Kickstart 54 gives me a "Fail 4" result - ?

[IDSmoker]

So now that the S3, expanded to 750gb prior to purchase, that I got from the TiVo Community Store is coming up on it's 2nd birthday (purchased in 12/06), I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that I'm having hard drive problems (exacerbated by 9.4 from what I've read here). Though my hacked S1 has worked reliably for more than twice as long.

A couple months back I found that the S3 had rebooted on it's own and couldn't get past the initial power on screen, requiring me to do a hard-reset (pull the plug, wait 15 sec, and plug it back in).

Over time this started happening more and more frequently to the point where it's now occurring multiple times each day, though I'm sometimes able to record for hours without incident. Through trial and error I've found that using the Kickstart (KS) 57 procedure seems to extend the length of time between reboots.

When I ran KS 54 the tests failed with an error message of "Fail 4". Does anyone know what sort of problem "Fail 4" signifies? The entire set of tests finished quicker than I was lead to expect (in less than 10 minutes). I was also concerned that KS 54 only tested the 'primary' drive since I thought that my 750gb S3 was expanded by adding a 500gb drive to the OEM 250gb. Perhaps I was wrong and there is only a single 750gb drive?

I've ordered a new 1TB drive and intend to crack the case, pull the current drive(s), and use WinMFS to try and transfer my settings and recordings to the new drive. Can I expect the problem with the current drive(s) to impact my ability to transfer my recordings?

While I anxiously await the mailman, does anyone know of anything I can do, other than continuing to run KS 57, to help my poor ailing S3 limp along?

[sinanju]

Codes are here (http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/errorcodes.asp). Not all are enlightening. I believe some tests finish quickly because the drive collects information during normal operation and the results are based on an analysis of that.

[IDSmoker]

Yeah, I saw that link while performing my 'due diligence' (repeat after me: "Search is my friend" :D )

I was hoping someone might have more information than just:

Error code Explanation Status Definition
0001 - SMART Error Replace The drive is defective.
0008, 0015 Drive

[lafos]

Don't know if these are the right codes, but I pulled them from a Linux site since the TiVo runs Linux

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6983

[TolloNodre]

Yeah, I saw that link while performing my 'due diligence' (repeat after me: "Search is my friend" :D )

I was hoping someone might have more information than just:

Error code Explanation Status Definition
0001 - SMART Error Replace The drive is defective.
0008, 0015 Drive


Because you have your own clean room and can repair the drive yourself?

What do you need to know other than confirm a bad drive?

[sinanju]

Because you have your own clean room and can repair the drive yourself?

What do you need to know other than confirm a bad drive?

A bit harsh although, it is worth pointing out that, were the drive under warranty, the manufacturer would see this as cause for warranty replacement. Were there a cost-effective alternative, that would not be the case.

[IDSmoker]

Don't know if these are the right codes, but I pulled them from a Linux site since the TiVo runs Linux

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6983
Nice find! There's some great technical info on the current technology being used in hard drives in that article (they've certainly come a long way since I spent a entire day trying to diagnose a problem with the SCSI-2 drives in a server only to finally realize I had left the terminator off the last one in the chain :o )

Unfortunately, they don't seem to mention error codes, though perhaps a closer read-through will reveal something I missed on the first pass. There are also a couple of links in there I need to follow up on when I get time.


Because you have your own clean room and can repair the drive yourself?

What do you need to know other than confirm a bad drive?
Some types of hard drive errors can be "fixed" with software like SpinRite (http://www.grc.com/spinrite.htm).

While I would lose the data, at least I could then recycle the drive(s) in a file server or NAS. Beats tossing them in the trash.

Of course, first I need to copy my settings and recordings off of the drive(s) to the new one, and I'm also wondering if the reported error indicates a problem that will make that process difficult or impossible. I'm encouraged by my S3's continuing ability to record and playback, albeit with the occasional 'timeout' for a reboot.


A bit harsh although, it is worth pointing out that, were the drive under warranty, the manufacturer would see this as cause for warranty replacement. Were there a cost-effective alternative, that would not be the case.Unfortunately for me, my S3 is out of the 1yr standard warranty that the TiVo Community Store provides and I can't find the documentation on my purchase that would tell me if I had purchased the extended warranty.

I have sent the TC Store an email in the hopes that they have records from my purchase, but I haven't heard back yet.

[sinanju]

Unfortunately for me, my S3 is out of the 1yr standard warranty that the TiVo Community Store provides and I can't find the documentation on my purchase that would tell me if I had purchased the extended warranty.

I have sent the TC Store an email in the hopes that they have records from my purchase, but I haven't heard back yet.

I only mentioned the warranty to point out that the manufacturer does not consider the drive recoverable.

That said, check your credit card. Many have double-the-warranty features. I used one with my TV.

[TolloNodre]

Some types of hard drive errors can be "fixed" with software like SpinRite (http://www.grc.com/spinrite.htm).

While I would lose the data, at least I could then recycle the drive(s) in a file server or NAS. Beats tossing them in the trash.

Of course, first I need to copy my settings and recordings off of the drive(s) to the new one, and I'm also wondering if the reported error indicates a problem that will make that process difficult or impossible. I'm encouraged by my S3's continuing ability to record and playback, albeit with the occasional 'timeout' for a reboot.

Yea, I didn't mean to be that harsh. It's just I see stuff like this at work all the time. Guys making $30/hr spending all day 'fixing' what's at most a $50 hard drive which even in a RAID wouldn't be reliable. Hence why it's failing in the first place. Get your data off of it, toss and move on.

Like that Joel guy says, the cost of toilet paper is more than drive space these days! It's not worth sweating over.

(And yea, SpinRite is great - been using it since 93 or 94. But it's not a miracle worker)