hard drive not detected

Posted by: AlfaTard

hard drive not detected - 16/08/2004 23:57

Sometimes when I start up my truck I get a message that the drive is not detected and it shows a picture of a penguin with Xs for eyes. This is happening a lot more often as of late and my fear is that the drive is dying. I wasn't able to find a post that addressed this directly so here is my question: Is there a way I can run some kind of diagnostic on the drive or is it safe to assume it's time to find a replacement?

Thank you for your time.
Posted by: tman

Re: hard drive not detected - 17/08/2004 00:02

It's in the FAQ

In brief, it's probably either the IDE cable or the pins on the motherboard which the cable is attached to. They're usually the most likely cause of this but a dead drive could cause it as well.
Posted by: mlord

Re: hard drive not detected - 17/08/2004 00:04

The drive is probably fine. This message is usually indicative of the infamous "IDE header" problem, whereby the IDE connector on the mainboard of the Empeg may require resoldering.

Only way to know is to open it up and have a looksee. If you have a laptop computer, you can transfer the drive to it and boot/run the IBM Drive Fitness Test floppy (downloadable from them) to test the drive for impending failures (Assuming IBM; if it's a Fujitsu drive, then something different will be needed).

Cheers
Posted by: AlfaTard

Re: hard drive not detected - 17/08/2004 00:28

The FAQ! Jeez, I guess I shoulda started there instead of searching the boards. Thanks for the heads up! I'll look into it on the morrow.

edit: Damn you guys replied fast. Freaks!
Posted by: pgrzelak

Re: hard drive not detected - 17/08/2004 08:14

Welcome to the wild, wacky world of the empegBBS!
Posted by: Chao

Re: hard drive not detected - 18/08/2004 16:29

On a similar subject:

I had to replace the hdd cable on one of my empegs. I've got a 44 pin cable, but the blank where a pinhole (on the motherboard's end) doesn't fit, so I don't wish to drill into it if I don't have to. If I
drilled into it, would the connection matter? Does the extra pin on
the MoBo actually matter?

Also: I'm having the same hdd not detected issue. If the soldering is necessary, is it difficult or self-evident?

Thanks
Posted by: tfabris

Re: hard drive not detected - 18/08/2004 16:39

Quote:
I had to replace the hdd cable on one of my empegs. I've got a 44 pin cable, but the blank where a pinhole (on the motherboard's end) doesn't fit, so I don't wish to drill into it if I don't have to.

You need to read the FAQ entry more carefully. From your description, you're clearly just using a cable rummaged from an old PC, perhaps an 80-conductor cable, even. You're missing the part of the FAQ that says:

Quote:
You can't use just any cable; if the length isn't correct, the shock-mount tray might not be free to move properly. The only ways to get a proper replacement are to crimp one yourself, order one from support, or order one from Eutronix.

So, um, there it is.

And anyway, why are you needing to replace the cable? There's pictures of how to fix the loose crimps there.

Quote:
Also: I'm having the same hdd not detected issue. If the soldering is necessary, is it difficult or self-evident?

Again, you're not reading through that FAQ entry carefully. There are very clear photos of the soldering problem, as well as a warning that the soldering is difficult and should only be done by people who have experience doing that kind of thing.
Posted by: Chao

Re: hard drive not detected - 18/08/2004 16:56

Quote:
You need to read the FAQ entry more carefully. From your description, you're clearly just using a cable rummaged from an old PC, perhaps an 80-conductor cable, even. You're missing the part of the FAQ that says:

Quote:
You can't use just any cable; if the length isn't correct, the shock-mount tray might not be free to move properly. The only ways to get a proper replacement are to crimp one yourself, order one from support, or order one from Eutronix.


Ah, I rummaged up a standard notebook IDE cable from my parts dept. It's a standard 44 pin cable like this
Quote:
And anyway, why are you needing to replace the cable? There's pictures of how to fix the loose crimps there.
I somehow lost the cable in between moving drives from one empeg to another.
Quote:
Again, you're not reading through that FAQ entry carefully.
Sorry, I must have glossed over that. Thanks for the assist