Samsung 2TB green drives defective firmware?

Do I need to align the drive before I use it? I'm on Win 7 64bit.
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Vista or above will properly align your drive by default when you partition it so do not do anything extra.

BTW, Why are users still installing the firmware on this drive? I am sure there are no December 2011 drives (or older) being sold today. If you are unsure if your drive has the updated firmware do the smartmon tools test. It takes less than 5 minutes with any current linux livecd. I recommend sysrescuecd and you can even put that on a usb stick.
 
i bought an additional pair of these to go with my original pair a few months ago and they already had the latest firmware on - i still did the upgrade anyway.

No issues so far on ubuntu server 11.04 using software raid 5 on 4 drives
 
how to TEST the drive?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

to all,
i am an experienced computer user, but plead ignorance with this drive issue.
i DID get the patch and apply it to my two drives,
but that was AFTER I loaded about 1.5 tb of data to each of these, AND had run one of the HDDtune tests.

HOW to test these two drives, to do surface testing, or data integrity testing, etc, to make sure the data that IS on them is still intact, and that the drives are reliable?

what is a good program to use?

I had originaly tried the HDTune PRIOR to the patch, have not run ANY testing software SINCE installing the patch.

any feedback on this is appreciated
 
how to TEST the drive?
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The instructions are in the "How to Reproduce" section of the following page:

http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/smartmontools/wiki/SamsungF4EGBadBlocks

for this you need a linux livecd/ usbstick. I recommend sysrescuecd

and then you need to figure out what drive is your F4.
Code: 
fdisk -l /dev/sd? 

and 

hdparm -I /dev/sda 

hdparm -I /dev/sdb 

...

or smartctl -A /dev/sda

smartctl -A /dev/sdb

...

should help with that. Or disconnect all hard drives and SSDs but the F4 and the device will most likely be /dev/sda


NOTE: This test will destroy any data on the disk so only do that on a drive that does not contain any important data.
 
thanks for reply.
i went to that link.
i still plead ignorance in this; all I wanted to do was buy a drive, store my old archived movies; i bought the drive, copied 1.5 tb of movies each to two separate drives; then I found thest threads of firmware updates, bad sector checks, etc.

I HAVE installed the firmware update

but is there any way to NON-DESTRUCTIVELY test this drive to see if htere is data integrity of my current data?
I do not wish to
1. test drive destructively
2. spend 4 weeks again, copying dvd's over to the hard drive

any help apreciated
nick
 
aoz said:
thanks for reply.
i went to that link.
i still plead ignorance in this;
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Plead ignorance? Huh? You were just given a very detailed answer to how to check if your drive has the bug (which it should not since you say you have installed the new firmware, which probably was not even necessary if you bought the HDD recently)
 
thanks for reply.
i'm sorry but that thread does not solve the problem.

the problem is that I BOUGHT the drive, then INSTALLED about 1.5 tb of data onto both drives.
THEN found out about the firmware issue, etc.

the thread that i was pointed to relates to destructive testing of the drive, and it took me 4 weeks to get all my dvd's onto those drives.

I was requesting if anyone could help wih a non-destructive test method to the drive, which HAS at least hd the firmware update installed (and which had HDDtune run on it, PRIOR TO the firmware update; which, t my reading,may have created a problem, but not sure

so, anyone's additional info woul be appreciated.
nick
 
thanks for reply.

i realize that my lowl brain and body could expend another 4 to 5 weeks of destructively testing the drive, but i am just requesting that if any person out there has a suggestion on any non-destructive test, to help m preserve this data, it is appreciated.
i do hope you have a good day also.
thanks
nick
 
For crying out loud, you have already been answered. If you want to check the data on your HDD, that is simple. Examine the files manually, or run a compare with your backup. This is not difficult to understand.
 
I had originaly tried the HDTune PRIOR to the patch, have not run ANY testing software SINCE installing the patch.
Click to expand...

...so run HDTune again now that you have applied the patch.
Why would you not run any testing software since installing the patch?
You should be just fine.

Also, the destructive method above is the only one I'm aware of as well.

Maybe next time, you should back all of your data up to a 2TB HDD rather than DVDs, do a little more research on the drive you are purchasing, and actually listen to what everyone keeps saying to you here.

btw, you keep referring to a 'thread' when I think what you mean is a 'post'.

another 4 to 5 weeks of destructively testing the drive
Click to expand...
Why would it take 4-5 weeks to test?

2. spend 4 weeks again, copying dvd's over to the hard drive
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Seriously, get an external HDD, a 2TB can be had for under $200 and two 1TB can be had for under $180. Why are you backing all of your data to DVDs? imo, if you have to backup to disc, seriously consider using some DL Blu-Ray discs. DVDs are beyond obsolete at this point for so much backup data.

i am an experienced computer user,
Click to expand...
Not trying to be mean, but after everything you've said, I seriously doubt that.
 
Also, the destructive method above is the only one I'm aware of as well.
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One could probably use a GB or so file based loop back device with badblocks for the test. However I do not have the time to explain that..

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_device"]Loop device - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
 
to all
thanks for reply.

1. re: backup to DVD -
I did not back up to dVD. I bought TWO 2tb hard drives, AFTER doing research on newegg, etc, .
I THEN COPIED about 500 DVD movies, old blak-and-whites, FROM DVD's, TO the TWO 2-tb drives, to HAVE as backup.

ONLY then did I start to see the web messages about the Drive Alignments, Firmware updates, etc.

I did NOT buy drives just for price; I reviewed Newegg reveiws, and picked a drive that seemed to be reliable, after much research.


re: 4 weeks to compare - well, that is what it takes, to take all the individual DVD's, place them back into the dvd reader, set up a compare to the hard drive, etc.

See, that is why I BOUGHT the hard drives, FOR backing up.

Now, all I would like to do is first check the drives, and I did not know WHAT would be the best way to NON-destructively test them. The post on the destructive method wasn't acceptable to what I wanted to do, IF another method was available.

but all I initially got as a reply here was that I had received info with that link to the destructive method, and that that was what I should do.

I did NOT re-run HDDtune, because some earlier posts threw some clouds into whether errors could be created with testing that way, and I was not sure if that was the best way to test.

Again, I apologize humbly to anyone in the posts who thinks I'm a pain, and I'll leave this post/forum if I seem to be a nuisance, but i thought I DID do my homework when I bought that drive, trying to pick one that was more reliable. It was I guess my stupidity that I happened to buy it PRIOR to the firmware issue coming to light; I guess I should have had ESP, but unfortunately I did not get born with that ability .

So, again, any of the supplied info has been appreciated.
nick
 
We don't think you're a pain, but you do need to give us info before you state what the problem may be. No need to act emo either, just state your problem and we'll try to help. Hind-sight is always 20/20.

Information = good :)

That makes more sense on the DVDs now.

What OS are you running and what are the drives formatted as?
 
thanks for reply.

formatted the drives on win7 64 bit, as NTFS.
Have them in external SATA case now. (to install firmware update, took main computer, disconnected that drive, inserted the samsung drive, ran firmware update, got successful on both drives)

then inserted to SATA cases again.

PRIOR, had them in the SATA cases, and that is where I originally ran the HddTune, and THEN found out about the firmware update.

by then, I had copied 1.5 tb data to both drives, FROM dvd's.

(I HAVE the DVD's of all the old movies, as archives)

All I want to do is test these drives, NON-destructively, in the external SATA case if possible, to see if errors might exist, since these were to be my archive/backup drives. I just don't know which is a good software program to do this non-destructive testing.

if the HDTunePro is the better one to use, then that's what I'll use.


nick
 
At a minimum, you can test the SMART data using a Linux Ubuntu boot CD.

Just download the ISO, burn to CD, then run it on your system at boot.

Once the OS loads, go do the following:

System -> Administration -> Disk Utility

Then click on the drive you wish to test. There will be a button which says Smart Data.

Once the new window opens, click Run Self-Test.

This should show if you have any bad sectors or if anything is screwy.
 
I have never seen a question so poorly explained, but I think what you are asking is whether there is some magical way to verify the integrity of all the files on your HDDs. The answer is obviously no (unless you happen to be running ZFS). It is not clear if you have the same DVDs on each disk or not. If you do, then the best you could do is to compare the files. If you do not, the best you could do is to "rip" the DVDs from your HDDs to a temporary location with a program that verifies the CRC data which was encoded with the DVD files.
 
thanks for reply.
i will give that a try.
i have a bootable usb stick that can boot various ISO's, I'll trying putting the ISO onto that usb stick and boot with it.
I do thank you for your assitance.
nick
 
john4200 said:
I have never seen a question so poorly explained, but I think what you are asking is whether there is some magical way to verify the integrity of all the files on your HDDs. The answer is obviously no (unless you happen to be running ZFS). It is not clear if you have the same DVDs on each disk or not. If you do, then the best you could do is to compare the files. If you do not, the best you could do is to "rip" the DVDs from your HDDs to a temporary location with a program that verifies the CRC data which was encoded with the DVD files.
Click to expand...

I have to agree, I'm not entirely sure what he wants as it does not exist, at least as far as I'm aware.

However, he can at least check the SMART data with Linux.
It's not the best, but it will be better than nothing.

I honestly think he will be just fine. If he wants to absolutely guarantee that his data is secure, he will need to buy a 3TB drive, backup all of his data, then test the two drives properly as explained above.
 
thanks for reply.
red falcon, your answer hit what I wanted; a simple way to test the drives, non-destructiveyly, to at least do a preliminary test on the drives, rather than destruct them, since it took very long to GET the data onto them in the first place.

I have considered getting additional 2tb or 3tb drives. BUT, in REVIEWING drives, (using newegg's site reviews, for example), MANY drives have a 10 to 15 percent failure rate from users. I have OLDER drives, IDE, that are 100 gb, that are 5 years old, and reliable. They wre reliable in reveiws at their original dates, also. It seems to me that quality control is fading, in drives; indeed, that is what happened with this samsung; I should not have to get a drive and then later discover that a firmware update was needed to KEEP me from losing data in the first place; that is why I BOUGHT the drive.
SO, I would seriously not know what drive I'd buy.
and, this is frustrating, because with amounts of data being acumulated, with photo's, video, home movies, etc, larger size drives are becoming a neccessity.

again, thanks for feedback on the drive testing.
nick
 
So has it been confirmed that drives manufacturered after Dec 2010 do not need to be patched?
 
@drf
I do not think any thing is wrong with either of those.
 
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@drescherjm
Why are the saw "teeth" in the second one much bigger than in the first one, and the same with the number of 500 ms surface access times?
Why are they so different, if they are the same disk models, different just by one digit in S/N?
Why does Caviar has so smooth (not "teethed") line comparing to them.

Could you please test your HDDs with HDDScan 3.3 for comparison, please?
 
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I can not do that since all of 3 of my F4s are on my htpc (which is linux based).

Why saw "teeth" of the second one are much bigger than in the first one, and the same with the number of 500 ms surface access times?
Click to expand...

I am still not ruling out OS activity. I mean your other Samsung is not clean either. The WDC is clean but that is obviously limited by a slow controller (capped speed).
 
drescherjm said:
I am still not ruling out OS activity. I mean your other Samsung is not clean either. The WDC is clean but that is obviously limited by a slow controller (capped speed).
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They're both in the same PC so OS influence would be similar or the same. HDDScan limits OS influence by running with the process priority set by default to real time. I hope some Windows users will do similar tests. Come on people, don't be lazy... ;) Show your results, please!
 
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HDDScan limits OS influence by running with the process priority set by default to real time.
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But it can not prevent windows from looking at the disk when the test is run.

Here are a few HD Tune Screen captures from last year (when I got my F4s):

SamsungF4DiskInfo.png


SamsungF4_CrystalDiskMark.png


SamsungF4_Write.png


SamsungF4_RandomRead.png


SamsungF4.png
 
I have bought 2 HD204UI's recently. They are manufactured in 06.2011.

Do I need to update the firmware on them?

According to Everest, the Revision is still "1AQ10001".

What should I do?
 
@Expansion

You're fine. Drives manufactured after January 2011 are safe and don't have the firmware flaw.

@thread

Has anyone had issues where the Raw Read Error Rate and Write Error Rate are above zero? I have 5 of these units in Linux MD RAID 5. and all 5 have this problem. I even had to RMA one because the Raw Read Error Rate climbed to 2000+ and the unit dropped out of the RAID array during an expansion! :mad: Needless to say, I'll be moving to RAID 6 shortly.

Apart from these issues, these drives are great; fast, low powered and cheap. :D They also have a superior warranty to the Hitachi 5K3000s, otherwise I'd be buying the Hitachis. :p

EDIT:

Just read through the thread from about page 12. Seems that the surface quality of these drives isn't all that great, compared to Western Digital and Hitachi units, hence the read errors. Arrrghh! :mad:
 
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I've got the 1.5TB F4EG HD155UI, the HD204UI's little brother with 2 platters instead of 3, but basically the same disk though.

only had it a week and already 1 raw read error rate and 139 write error rates. and my two 1TB F3's have some RRER and WER's too, but not as high. is this normal? or is it true that samsung has poor surface quality and they make up for it with better error correcting? I'm a bit worried with all these errors popping up. plus, my F3's have a few Ultra DMA CRC Error Count's, but I changed the SATA cables just in case. (The new F4EG was never run on the old cables, just brand new cables though)
 
Purchased 8 of these all came with 2010.10 build dates... Flashed them all .. * crosses-fingers* ... going into server next week.
 
Came by checking this tread to see the status of this drive's firmware. The MFG date is located on the HDD itself right?
 
Blackdragon said:
Purchased 8 of these all came with 2010.10 build dates... Flashed them all .. * crosses-fingers* ... going into server next week.
Click to expand...

All flashed without issue, but seems one didn't make it. Getting RMA'd.

bencho said:
Came by checking this tread to see the status of this drive's firmware. The MFG date is located on the HDD itself right?
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Yes the date is on the drive, anything after Jan 2011 should be good, I believe.
 
zoltano said:
This guide describes the almost-mandatory firmware upgrade process of the Samsung F4 HD204UI drives the easy way - USING USB STICKS.

..snip..

I know I am late to the game with this write-up,; I hope it still helps some people out there! :)
Click to expand...

It certainly helped me, that's for sure so a big thumbs up from me. The first time I flashed mine it was a bit heath robinson, booting from an Image4Dos cd that loaded a dos cd driver and then using the firmware upgrade off another cd.

The main reason I signed up was to let you know my experiences in flashing mine. I read that using the /JP firmware would update the drive whilst also changing the version number, as opposed to the normal update that did update but left the version number as is. "Great", I thought, "I'll flash with the /JP firmware then". All was great, it flashed fine and appeared to be okay.

This was while I was putting a system together and replacing the ssd. For some reason, I was now getting a long pause on bootup which was making my head scratch - was it the ssd? The cabling? I checked in event viewer which led me to a strange 'fix' that worked for a couple of boots but the pause kept coming back.

It wasn't until after I'd disconnected some drives (I'd sold some) and noticed the bootup had no pause. I then noticed I'd missed reconnecting the Samsung drive which, when I had done, brought the long boot pause back. So at least I'd narrowed it down. I then tried a different sata cable, no joy. The drive was definitely getting power though.

I then followed the extremely handy instructions posted by zoltano for making the file available from a usb stick and decided to flash with the original (non /JP) firmware. Instant success - it now boots like a charm every time. I'm not sure what happened with the first flash, whether it hadn't flashed properly (despite it saying it had) I don't know but I thought I'd share my experience with others in case anyone else ran into a similar issue.
 
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I have a HD204UI that was firmware updated and worked for about 7-8 months now as a backup drive. Well this week when the WIN 7 tried to do a weekly backup it failed and the OS no longer listed the drive. If I restart computer the drive is listed. I ran CHKDISK and everything is fine I finally reformatted the drive and tried to run the WIN 7 system backup and same thing happens. I can copy files to the drive BUT just can't do a backup. Any ideas?
 
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