# Seagate FreeAgent Pro - Function of the pretty orange light



## wmray3 (Dec 30, 2006)

For anyone else using the Seagate FreeAgent Pro drives(I have the 500Gb model)......does the orange light that illuminates down it's spine when it is powered on do anything? 

I have searched the web and found several places that say the orange light pulses when there is drive activity. Mine looks like it is always solid(even when recording), if it pulses, it is very subtle. My S3 recognized the drive fine and I now have a capacity of 98 glorious hours of HD and it seems to be using the drive. I was just curious if the light is just for aesthetics to draw attention to the drive(good conversation starter..."Hey what's that?") or if it actually serves some function (like flashing or pulsing to let me know of drive activity).

Other than my questions about the light, the drive is working fine (so far), is very quiet (no fan) and does not seem to get too hot. So far a very nice drive.


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## jtreid (Jan 12, 2006)

I've noticed on my 750GB model that the orange light dims and goes out when the tivo reboots. It then fades up when the tivo is coming up. I assume this means it goes out when it looses connectivity/spins down and lights when it spins back up. Therefore, I guess it means it is connected.


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

I believe it has three states:

Off -> Drive is off
Dimly Lit -> Drive is 'on', but spun down (power saving)
Fully Lit -> Drive is on, and spinning.

However, when connected to a Tivo, it probably never enters power saving mode, so all that is ever seen is the one fully lit state. 

-Ken


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## wmray3 (Dec 30, 2006)

jtreid said:


> I've noticed on my 750GB model that the orange light dims and goes out when the tivo reboots. It then fades up when the tivo is coming up. I assume this means it goes out when it looses connectivity/spins down and lights when it spins back up. Therefore, I guess it means it is connected.


I've noticed this behavior too when rebooting, but otherwise once the S3 is up and functioning the orange light is solid even when recording. Is that the same with you?

One thing is for sure...you cannot miss it in my entertainment center with that orange light......it would be even more attention grabbing(and cooler) if it pulsed during activity like has been claimed other places on the web(when attached to a PC).


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

Matches the TiVo light perfectly. You wouldn't know it didn't come from TiVo except for the different logo.


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## jtreid (Jan 12, 2006)

wmray3 said:


> I've noticed this behavior too when rebooting, but otherwise once the S3 is up and functioning the orange light is solid even when recording. Is that the same with you?
> 
> One thing is for sure...you cannot miss it in my entertainment center with that orange light......it would be even more attention grabbing(and cooler) if it pulsed during activity like has been claimed other places on the web(when attached to a PC).


Yes. Once tivo is up, the orange light never changes: it is on steady.

I, however, believe if the light pulsed, it would be rather distracting. I have mine laying on it's side on top of the tivo with the base hanging off to one side in my entertainment center behind a door. So really it wouldn't bother me in my case. Except, I have to keep the door open now because between a Pioneer 810, a HD comcast box, a carver 2x50W amp (outdoor speakers) and the S3 in one side, the temp reported by tivo is 54C: WAAAAAY HOT! I just got a Silenx 90cfm/18dBa fan in today that I will be installing to get the heat out of the cabinet.


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## NJChris (May 11, 2001)

Mine flashes code to me. It tells me what to do. Last night it told me to get it $5,000,000 in unmarked bills.


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## wmray3 (Dec 30, 2006)

eric_mcgovern said:


> My light is always on steady and the drive case gets warm, but not even close to hot. The base of the unit though gets downright hot underneath.
> 
> Have any of you guys had reboot issues using the FreeAgent Pro hard drive? Seems my S3 is now reboot happy, of course I got 8.3 around the same time that I got the FreeAgent..


In reading some info online, it seems that the base gets hot by design, as it supposedly has venting in the bottom of the case.

I have had no rebooting so far (knock on wood), but I already had 8.3 well before I attached the FreeAgent. I am wondering if that may be a key to the issue of the rebooting. Many of the reports of problems in these threads (regardless of manufacturer) occured when the drive was installed before 8.3 and once 8.3 was installed problems began. Is there anyone out there that is having the reboot issue and had 8.3 before the drive install?


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## deeremj (Feb 25, 2001)

I have 750gb Freeagent Pro on S3...it actually Does pulse all the time...just a very slight increase in brightness in the middle of the front stripe of amber/orange...

I figure that essentially the drive is alway active since the Tivo is constantly writing the live buffers to the drive.

I will try to get a small video on mt digi cam and see if it shows up!

-MJ


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## A-1 (Mar 12, 2007)

deeremj said:


> I have 750gb Freeagent Pro on S3...it actually Does pulse all the time...just a very slight increase in brightness in the middle of the front stripe of amber/orange...
> 
> I figure that essentially the drive is alway active since the Tivo is constantly writing the live buffers to the drive.
> 
> ...


I want what you are smokin.










Mine stays constant.

Also, knock wood, have not had a single problem with this drive.

If prior to connection to the Tivo you install the FA software you can turn said light on or off. I think it looks awesome so it's on for me. You can also setup the power settings sleep never, 1 hour, 15 min. you know...15 min is the default so maybe this is why you are seeing the light change.


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## A-1 (Mar 12, 2007)

I connected it to my PC prior to connecting to my Tivo. I ran the disk diagnostics and set the power setting to Never. I saved the Install software it's about 140mb have a server i can upload it to?

It may however, still be on your drive. Shutdown your Tivo leaving it off until you are ready to connect the drive again. disconnect the esata drive connect it to PC via usb and see if it is still there.


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## A-1 (Mar 12, 2007)

transfer in progress...............


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## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

Thanks for reminding me, A-1, that I want to connect to my computer first and copying the initial software to my computer and then running some of the settings before hooking it up to the Tivo. 

And, yes, mine is still UNopened waiting for more results to come in. I've now read of a few sudden spontaneous reboots with the FreeAgent Pro.

Of course, the fact that the esata port is basically been UNtested since it was NOT available prior, means that some folks might actually have problems on the tivo hardware, software or the external drives. I guess all of these folks are BETA testing for Tivo.


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## A-1 (Mar 12, 2007)

You may need to divorce the drive then make the settings changes on your pc to the drive then run the kickstart again. Because my setup prior to connecting to the tivo i was able to tell the drive which setting i wanted and they have not changed. I am basing my findings on the fact that when i reconnect my esata drive back to my system the settings i chose are still selected and they are not the default of the drive.


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## oldnacl (Mar 23, 2007)

I have a 320 GB drive in an enclosure I bought from NewEgg about a year ago. It was connected to a SA 8300HD and I had frequent pixelation problems so I took it off. I connected to to the TiVo and so far, minimal pixelation (about the same frequency as without the drive connected and way less than I ever saw with the 8300), no reboots other than for an upgrade to 8.3 software. I just ordered a 750 FreeAgent Pro and when it arrives I'll connect it and compare results.


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## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

A-1 or others using FreeAgent

I finally unwrapped it. Took a few PAUSE-62 tries to get it recognized - probably a bad cable.

Question: When UNplugged (simulating power failure), the drive did not come back on unless I pressed its ON-button on the base. Now maybe that was before I got the cable/drive recognized. 

Do you know if the FreeAgent will automatically turn on withOUT using that Power-ON button if the cabling is correct?

I guess before I get too far into things, I can try again but if someone knows....

Thanks in advance


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## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

Eric_M

Thanks for your response although I'm not sure I like the second part of it. One would want to know that the device works and keeps on working and does not cause faults.

I am beginning to wonder about these "EASY" cable connections like the esata, usb, hdmi, etc. They are easily disconnected unlike the larger but more secure serial and parallel cables of old. Actually, the cable I got from Monoprice almost would not stay in the Freeagent socket but seemed pretty firm in the Tivo. I finally dremelled away some plastic and it stayed in.


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## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

Well, before I had committed too many shows to the FreeAgent, I pulled the plug on the Tivo and FreeAgent (FA) (well, turned off the surge protector bar) and everything went black like a power failure. Pushed the surge switch to turn things back on. Tivo started its powerup sequence and the FA's orange light turned on automatically. Tivo did its thing and Settings/Account info shows that I still have a FA attached and adding to my storage capacity.

So far since yesterday morning - no reboots. Fingers remain crossed and knocking on wood.

I turned on Tivo Suggestions and picked some more shows to record just to throw more data at the tivo-FA combo.

Over and out.


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## A-1 (Mar 12, 2007)

This is the cable i used with my SFA 750 and i have, knock wood, no problems what so ever to report.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16812191016
My setup:
Connected the esata drive to my pc first ran the install and set drive to always on then removed all files on the drive, then connected it to my tivo.

hope this helps. Also this cable is nice and sturdy feels of quality. They also make it in a 6 foot version. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2000010001+50001111+1177512111&name=SIIG,+Inc


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## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

I ran the setup stuff but did forget to delete the factory files. 

But this afternoon, wanting to register the drive, I had to turn it upside down to find the serial number and the cable jostled. TIVO did NOT like that. I got that DIVORCE screen. Powered down the tivo and powered it back up. Still got the divorce screen. Next power down/up, I was back and I don't think that I lost anything. 

I may have to check out BETTER cables!


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## wmray3 (Dec 30, 2006)

So far, 6 days and not a problem with my 500Gb FreeAgent Pro(knock on wood). My S3 has recorded a ton of shows over the last week. I initially turned Tivo suggestions on to give it a workout for a few days. Now my biggest issue is wading through several screens of recorded content...but I am not complaining....the extra space is great!

One thing I forgot to do before I hooked up the FA, is connect it to my PC to run the setup utility(too excited to get it online), so it is running on factory default settings. I'm not going to disconnect it and change any settings unless I start having issues(if it ain't broke, don't fix it).

I did buy my eSATA cable from Cables-to-Go. I have ordered many cables from them in the past and all have been high quality, including the eSATA cable. My cable has a nice snug fit on both ends. They stock both a 1m and a 2m cable. It sounds like many of the problems people are having may be attributed to a cable issue.... this is a good one.

Here is the cable I am using:

Cables to Go 1M eSATA


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## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

wmray3:

Well, it seems that the "default" power down, if I recall, of 15 minutes does not affect the TIVO setup. Most likely the "continuous" spooling of "live tv" may be using the drive or at least, keeping tivo polling the drive.

Thanks for that cable link. Since the cable I've got (monoprice) fits snugly on the tivo side and not on the drive side (even reversed) I guess a slightly wider cable that fits everything snug would be a worthwhile investment. Darn shipping costs almost double the cost of that cable. 

Speaking of NOT snug, on both my S2 and this S3 the tivo power cord is loose.


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## HJD (Oct 30, 2002)

Does anyone have the FreeAgent Tools and could pass them along? I'm another one of those that just plugged the drive into the TiVo...Seagate should really either give us a CD with the software or make it available online -- it's ludicrous. 

Much appreciated...I really want to get that damn orange light to turn off. 

Thanks again,

-HJD.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

so are we all clear that with the default settings it will turn itself back on with no user intervention after a power failure becuase the tivo 'wakes it up' via esata?


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## DocNo (Oct 10, 2001)

The 750 GB model is on sale at Costco. The instant rebate ends 7/16/07.


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## That70sGAdawg (Oct 29, 2002)

I employed my new 500GB FAP drive yesterday. I first hooked it up first via USB a Windows PC and set the light to "off" and the drive to spin down "never".
Did the Kickstart 62 (after messing with the wrong cable from Frys, and finding a working cable (QVS, with a long enough connector) at Micro Center. It worked! But the light setting didn't stick. Must have lost power during the multiple cable trys.
Should I try setting it again with the PC- being careful to not lose power (with the Tivo off)- and then reconnect and just turn back on the Tivo (without another Kickstart)??


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## That70sGAdawg (Oct 29, 2002)

Did it "above", back in business without another kickstart and the light is "off"!!
I was more concerned about the heat from the light than anything..


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## Chiparoo (Aug 5, 2007)

wmray3 said:


> For anyone else using the Seagate FreeAgent Pro drives(I have the 500Gb model)......does the orange light that illuminates down it's spine when it is powered on do anything?
> 
> I have searched the web and found several places that say the orange light pulses when there is drive activity. Mine looks like it is always solid(even when recording), if it pulses, it is very subtle. My S3 recognized the drive fine and I now have a capacity of 98 glorious hours of HD and it seems to be using the drive. I was just curious if the light is just for aesthetics to draw attention to the drive(good conversation starter..."Hey what's that?") or if it actually serves some function (like flashing or pulsing to let me know of drive activity).
> 
> Other than my questions about the light, the drive is working fine (so far), is very quiet (no fan) and does not seem to get too hot. So far a very nice drive.


On my Free Agent Pro there is a subtle orange area half way up the spine on the side near the power switch that indicates drive avtivity. It is only about an inch long and just brightens the already orange spine when the drive is accessed.


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## Davyburns (Jan 7, 2004)

I have had a 750Gb FA for about three months, and yesterday It started flashing the light for the first time, and I couldn't access it. I attached it to a pc and got the same. I then tried a different lead, no change. I left it unplugged for 20 minutes, and it started working again. Seems fine now, but i must admit to losing a bit of confidence in it


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