1394a (Firewire) external Hard Drive reliability

[Fluffdaddy]

Hi there

A buddy give me a "no-name" 1394a (Firewire) external Hard Drive that he got at a pc show and never used. I'm having a hell of a time keeping it working in my sage server, sometimes I have to reboot the external Hard Drive 2-3 times a day because my PC lose sight of it. I have 5 USB external Hard Drives in my sage unit that runs trouble free for months at a time. Anyone here gets reliable use out of a Firewire external Hard Drive, is there any tips you can throw my way? I'm about ready to show this drive the bottom of my trash can.

Edit to add: It's not heat related, that the first thing I eliminated. It runs cooler then any of the USB drives

thanks

Fluff

[Menehune]

I have several FW external drives that I backup my PCs to. I've had the drives for years. 30-45 min of sustained writes to the drive until the case is blazing hot, then the drive is powered off for two weeks. I would check the FW cable to ensure it is seated properly. Does windows complain that you unplugged it incorrectly or does it just vanish?

I would move it to another PC and run a chkdsk /f on it just to see if there is any problems with the drive.

I once had a USB drive constantly disappear since the USB port could not supply enough power to spin the drive.

[Conejo]

No-name? That probably means you won't know the 1394 chip manufacturer for contact.

I bought a bunch of 1394/USB2.0_to_IDE aluminum enclosures that used OXFORD chipsets. A couple of units had sustained-connect problems and I took them back to where I bought them. It was a known issue that required a firmware reflash at the factory.

I still like them better than the "ʞunɾ ɟo sǝɔǝıd" most of the drive manufacturers sell as external USB drives.

[Fluffdaddy]

Thanks guys, if it's working for you I Guess that means I have a bum unit.

[Menehune]

I think my enclosures also use oxford 911 chips. I remember reading that they were the most reliable as well and based my purchases upon that.