eSATA external hdd issue

S

swingdjted

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Messages
274
I have a new computer with external eSATA ports and a laptop with an eSATA port. I also have a Western Digigal "My Book" external hard drive (1TB). The hard drive also works for USB 2.0 and 1394, but I bought an eSATA cable to speed things up for when I back up entire hard drives.

The laptop (a new ASUS) immediately recognizes the drive, installs software for it, and runs fine like any other external, even when I use the eSATA cable.

The desktop, which uses an internal SATA to external eSATA wire/plate (came with motherboard) has problems with the drive when I try to use eSATA instead of USB. I start up the 64-bit Vista H.P.computer when everything is plugged in, and it sometimes gets stuck on the Gigabyte screen (motherboard brand) and won't load windows, and sometimes runs checkdisk on the external, which takes a while, then loads fine and is completely functional. If it successfully loads windows, it takes forever when it comes time to shut down, or sometimes it just freezes on the "windows is shutting down" screen.

A question worth asking - should I be using the power cord for the external, or does eSATA include power for the drive? I'm guessing yes, but I thought I'd check.

What sort of troubleshooting should I be doing?

other info:

Motherboard = Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R
CPU = Intel: model BX80569Q9550
RAM = G. Skill: model F2-6400CL6Q-16GBMQ
PSU = Corsair: model CMPSU-750TX
Hard Drive = Seagate: model ST31000340AS
Video Card = EVGA: model 896-P3-1260-AR
Case = Cooler Master: model Stacker 810
Optical = ASUS: model DRW-2014L1T
Card Reader = Rosewill: model RCR-IC001
TV Card = Hauppauge: Model: 1183
Monitor = Samsung: model 275T+
Laptop = Asus: model M50Vm-B4
eSATA cable = PPA: model 3831
 
Regarding power to the external drive, power to the drive is usually provided by the PS in the housing itself. The external housing must be powered on.

I had initial problems getting my external SATA drive recognized when plugged into a Thermaltake blacX via eSATA cable. My motherboard has no eSATA port, so I use a $3 SATA/eSata cable/bracket plugged into a SATA connector for eSATA port.

This procedure worked to establish that BIOS, Windows and drive play well together:
- Connect the drive directly to PC with power and SATA connector.
- Turn on PC.
- Drive recognized by Windows 'Found new hardware', and drive model correctly reported.

I plugged the SATA/eSata converter cable into the same SATA connector. This procedure works:
- Power up the external device before PC startup.
- Start the PC.
- I have full access to external drive with normal SATA throughput.

Other users and other PCs perform differently in this regard - perhaps because of BIOS behavior differences.

Hope this helps!
 
Unfortunately the Western Digital My Book enclosure can't be opened without damage. This is one thing I hate about the product, but most features I like: eSATA, 1394, USB 2.0, price, venting, capacity, non-multi-pin power cord (pins break with use/abuse), etc. I didn't realize the case couldn't be opened, and I wish I would have known about that when I was buying.

Anyway, it looks like powering the drive up before starting the computer starts tends to help. This little tip you included is something I should have been smart enough to figure out on my own, but it seems I didn't. :mad: However it helped me a lot and thank you. It still does scan disc though, which is an annoyance, but just hitting any key at the right time can skip that step. I'm curious as to what I can do to stop that.

The motherboard I have included something (I'm guessing) similar to what you described - a cheap SATA to eSATA converter - two SATA plugs to motherboard, one molex plug to go to PSU, and on the other end, an external metal plate (for an unused PCI slot area) with two eSATA plugs and a molex power port in between. I don't use the molex power becuase the external hdd only takes the AC adaptor power.

So, I guess the power cord is necessary for USB, 1394, and eSATA. I have to find a convenient way to switch that on and off without diving behind all the junk at my workstation. Maybe some kind of kill switch that turns everything off and on - it'll turn on the hdd before I hit the power button on the tower. The problem is that I'll have to plug my DSL modem and router in somewhere else where the power is always constant. Every time I unplug and re-plug those two things, I have frustrating problems connecting to the internet.
 
Apparently, different BIOSes respond differently with regard to drive-recognition - no problem with your laptop, big problem with your PC. I seem to be alone in my problems with drive-recognition with the blacX docking station, probably due to my Biostar BIOS.

Switchable power for external enclosure is as cheap as a switchable distribution block.

Glad my post helped at least a bit.
 
swingdjted said:
Unfortunately the Western Digital My Book enclosure can't be opened without damage. This is one thing I hate about the product, but most features I like: eSATA, 1394, USB 2.0, price, venting, capacity, non-multi-pin power cord (pins break with use/abuse), etc. I didn't realize the case couldn't be opened, and I wish I would have known about that when I was buying.
Click to expand...

There are two styles of MyBooks that I know of. 1 has a big round button on it for power and the other just has activity lights, no user controllable on/off.
they can both be opened if you start from the back and work your way forward. it doenst snap on like you would think though, the large U shaped piece of plastic that is the front and sides actually slides off towards the front, but in order to get it started you have to loosen up all the other sides.
 
gud4u said:
Regarding power to the external drive, power to the drive is usually provided by the PS in the housing itself. The external housing must be powered on.

I had initial problems getting my external SATA drive recognized when plugged into a Thermaltake blacX via eSATA cable. My motherboard has no eSATA port, so I use a $3 SATA/eSata cable/bracket plugged into a SATA connector for eSATA port.

This procedure worked to establish that BIOS, Windows and drive play well together:
- Connect the drive directly to PC with power and SATA connector.
- Turn on PC.
- Drive recognized by Windows 'Found new hardware', and drive model correctly reported.

I plugged the SATA/eSata converter cable into the same SATA connector. This procedure works:
- Power up the external device before PC startup.
- Start the PC.
- I have full access to external drive with normal SATA throughput.

Other users and other PCs perform differently in this regard - perhaps because of BIOS behavior differences.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

This recognition problem is usually because AHCI is not enable on your chipset. If you're running in IDE mode you need to enable the SATA mode. Enabling it will allow the hot-swap function and fix the problem.
 
Also - to get rid of the disc scan at boot - you will probably need to let it fully run once. Then it should not come back unless some errors or something comes up.
 
swingdjted said:
I have a new computer with external eSATA ports and a laptop with an eSATA port. I also have a Western Digigal "My Book" external hard drive (1TB). The hard drive also works for USB 2.0 and 1394, but I bought an eSATA cable to speed things up for when I back up entire hard drives.

The laptop (a new ASUS) immediately recognizes the drive, installs software for it, and runs fine like any other external, even when I use the eSATA cable.

The desktop, which uses an internal SATA to external eSATA wire/plate (came with motherboard) has problems with the drive when I try to use eSATA instead of USB. I start up the 64-bit Vista H.P.computer when everything is plugged in, and it sometimes gets stuck on the Gigabyte screen (motherboard brand) and won't load windows, and sometimes runs checkdisk on the external, which takes a while, then loads fine and is completely functional. If it successfully loads windows, it takes forever when it comes time to shut down, or sometimes it just freezes on the "windows is shutting down" screen.

A question worth asking - should I be using the power cord for the external, or does eSATA include power for the drive? I'm guessing yes, but I thought I'd check.

What sort of troubleshooting should I be doing?

other info:

Motherboard = Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R
CPU = Intel: model BX80569Q9550
RAM = G. Skill: model F2-6400CL6Q-16GBMQ
PSU = Corsair: model CMPSU-750TX
Hard Drive = Seagate: model ST31000340AS
Video Card = EVGA: model 896-P3-1260-AR
Case = Cooler Master: model Stacker 810
Optical = ASUS: model DRW-2014L1T
Card Reader = Rosewill: model RCR-IC001
TV Card = Hauppauge: Model: 1183
Monitor = Samsung: model 275T+
Laptop = Asus: model M50Vm-B4
eSATA cable = PPA: model 3831
Click to expand...

Hi there! Just to check you do have your AHCI mode enable right? If not..

I'm also facing the same issue as you! Major lag/freeze in bios or window or anywhere, when the ext hdd is plugged in the esata port everything just freeze! I just emailed western digital tech support today.

And was told that if the HDD is working fine using the USB port, most likely there is a compatibility issue with the motherboard and redirect me back to my motherboard vendor.

I also contacted my motherboard vendor locally, but i think nothing much can be done.. unless they willing to release a special bios for you or something.. Right now the only way is to stick to USB.. Pretty sad as i also bought the Home edition for the esata interface.. Btw i'm using MSI Neo2-FR
 
I am not familiar with "AHCI mode". How do I enable/disable it?

Scan disc runs every time whether it was cancelled or allowed to complete previously.

eSATA runs at between 12 and 60 megabytes per second when I am copying and pasting hundreds of gigs of data as a backup. I haven't yet tested USB with the desktop to see how well it runs.

Also, what is the process for opening the my book case? It's the thinner of the available sizes in black, having only a single 1TB drive (instead of the wider model with two 500GB drives). There is a power button on the back of the unit, but the unit is buried in the back of the workstation. Perhaps it would be better for me to find a more handy location for it where I could reach the power button. That wouldn't be too hard for me.

You had said to start by loosening the "other sides". I'm guessing you mean the top, bottom, and back (where all the Morse-Code-style venting/holes are) by this. Can you further describe this process? I'd like to be able to open and close the case if possible.

Thank you so much for all the comments and understanding.

One final note. When I said Vista H.P. computer in the top post, I meant Vista Home Premium, and not a Hewlitt Packard computer with Vista. I'm guessing you guys assumed that when reading the original post, but wanted to clear it up anyway.
 
I am not familiar with "AHCI mode". How do I enable/disable it?
Click to expand...

In the BIOS there should be an option to run your HDs in IDE or SATA/RAID/AHCI mode.

The drivers for the SATA mode are included with Vista but you're probably running in IDE mode.

I'm not familiar with changing modes in Vista when it's already installed.

Scan disc runs every time whether it was cancelled or allowed to complete previously.
Click to expand...

Is it running chk disk or just scanning thru your drive? Mine just scans thru the files on the drive every time it's plugged in. You may be able to take care of it with some auto-start function but mine doesn't seem to pay attention to those settings and I just stop the scan.
 
I'll try changing AHCI mode.

for the other question - I'm refering to chk disk (black screen, white lettering stage 1, stage 2, etc. before logon screen) The other thing you referred to happens when the hot-swap works the right way on the laptop.
 
I'll try changing AHCI mode.

for the other question - I'm refering to chk disk (black screen, white lettering stage 1, stage 2, etc. before logon screen) The other thing you referred to happens when the hot-swap works the right way on the laptop.
 
(accidental double post, site must have been under maintenance - wasn't working so I submitted a second time and it showed both attempts)
 
I'll try changing AHCI mode
Click to expand...

IDK how your system will handle that.

In XP, you have to jump thru a few hoops to enable it after the OS has been installed.
 
I can't seem to find a way to fix it on other forums either. Changing AHCI mode was only an option if I wipe the boot drive clean and start again. I may have to do that, or just stick with USB instead of eSATA and leave back-up transfers run overnight.
 
I plugged the SATA/eSata converter cable into the same SATA connector. This procedure works:
- Power up the external device before PC startup.
- Start the PC.
- I have full access to external drive with normal SATA throughput
Click to expand...
.

That statement from my post is false. eSATA throughput is better than USB throughput, but eSATA throughput simply can't match native SATA throughput.

For an application such as raw sector-by-sector cloning of my 250GB drive to another target 250GB drive, the difference in throughput amounted to approximately 30 minutes longer for the cloning operation with eSATA. Bah!

I bought a StarTech HSD100SATBK Trayless SATA Drive Bay, abandoning eSATA. The target drive becomes a plug-in device, operating at true SATA throughput speeds. Plug it in, perform the task, pull the drive. Simple and clean. Highly recommended.

Hope this helps!
 
Well, bad news. My boot drive has failed. I guess this issue takes a back seat now. See my other thread for details.

I tried opening the case for the My Book, and no reasonable effort has allowed the case to open. I figured that maybe using SATA direct would be better, as was stated above, but, instead I have to choose between 1394, USB, or eSATA. I don't mind so much. It'll just be a nitpicky problem having to cancel the chkdisc and having to power up the external before booting the computer for eSATA, or just dealing with USB.

Right now, just finding a way to recover some data from the boot drive is my biggest concern.
 
Good news, that boot drive is back and fine.

The long-ass bump is for the following:

Apparently the "My Book" that I have does not support 64 bit Vista operating systems when using either eSATA or 1394 interfaces. Only USB is meant to work with 64 bit Vista OS's. The reason it works with my laptop so well is that the laptop has the 32-bit Vista Home Premium OS on it, while the desktop has the 64 bit version of the same OS.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top