Hard Drives: can a specific model not support GPT2MBR or file system conversion?

JASlinux · 03-10-2023, 04:32 AM

I bought an off-brand Lngoor 2TB External USB HD USB 3.0 several years ago.

It came formatted GPT exFAT. I reformatted it MBR NTFS for use in Windows & Linux. It has not worked since & reports errors before failing.

My Linux reads NTFS drives, & I've done this before with brand names like Western Digital & Seagate.

Is it likely I have a faulty drive or is it just not compatible with the change?

If the latter, is it probably partition table, file system, or could it be both?

Did I make a brick out of a working drive?

Arnulf · 03-10-2023, 05:48 AM

Connect this HDD again to a Linux computer and post relevant part of dmesg after connecting this HDD.

If this HDD doesn't contain any data that you want get back you can try a check with badblocks -wsv. Consider that this check (badblocks -wsv: 2 TB HDD over USB 3.0) will take a lot of time. Expect a day or more.

mrmazda · 03-10-2023, 07:05 PM

Could it be you're trying to use it in a port that can't provide sufficient current to operate it? Can you get it open so see what brand disk is in it? It could be the USB converter is the problem, not the disk.

JASlinux · 03-12-2023, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

Could it be you're trying to use it in a port that can't provide sufficient current to operate it? Can you get it open so see what brand disk is in it? It could be the USB converter is the problem, not the disk.

Probably not to your 1st question.

I'll have to look into USB converters. I would open it if I didn't fear destroying it (bricked), but I'm not there yet.

Worst case I could reformat it GPT exFAT after trying one or the other.

JASlinux · 03-12-2023, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arnulf

Connect this HDD again to a Linux computer and post relevant part of dmesg after connecting this HDD.

dmesg produces a lot of data. I am not sure what is relevant.

Attached again after a long hiatus it seems like the disk is spinning & making a cyclical CLUNK sound I cannot describe.

After about 8 iterations or so it pauses then repeats the 8.

After about four cycles of that it is quiet.

Running the mount utility starts the cycle again, but the drive is still not being recognized.

This is my first experiment attaching the drive after a long break. There was no physical damage in prior use.

I am currently in a 32-bit 16-era Ubuntu-based distro.

Timothy Miller · 03-12-2023, 12:41 PM

The sounds you describe are either hte hard drive is dying, or it's not getting enough power to fully read.

JASlinux · 03-13-2023, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arnulf

Connect this HDD again to a Linux computer and post relevant part of dmesg after connecting this HDD.

Different device from last post:
64-bit 16-era Ubuntu base.

This is the disk recognized cli.

Code:

sdc      8:32   0   1.8T  0 disk 
└─sdc1   8:33   0   1.8T  0 part

It was quiet 1st connection.
It clunked 4x.
Now quiet again.

mount failure command/feedback:

Code:

mount /dev/sdc1 /mnt/sdc1
mount-FULL: special device /dev/sdc1 does not exist

end of dmesg command regarding sdc1 volume:

Code:

 sdc: sdc1
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI disk
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_ERROR driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Hardware Error [current] 
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: No additional sense information
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 e8 e0 88 00 00 00 08 00
blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 3907028992
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_ERROR driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Sense Key : Hardware Error [current] 
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 Add. Sense: No additional sense information
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 e8 e0 7f 80 00 00 08 00
blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 3907026816
udevd[3985]: worker [26810] /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:13.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1/2-1.1:1.0/host2/target2:0:0/2:0:0:0/block/sdc is taking a long time
usb 2-1.1: reset high-speed USB device number 5 using ehci-pci
usb 2-1.1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
usb 2-1.1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
usb 2-1.1: reset high-speed USB device number 5 using ehci-pci
usb 2-1.1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
usb 2-1.1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
usb 2-1.1: reset high-speed USB device number 5 using ehci-pci
usb 2-1.1: device not accepting address 5, error -110
usb 2-1.1: reset high-speed USB device number 5 using ehci-pci
usb 2-1.1: device not accepting address 5, error -110
usb 2-1.1: USB disconnect, device number 5
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Synchronizing SCSI cache
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_NO_CONNECT driverbyte=DRIVER_OK
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 e8 e0 88 00 00 00 04 00
blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 3907028992
Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 976757248, async page read
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_NO_CONNECT driverbyte=DRIVER_OK
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] tag#0 CDB: Read(10) 28 00 e8 e0 88 04 00 00 04 00
blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 3907028996
Buffer I/O error on dev sdc, logical block 976757249, async page read
sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Synchronize Cache(10) failed: Result: hostbyte=DID_NO_CONNECT driverbyte=DRIVER_OK
udevd[26810]: inotify_add_watch(6, /dev/sdc, 10) failed: No such file or directory
usb 2-1.1: new high-speed USB device number 6 using ehci-pci
usb 2-1.1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
usb 2-1.1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
usb 2-1.1: new high-speed USB device number 7 using ehci-pci
usb 2-1.1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
usb 2-1.1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
usb 2-1.1: new high-speed USB device number 8 using ehci-pci
usb 2-1.1: device not accepting address 8, error -110
usb 2-1.1: new high-speed USB device number 9 using ehci-pci
udevd[3985]: worker [26810] /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:13.0/usb2/2-1/2-1.1/2-1.1:1.0/host2/target2:0:0/2:0:0:0/block/sdc/sdc1 is taking a long time
usb 2-1.1: device not accepting address 9, error -110
usb 2-1-port1: unable to enumerate USB device
udevd[26810]: inotify_add_watch(6, /dev/sdc1, 10) failed: No such file or directory

confusing / durcheinander

Mike_Walsh · 03-13-2023, 07:07 AM

Sooo.......you re-formatted it, but you didn't in fact use it after that? Mm.

It rather sounds to me like it was, in fact, DOA or at least, presenting terminal faults. Quite possibly it was somebody else's knackered "return". It happens.....but you've kinda messed things up for yourself by leaving it a long time without trying to return it. Personally, I would have been onto the supplier/retailer almost straight away, but I wouldn't have told them I was using Linux; even today many customer service people are immediately stumped as soon as you mention Linux, because you've then derailed them from their nice, comfortable "script"!

All they can do is parrot that because you're not using Windows or Mac, they can't help you. At that point, they're clueless.

I suspect you're fighting an uphill battle with this one.

Mike.

JASlinux · 03-13-2023, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

Can you get it open so see what brand disk is in it?

Here is the drive name (Windows wmic command output):

Code:

HITACHI HTS545025B9A USB Device  \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2  000000123ACD      2000396321280  OK

This is the disk newly quickformatted in Windows 10:

Code:

  Volume 7     D   LNGOOR2T     NTFS   Partition   1863 GB  Healthy

I believe it was formatted last time I used it, but Windows indicated it needed to be formatted upon attachment.

Formatting prompted a scan. A scan reports no errors, but an unexplained dialog popped up indicating there is something wrong with the drive.

It's still MBR NTFS, but I do not understand its status. Faulty but no errors?

Back in Linux again, it is not being recognized.

Perhaps I have a Windows-only drive.

JASlinux · 03-13-2023, 08:44 AM

Here in regular Ubuntu I can see it, but I had to mount it manually.

Code:

sudo mount -t ntfs /dev/sdc1 ./sdc1

What kind of disk is this???

kilgoretrout · 03-13-2023, 09:29 AM

The cyclical clunk sound is the actuator arm of the drive continually resetting itself to the park position. It's almost always symptomatic of either inadequate power to the drive or a failing hard drive. Inadequate power could be caused by a faulty usb cable so you could try replacing that and see if it helps.

Arnulf · 03-13-2023, 02:01 PM

dmesg output shows a dead drive.

JASlinux · 03-15-2023, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilgoretrout

you could try replacing that and see if it helps.

Good insight, alas I tried a cable from a working drive with no improvement.

This is curiously some kind of intermittent device/os-impacted failure. It doesn't work anywhere, but in a strong combo it seems to work before IO errors.

Stick with brand names drives.

business_kid · 03-15-2023, 10:02 AM

Personally, In all the (many) good, dodgy or dud drives that have passed through my hands, I have never met one that made clunks and had life in it.

Yes, there is or was some MBR limit around 2TB. Format GPT unless you need MBR for some reason.

The inadequate power could be caused by current limiting on the USB port. Values are:

USB-1 = 100mA
USB-2 = 250mA
USB-3 = 500mA

What happens when current is exceeded varies. Does the drive clink when it's inside yout Box?

JASlinux · 03-16-2023, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by business_kid

The inadequate power could be caused by current limiting on the USB port. Values are:

USB-1 = 100mA
USB-2 = 250mA
USB-3 = 500mA

What happens when current is exceeded varies. Does the drive clink when it's inside yout Box?

The clinking itself varies. There's also the issue of it being recognized then dropped (vs not being recognized at all). I may have to record my dodgy drive for novelty's sake so you can hear it. If I do I'll quote you again.

Re. current, it's a reasonable remote suspicion but I would not expect it because no other USB device is similarly affected, including the Apple CD Superdrive running with no other power source by USB 2.0.

My original intent was to boot 32-bit Windows 7 which may require MBR for standard BIOS, so I just ordered a new 1T Western Digital USB drive for that reason. Not sure what is required so I default to old standards for maximum compatibility.

If it's possible to yank the internal Hitachi from its case to test in another or in a desktop, that is beyond my possibility considerations to date.