External drive drops offline during data streaming

External Hard Drive Problem:
External Drive
Drops Offline During Streaming

Cause:
During video or other data streaming, the system may unexpectedly disconnect from the external drive, halting the data stream and requiring a reconnect, power cycle or a system restart to allow the drive to be available for use again.

Solution:
Disable System Restore (XP) and Indexing Service (2000 and XP) for the external drive.

Procedure(s)

Disabling System Restore (XP Only):

WARNING: ALL System Restore Points will be deleted when disabling this feature!

  1. Right-click on My Computer and left-click on Properties.
  2. Click the System Restore Tab
  3. Check the box that says, “Turn off System Restore on all drives”
  4. Click “Okay”
  5. It will warn you and ask if you really want to do this, Click “Yes”

Disabling the Indexing Service (XP and 2000):

  1. Open My Computer
  2. Right-click on the External Drive (whatever letter is assigned) and left-click on Properties.
  3. Choose the ‘General’ tab.
  4. Uncheck the Box that says: “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching.”

Additional Information:

Disk Indexing is a feature in Windows 2000 and XP that enables faster and more comprehensive file search functions. By default, Indexing occurs when the system is idle. After a period of inactivity the Indexing Service will resume the cataloguing of files on attached internal and external drives. A streaming operation (such as video) without user input is interpreted as such a period of inactivity and the Indexing Service will resume and begin accessing drives, sometimes causing the external unit to be unexpectedly disconnected from the system.

Other Links:

  • Microsoft’s System Restore Overview
  • Microsoft’s Overview of the Disk Indexing Service
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External Hard Drive Problems

Seagate are presently among the most popular and reliable hard disks drives. The disks of the Barracuda ATA 4, ATA 5 and SATA series are relatively fast and advanced models, the only major drawback of which is their considerable heating during operation. Most frequently repairs are called for because of damaged controller components or stuck spindle motors. Disks from the U series also suffer from reading problems due to erratic development of unstable regions on the disk surface which are impossible to eliminate in any conventional way. Data recovery from Seagate HDD’s is a labor consuming process, especially in cases of mechanical damage, and may take up a lot of time, but the chances of success are typically high.

seagate external hard drive problems

Maxtor, former Quantum, are inexpensive and relatively fast disks, although with quite a few downsides. With time the motor noise increases, the disk tends to develop surface defects and detection failures by the system may occur with increasing frequency. It is not recommended to use these disks for storing critical information and regular backups are just obligatory. While in most cases repair works are attempted for the sole purpose of data recovery, the repaired disk itself can be operational for a long time, except for the slim models which usually fail again within several weeks. The owners of such disks are advised to consider replacement with a more reliable brand. Data from these disks can be recovered successfully, but the repair work must always be trusted to a specialized service shop.

maxtor external hard drive problems

Western Digital disks, although quite widespread in the past, have never been regarded as very reliable. Disks manufactured only three or four years ago are now rarely to be found in a good operating condition. Current models of WD have a satisfactory price/capacity ratio. The new models of WD are called in for repair not very often, maybe also due to their low popularity. A characteristic feature of these disks is the sudden appearance and quick development of bad sectors in different areas of the disk surface. In some cases the disk fails to be detected by the BIOS because of faults in the switching microcircuits. The specific design and circuitry of these disks can sometimes make the task of data recovery after a physical damage too complicated.

wd external hard drive problems
IBM (presently Hitachi) are fast and advanced hard disk drives, however not very reliable, especially the glass plate models (DTLA and AVER series). If during startup the disk is not detected or detection is slow, then repair time has certainly come. These disks are highly serviceable and, if treated properly, can continue to operate reliably for a long time. Exception are the cases when the disk repeatedly emits a strong squeaking noise, which is a sign of a serious physical damage of the magnetic surface. Data can still be recovered, but quite complicated situations are possible when the magnetic surface has begun to destroy, thus making the data recovery task more time consuming and problematical. Isolated batches (assembled in Hungary and Romania) with numerous identical defects have also been registered. The production of HDD’s by IBM was discontinued.

ibm external hard drive problems
Hitachi is successor to the IBM HDD manufacturing division. Most of the remarks about IBM disks are valid for Hitachi as well.

hitachi external hard drive problems

Samsung hard disks are noteworthy for their combination of good performance, high reliability and attractive price. Current models (SP series) are hardly ever called in for repairs, unlike earlier models (Wiener series) most of which are already out of use. Samsung disks usually fail suddenly and for no obvious reason. With the IDE models service problems begin to appear after at least one or two years of operation. Data recovery is very difficult because of the specific design of these disks. Therefore, regular backups are strongly advised.

samsung external hard drive problems
Fujitsu, while known in the past as expensive and extremely reliable, with the advent of the MPG series these disks now present a sorry sight. The disk begins to shut off during operation and periodically fails to be detected by the system. Next comes full inoperability of the disk. Hopes for spontaneous revival are illusory since these misfortunate events repeat again and again. Data recovery from a damaged disk is in most cases successful. The disk can be repaired, but it is impossible to guarantee its stable operation. Fujitsu is discontinuing the production of hard disks for personal computers.

fujitsu external hard drive problems

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