1 Try a different cable.
2. If the disk drive is not "seen" by the motherboard’s ATA/SATA hard drive controller or add in (PCI) ATA/SATA
controller,isolate the offending drive as the only device on the bus. If this does not work, try the drive with
another ATA or SATA controller, motherboard, or cable. Do symptoms continue? If not, the problem is with the
controller, motherboard, or cable.
3. If the disk drive passes all tests; the problem remains elsewhere in your system. You could have a system hardware problem or a corrupted file. Programs in the operating system such as Scandisk and Defrag show only corrupted file structures not true media damage. If you are receiving errors in Windows, copy and paste the error message to a Web browser search engine (Yahoo, AltaVista, Excite, Google, et al.), and search the internet, for articles relating to the error. You may try reloading the operating system or application program software. You can also use other (third party) diagnostic utilities that test beyond the hard drive for viruses, file system issues, and registry integrity.
4. For more information diagnosing hard disk, software and system problems please visit our Knowledge Base at
http://www.maxtorkb.com
5. PowerMax can identify defective hard drives, but may not identify drives with intermittent errors. These drives
usually function well, and only occasionally report errors. If you feel the drive may be failing intermittently,
run the PowerMax extended tests.
6. The best test for a drive with intermittent problems is a ‘low level’ format routine. !! Warning !! This test
will erase all your data, but the drive will be restored to a ‘factory re-certified’ condition. Be sure to make
a full backup of all critical data before proceeding. If your computer has more than one hard drive, be sure to
choose the correct drive. If a drive fails this test, it usually indicates a drive failure.
7. If PowerMax detects a hardware problem at startup, or during a test, the program displays a list of the most
common hardware configuration problems.
Power connection: Make sure that the power connector is firmly seated in the connector. Try another power
connector within the system, and make sure the drive spins when powering the system on.
Interface Cable: The interface cable (the gray one) should have a colored stripe along one side (Usually red,
black, or blue in color). Ensure that it is firmly seated in the connector and that pin one
(the edge of the cable with the color stripe) is closest to the power connector.
SATA Cables: SATA data cables should be checked for a full fit when connecting. If you can't feel the contact
Pins clicking into place while connecting the cable to the drive, replace the cable. This also
applies to the 15 pin power connector.
Jumpers: Confirm the jumpers are correctly set. If other hard drives are connected to the cable, try
testing only the suspect drive alone on the cable.
System Changes: Have you made any recent changes, or added hardware that might interfere with the drive?
If so, remove any recently installed device and re-test the drive. Try to restore the system to
a state before the errors were seen. This includes removing any ATA or SATA controllers,
video, game controllers, etc. Test the drive by connecting directly to the system board's ATA or
SATA controllers. This can help isolate a hard drive, or controller issue.
VH Palle Hansen