# Seagate 1.5TB and 1TB issues



## nigebj (Sep 8, 2004)

Just noticed this, didn't see a link to it in here anywhere. I am usually a big fan of Seagate, but clearly it seems there's something wrong: http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=369&tag=nl.e539


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## richsadams (Jan 4, 2003)

First, Seagate's 1.5TB HHD has been tried several times and will not work as an internal upgrade for TiVo's. But you probably knew that.

I've been loyal to Seagate for years...although the more recent WD drives I've been using in TiVo and elsewhere are performing flawlessly for me.

This article said that Seagate was aware of the 1.5TB freeze problems and had corrected it with a firmware upgrade. But the article you've linked is newer, however it seems to only suggest that this problem extends to 1TB drives as well...which I hadn't heard. I'm confused.


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## nigebj (Sep 8, 2004)

richsadams said:


> First, Seagate's 1.5TB HHD has been tried several times and will not work as an internal upgrade for TiVo's. But you probably knew that.


Indeed, I was more thinking that if there _is_ a problem with the 1TB's, we might not want people looking to far for explanation of Tivo freezes, if they'd used Seagates.

Shame - hope they'll get on it quick, one bad model can destroy a brand in the HD world (Deathstar comes to mind).


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## richsadams (Jan 4, 2003)

nigebj said:


> Indeed, I was more thinking that if there _is_ a problem with the 1TB's, we might not want people looking to far for explanation of Tivo freezes, if they'd used Seagates.
> 
> Shame - hope they'll get on it quick, one bad model can destroy a brand in the HD world (Deathstar comes to mind).


Agreed. That's the first I've heard of the 1TB issue. Seagate drives have been rock-solid for years so it's a bit surprising, but I think they rushed the 1.5TB to market...not sure how or why that would impact existing 1TB drives though. Guess we'll have to wait and see.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

The 1.5TB models suffer from a firmware glitch that is easily rectified by contacting Seagate tech support and getting the latest firmware download to flash the drives. The problem only occurs when using the drives with either Linux or a Mac OS. Here's a breakdown of the drives affected:

ST31500341A drives with part numbers of 9JU138-301 should be updated to firmware CC1H.

Drives with part numbers of 9JU138 -300 and -336 should be updated to firmware SD1A.


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## richsadams (Jan 4, 2003)

mr.unnatural said:


> The 1.5TB models suffer from a firmware glitch that is easily rectified by contacting Seagate tech support and getting the latest firmware download to flash the drives. The problem only occurs when using the drives with either Linux or a Mac OS. Here's a breakdown of the drives affected:
> 
> ST31500341A drives with part numbers of 9JU138-301 should be updated to firmware CC1H.
> 
> Drives with part numbers of 9JU138 -300 and -336 should be updated to firmware SD1A.


 Nice. That's what I derived from the article I linked. It didn't mention 1TB models though. Thanks! :up:


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

Looks like the problem is being confirmed as not limited to just the 1.5TB drive...

computerworld.com: "Complaints flood Seagate over hard drive problem"

_Seagate online support forum has been riddled this week with complaints from owners of the high-capacity Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive, which in recent months had already drawn some complaints that the drive has been freezing up during data transfers or failing all together.

The Barracuda 7200.11 is the eleventh generation of Seagate's flagship drive for desktop PCs and comes in capacities ranging from 160GB to 1.5TB.

...

The company said in a statement Friday that indeed a problem has caused some drives to fail and it said it isolated the issue to a firmware bug affecting not only the 7200.11 but several other models manufactured through December 2008. Those include the DiamondMax 22, the Barracuda ES.2 SATA and the SV35._


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## richsadams (Jan 4, 2003)

Yep, been discussing the same issue on this thread. Looks like the same type of fix is being offered on the 1TB's.

Sad really, I love Seagate products. I don't have any of these particular drives, but I don't remember them ever having this sort of trouble before. Hope they get it cleared up quickly and change the assembly provider or whatever it takes.


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## Marconi (Sep 8, 2001)

A month ago when I checked for the 1.5 TB firmware updater at Seagate.com, I could find no updater for OS X. I have a pair of the 1.5 TB drives and a few of the 1 TB as well. Anyone have a link to the updaters for OS X?


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## Mindflux (Jan 16, 2008)

Marconi said:


> A month ago when I checked for the 1.5 TB firmware updater at Seagate.com, I could find no updater for OS X. I have a pair of the 1.5 TB drives and a few of the 1 TB as well. Anyone have a link to the updaters for OS X?


There isn't one per se. There's an ISO you can burn to CD and boot your Mac's off the CD to upgrade the firmware.


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## Marconi (Sep 8, 2001)

Mindflux said:


> There isn't one per se. There's an ISO you can burn to CD and boot your Mac's off the CD to upgrade the firmware.


Does anyone have a link to the ISO image? I'd like to update the firmware on a pair of ST31500 drives.


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## Mindflux (Jan 16, 2008)

Marconi said:


> Does anyone have a link to the ISO image? I'd like to update the firmware on a pair of ST31500 drives.


They took it down today for further testing. :down:


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## tivoupgrade (Sep 27, 2000)

... as evidenced by this Gizmodo article:

Seagate Firmware Fix Turned Barracudas into Paperweights

I'm sure they'll fix it, but be careful that you don't use the wrong/older version...

Lou


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

Similar discussion can be found here http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=416592


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## T_RJ (Oct 15, 2001)

http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=207951


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