Unexpected Hard Disk Spin Down

I'm waisting my time trying to understand why my lappy hard disk is spinning
down after 1 minute even though not configured to beheave like that....

Config:
- Satellite M30-604, Windows XP Professional + SPx, latest patches

Facts:
- Lappy's original config worked perfectly
- After a few months, I've bought a new faster disk (Travelstar 7K100,
100GB), installed and soaring!
- 6 months later the lappy was serviced due to a non-working LCD. Actually
the mobo was replaced (note: a diagnostic program, originally detecting the
mobo name as "TOSHIBA Satellite M30", now it states the mobo is a "TOSHIBA
Portable PC"; telephone technical support states it is perfectly compatible)
- Once got back the lappy from service, it seemed that everything was
working perfectly.

Back home I've discovered that the new Mobo/CPU was working at a 6x speed
instead of the tipical "6x/16x" (the infamous clock stuck at 600 MhZ
problem) .... and had to ask Toshys service a diskette to config properly
CPU's table..

It looked all perfect........but after while I've discovered the problem:

Even if running on AC power adapter, with Power Saver's "Full power profile"
on (HDD power down after 30 minutes), unexpectedly, disk spins down after 1
minute.

I've tried to change the profile in Power Saver, tried not to use Power
Saver but Windows XP built in power manager.... nothing to do...

Then I've got an advice on this board to uninstall Power Saver, and Toshys
ACPI common modules and reinstall......but nothing to do!

So I've called back the service and been told I had to reinstall from
scratch Windows XP, due to mobo change, chipset drivers and config could be
corrupted... acting like it was an Operating System problem.......

Before doing so, I've continued digging on the Internet, and read about
potential conflicts with XP and BIOS settings.... Checked BIOS version and
it is the latest, booted up BIOS config and there's no reference to Power
Management.......

So I've downloaded Hitachi's diagnostic tool and DOS booted to check disk
config....the dude has an "in firmware" settings like acoustic silencer,
read ahead, write back and..... power settings!

I thought I've got it finally, but once rebooted and inside Windows XP.....
still the same :(

At this point I thought I had really to reinstall Windows XP.....BUT I've
made another test......see how the disk beheaved outside Windows XP; and
unfortunatelly the problem occurs even in DOS mode or at startup, BEFORE
Windows XP loads........

At this point it looks like it is not a Windows problem but a Bios/disk
problem....

Now I'm complitely lost and really don't know what to do and I'm starting to
beleive the disk is defective..........


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Unexpected Hard Disk Spin Down
    ... and had to ask Toshys service a diskette to config properly CPU's table.. ... Even if running on AC power adapter, with Power Saver's "Full power profile" on, unexpectedly, disk spins down after 1 minute. ... I've tried to change the profile in Power Saver, tried not to use Power Saver but Windows XP built in power manager.... ...
    (comp.sys.laptops)
  • "The Registry Cannot Load the Hive"
    ... to power down using the power button. ... but windows did not start successfully. ... STOP: c0000218 Registry File Failure ... Dumping physical memory to disk. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter)
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    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
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    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.embedded)
  • Re: RAID 5
    ... When I boot up the machine, I checked the Disk ... > systems config of the raid controller, ... Hardware RAID presents 1 physical drive to Windows. ...
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