** WARNING ** DaveC Test Killed My Hard Drive

[rockrev]

Well, after months of debate I decided to try the DaveC test. Ok, I got 32 audio tracks recorded for 60 seconds - then it was time for the aux tracks. I got to three (the fourth caused my CPU to peak), but when I started to record the PT CPU error popped up. Well, by then everything was really getting slow, so I decided I'd had enough of the DaveC torture treatment and closed the session. When I clicked on "File -> Exit" to leave PT, I got a Microsoft error notification (you know, do you want to send a report, etc.). Of course I didn't send the report and decided I better reset before messing with anything else.

After reset, it took forever for XP to load . . . but it finally did. After I logged in everything seemed fine except my external audio hard drive (the light kept flickering). When I tried to browse it, an error popped up "invalid parameter," "parameter not found," or something to that nature about a "parameter." Luckily, all of my sessions are backed up to my system drive, so I decided to reformat the external drive. Through the control panel I went to disk management and the drive showed "healthy" but "RAW." I initiated a full format (NTFS). When the format procedure reaced 99% an error popped up "format was unsuccessful."

What's going on? I'm no PC tech, but I'm not a PC dope. Can someone explain this to me?

Thanks,

rockrev

[tele_player]

Sounds like your drive died, but I wouldn't blame the davec test. Davec test is stressful, but not unreasonably so.

How is the external drive connected? USB, Firewire, something else?

You might want to check if Maxtor provides any utilities for low-level formatting and testing.

[rockrev]

Ok, I went home for my lunch break (after doing some internet research first) and I believe that I've worked it all out. The big discovery . . . Norton System Works "Protected Recycle Bin" is/was the direct cause of my problem. Turns out (and I never had problems with it until today) that this feature needs to be disabled on any audio drives that PT uses. It also had to be disabled so that I could reformat (as files and/or references to files from that drive were located in the Norton Recycle Bin Protection application).

To make a long story short, I have fully reformatted my external drive, but I did not have time to test a session. I did copy and paste some session back-ups from my system drive to my external audio drive (no problems . . . knock, knock). I guess I'll give it another run tonight. As for the DaveC test . . . well, let's just say I'm fine for now.

Later,

rockrev

[JPS]

How did you come to the conclusion that your problem was Norton protected recycle bin. I am interested because I had lost a harddrive partition in the past and have Norton System works. I don't believe I had the protected recycle bin active at the time, but I use the Ghost componet for backup.

[rockrev]

How did you come to the conclusion that your problem was Norton protected recycle bin. I am interested because I had lost a harddrive partition in the past and have Norton System works. I don't believe I had the protected recycle bin active at the time, but I use the Ghost componet for backup.

I did a search on Google for multiples of "maxtor, external, hard drive, error, unsuccessful format, invalid parameter, not accessible, etc." I can't tell you the exact site, but it was an IT help board. A Maxtor external hard drive user posted a very similar problem (nothing to do with Pro Tools though) and several of the IT "helpers" suggested that he disable the Norton recycle bin protection on that particular drive. The user never replied with a positive nor negative response, but it got me thinking (as I am a Norton System Works user).

Hey, it worked for me and it makes sense too. Call it poor man's logic or whatever, but it worked.

rockrev

[Remon]

Norton Protection should be disabled on any drives that don't need it. Paging file drives, etc. As should indexing service and system restore. Having them on unnecessarily, slows down system performance.

[The Weed]

Never had a problem with Norton Protection on the Recycle Bin on my Audio Record drive. However, I have had the Recycle Bin save my butt a few times when I deleted files from a session with the "Clear Unused" command and then "found" them in the Recycle Bin. I know the Recycle Bin is separate from Norton Protection of it, but I do like the redundancy.

Any more opinions pro or con on Norton and the Recycle Bin?

Cheers,