the subject - autoresponse every time; Trading Standards didn't get any further either).

Looks like ultratec's price isn't too bad in comparison so I'll go with them.

[AMc]

You can often get Samsung drives at web prices at PCworld if you use their "collect at store" option from www.pcworld.co.uk. If you need them in a hurry, aren't in for a delivery or are near one anyway.
I was dischuffed when overclockers took my order for a Samsung drive with a work address delivery then rang me up and told me 'because of the order value it had to go to the cardholder address' meaning it took a week to get a delivery when someone would be in to sign :(

[mrtickle]

Yes, I had a bad experience with Overclockers too - shame as I was expecting more.

Anyway I now have the drive! :eek: Ordered yesterday from Ultratec (missing their 5pm deadline), got the "dispatched" email at 17:40 and it arrived at work this morning before 9 o'clock!