# New Harddrive question for computer types **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121 "2002-04-28T15:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/1 "2002-04-28T15:19:50Z")
I have installed a new IBM deskstar 75GXP hdd. It recognizes and i can format it and everything, but when i try to copy a large file or anything overa few megabytes from my old harddrive, the hdd makes a funny grinding sound and computer crashes with a blue screen and restarts by it self. it seems to work with smaller files ok, and i can read it fine too. i have it on it’s own power chain and it’s set as device 1 master. i ran the IBM Drive fitness test and there was nothing wrong with the mechanics ( yes i know it’s one of the drives that blow up) what gives? ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/2 "2002-04-28T15:30:14Z")
- - - IBM 75Gb deskstar drives are junk. Search Google for “IBM Deskstar” if you don’t believe me. Take it back to wherever you got it and get a refund, or exchange it towards a Seagate or a Western Digital. - DougC ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/3 "2002-04-28T16:11:44Z")
IBM drives are bad enough that IBM has stopped making hard drives. As for your hard drive problem, it’s a bad drive. THe copying problem is usually a bad drive or bad controller. If you can verify the controller is good, and it sounds like you can, then the drive is bad. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/4 "2002-04-28T16:13:42Z")
[Via Hardware.com](http://www.viahardware.com/ibm120gxp.shtm) > [@](#): > > Is there a reliability problem with IBM hard drives? > > This isn’t an easy question to answer, especially with IBM withholding comment. While large numbers of readers responded to the questions I posed regarding drive reliability, their emails present very different pictures. Some of you swear by IBM drives and their reliability, while listing many of the Seagate, Maxtor, or WD drives you’ve seen fail in both a corporate and a consumer setting, while other readers had horror stories of seeing IBM drive after IBM drive bite the dust. > > Based on the emails and feedback we received from earlier stories, however, the IBM drives seem to have one distinguishing characteristic—they fail faster. Most of the emails and commentary we received indicated drives that survived only a few months past their purchase date. My own personal experience mirrors this—of the three 75GXP drives I’ve replaced for customers, two of them were less than a year old, with the third being just shy of eighteen months. > > If you take into account the fact that IBM is currently facing a lawsuit alleging that the 75GXP line is defective, it seems fairly clear that, at the least, IBM’s 75GXP line is suffering from problems. How widespread the problems are, which drive models they affect, and what IBM is doing to fix them, however, is not clear. It’s been suggested that all of the defective drives have shipped from a certain factory, but Big Blue has done nothing to confirm or deny this, or even acknowledged that a problem exists ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/5 "2002-04-28T16:30:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DougC \* > \*\*- - - IBM 75Gb deskstar drives are junk. Search Google for “IBM Deskstar” if you don’t believe me. Take it back to wherever you got it and get a refund, or exchange it towards a Seagate or a Western Digital. - DougC \*\* Not Western Digital either - I once had a “Caviar” drive which was more like “Cat food”. A vendor I’ve had good luck with is Maxtor. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/6 "2002-04-28T22:19:10Z")
I had two 75GXP’s hard drives that were 40gb each. One failed one didn’t I also have two 20 GB IBM Hard Drives I bought at the same time the day after I got a refurbished drive back from IBM to replace the failed 40 one of the 20’s failed. I’m sending that back any day now ---
**Author:** ![maco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@maco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maco)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/7 "2002-04-28T22:32:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yabob \* > \*\* > Not Western Digital either - I once had a “Caviar” drive which was more like “Cat food”. A vendor I’ve had good luck with is Maxtor. \*\* It’s one of those things where your experience may vary, I have drives fail from both WD and Maxtor. Our newest computers have 60 Gig WD. Kim ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/8 "2002-04-29T06:06:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by diku \* > IBM drives are bad enough that IBM has stopped making hard drives. Since when? Not when I checked today. ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/9 "2002-04-29T06:37:08Z")
We recently installed a 60G Diamondmax from Maxtor and so far it has performed flawlessly. Our old drive is an 8G Maxtor which has worked fine although it is just too damn slow. All I plan to use it for is as a backup drive in case something does go to hell with the new drive. The reports on the Maxtor seem to be pretty positive as well. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/10 "2002-04-29T15:00:57Z")
Try one of them with a 8meg cache, these should be mighty fast. ---
**Author:** ![joemama24\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-harddrive-question-for-computer-types/106121/11 "2002-04-29T15:51:50Z")
From what I understand, Maxor and WD have now combined - they still sell under two seperate brand names, but Maxtor has acquired WD. I have used several Maxtor drives with success. No experience with IBM, but as you are aware, this product line appears to have some issues. The drive cache is possibly related to the issue you are having. I can’t determine why else it only fails when copying larger files. I wouldn’t rely on the drive fitness test much…