On 09/10/2012 06:32 PM, Ken Stephens wrote: > Rich Shepard wrote: >> The hard drive in an external case I used for system backups appeared to >> fail with I/O errors. I replaced it with a new WD hard drive (sent as a >> warranty replacement months ago), and WD replaced the failed drive. >> >> ..... >> >> I've had very good experiences with WD drives over the years. To have >> issues with two of them in the same role after a couple of years of flawless >> operation is highly unusual. >> >> Your advice, suggestions, and recommendations are needed. I want to get >> my >> nighly backups running reliably again. If it's the iMicro enclosure (with a >> USB2 connection and separate power supply), suggest an alternative. If it's >> a software issue, advise me on how to resolve it or further diagnose what's >> going on. >> >> TIA, >> >> Rich >> > Rich, > > Check your cables, pull and reinsert them a couple of times. The 5 volt > signal levels can degrade after years because of corrosion and relaxing > contact pressure. The cable may be broken. Somewhere it goes over a > sharp edge and gets pulled. I have tripped over cables and caused > failures. As a sysadmin I seen weirder stuff. > > Ken > > I concur. I had something similar happen with a WD Passport USB2 powered drive. The short USB cable started to go at the micro-USB connector to the drive. All sorts of errors as it was wiggled during use - and it was about 2 years old. Also, in my case the micro-USB connecter, also getting worn/loose, is soldered to the drive PCB. The case is just a protective enclosure. As a "road warrior" my portable electronics takes quite a beating!
I am not familiar with your iMicro enclosure, but the main failure points: 1. bad USB cable or connectors 2. USB connector on the drive enclosure. 3. bad power cable, connectors 4. bad case electronics - if the drive is SATA or PATA, there will be a small PCB to convert that to USB and to route the DC power. Since this is your second drive, I would try a new compatible enclosure and new cables. Ed _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
