# Which Seagate drive to use?



## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Hiya. I need to replace my Maxtor 160GB drive quite soon as I now have 30 recordings with blockiness in all set to keep forever so that those bits of disc don't get used again. And I'm getting a new blocky recording almost every day 

I'd like a Seagate drive for the 5 year warantee. SATA drives don't work, or do they? I must be losing it in my old age . I'd prefer around 250GB for this one. Any model numbers recommended please?

I plan to do a piped backup/restore from this dying disc with all recordings deleted, as I have my customised graphics strewn across multiple MFS partitions and I know than I can't get a nice clean divorced backup. pdisk -l gives:

```
Partition map (with 512 byte blocks) on '/dev/hda'
 #:                type name                      length   base      ( size )
 1: Apple_partition_map Apple                         63 @ 1
 2:               Image Bootstrap 1                 4096 @ 76194880  (  2.0M)
 3:               Image Kernel 1                    4096 @ 76198976  (  2.0M)
 4:                Ext2 Root 1                    262144 @ 76203072  (128.0M)
 5:               Image Bootstrap 2                 4096 @ 76465216  (  2.0M)
 6:               Image Kernel 2                    4096 @ 76469312  (  2.0M)
 7:                Ext2 Root 2                    262144 @ 76473408  (128.0M)
 8:                Swap Linux swap                524288 @ 76735552  (256.0M)
 9:                Ext2 /var                      262144 @ 77259840  (128.0M)
10:                 MFS MFS application region   1048576 @ 77521984  (512.0M)
11:                 MFS MFS media region        76194816 @ 64        ( 36.3G)
12:                 MFS New MFS Application         1024 @ 78570560
13:                 MFS New MFS Media          241598464 @ 78571584  (115.2G)
14:          Apple_Free Extra                       3008 @ 320170048 (  1.5M)
```
Am I right in thinking I can expand one more time from this and so use the extra space on the new drive? Does/can mfsrestore create a new swap partition or am I stuck with my 256MB one?

I plan to use the version 1.00 CD from [http://www.tivoheaven.com/download/ptv-mfstools2-large-disk.iso] , is this still best practice?

Any other advice appreciated


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

I'm just relieved you didn't mention Maxtor  I bought a Samsung a few years ago and had no problems with it but it was recently replaced (in December) with a 200gb Seagate (don't remember model number) and that's been fine too. 

Also, no, IDE only


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## 6022tivo (Oct 29, 2002)

My advice would be a Samsung, there are some around that are designed for AV use, very quite and all that. Good prices also.

Blindlemon uses them for his upgrades and as far as I am aware he has no problems with them. 

Forget the actual model number but they have 250GB IDE ones.


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## Heuer (Mar 15, 2004)

Another vote for Samsung SP2014N. Very quiet and reliable


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

I upgraded my original 40GB drive with a Samsung Spinpoint 160GB over a year ago, and have been very pleased with it, so I'd second the recommendation of a Samsung.


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

I would also buy Samsung or Seagate. I currently have one of each in my Tivo and two of each in my PC.


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## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Don't worry, I'm already sold on either Samsung or Seagate! I do have a Sumsung in my PC. But AFAIK Seagate have the longer warantee which is why I was after model nos.

(I'll never buy another Maxtor, the one that's in there now is the 4th in a line of Maxtors that started with one being purchased in 2002, then that died and was RMA'd, then the replacement died etc. They're all out of warantee so I have to buy a new drive.)

I've seen blindlemon mentioning the Samsung HA250JC and it does seem very nicely specced; even 5400RPM which I didn't think I'd find! Hmm.


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

I can't recommend the HA250JC highly enough! 

They are superbly quiet (like the SP2014N) but run cooler and with less vibration at 5400rpm, and so far - touch wood - no problems


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## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Hmm, I've found one problem - who sells them? Komplett.co.uk don't seem to do so any more. Did you buy up the entire UK stock? 

[edit: aha. http://www.ultratec.co.uk/ has them for £78.49, is that reasonable?]

Which Seagate drives do you use at the moment?


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## tray (Jul 11, 2005)

Hi - I've just replaced the orignal drives with a Samsung it - really is quiet. Do you really need a 5 year guarantee ? Even the crummy originals have lasted me 4 years.


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

mrtickle said:


> Hmm, I've found one problem - who sells them? Komplett.co.uk don't seem to do so any more. Did you buy up the entire UK stock?
> 
> [edit: aha. http://www.ultratec.co.uk/ has them for £78.49, is that reasonable?]
> 
> Which Seagate drives do you use at the moment?


Dabs.com does them - http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=3YLK


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## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Ta but they are out of stock and on my black list (wouldn't refund a faulty item or respond to any emails at all on the subject - autoresponse every time; Trading Standards didn't get any further either).

Looks like ultratec's price isn't too bad in comparison so I'll go with them.


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## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

You can often get Samsung drives at web prices at PCworld if you use their "collect at store" option from www.pcworld.co.uk. If you need them in a hurry, aren't in for a delivery or are near one anyway.
I was dischuffed when overclockers took my order for a Samsung drive with a work address delivery then rang me up and told me 'because of the order value it had to go to the cardholder address' meaning it took a week to get a delivery when someone would be in to sign


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## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Yes, I had a bad experience with Overclockers too - shame as I was expecting more.

Anyway I now have the drive!  Ordered yesterday from Ultratec (missing their 5pm deadline), got the "dispatched" email at 17:40 and it arrived at work this morning before 9 o'clock!


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