[elvisisded]

My UTV that I've had since they first came out is now making a noise that sounds like the hard drive. It does not do it all the time but it is getting more and more difficult to ignore when the tv is not on. Is the end near? I tried turning it off for a few minutes and turning it back on , but that didn't help at all.

 

[elvisisded]

Anyone have the link to how to replace the hard drive on a UTV? Thanks.

 

[cbr929pilot]

Quote:

Originally posted by NLogN ACK!! Seagate 120GB for $39.99 after rebate!!! ... here

Are you sure this drive will work?

 

[blimey]

Quote:

Originally posted by cbr929pilot Are you sure this drive will work?

I'm using a ST3120026A, so it definitely works... and it's quieter than cat's feet on carpet... unlike some of the WD models which can sound like havng a food processor running in the room.


blimey

 

[cyberbob25]

I am unfortunately too late for the rebates, however, I have a quick question. I replaced the hard drive in one of my UTV's about 8 months ago, and now it appears to be failing. The video continues to stutter randomly, then evenutally the unit will reboot automatically. I have narrowed it down to the hard drive by switching the drives around in my two UTV's.


My question is this: I had read long ago about how 7200RPM hard drives get too hot in the UTV. The drive that is malfunctioning is a Seagate 120GB, 7200RPM. I haven't modded anything, so the UTV has stock cooling, but it is well ventilated. So if I buy a 7200RPM drive, am I going to run into this problem again? Or should I stick with the 5400RPM Maxtor drive linked to before in this thread?

 

[blimey]

The rpm and/or heat is probably not much of a factor. A PVR is perhaps one of the most demanding applications for a hard drive. Recording two programs while watching a third makes for a heck of a lot of data transfer and head movement.


I used a western digital 120gb 7200 in one of my UTVs for 3 years before it crapped out. Luckily, it had one month left on the warranty so I was able to get a free replacement for the cost of shipping ($5). Unfortunately, western digital has changed its standard warranty to only 1 year for new drives - while seagate has bumped its warranty up to 5 years. However, where I work we have recently had very bad luck with the chinese manufactured Seagate drives - compared to the other countries of origin. We had 3 chinese seagates fail totally within the first month. Seagate replaced all of them with non-chinese drives under warranty (no slight intended towards the chinese).


If you don't mind parting with more cash, the Maxtor Quickview drives are specifically designed for PVR applications and are 5400 rpm as well - but they also have only a 1 year warranty. I've only seen them sold by weaknees. But is it worth the premium price? I say, after two years, a PVR hard drive is on borrowed time anyway - and with hard drives so very cheap it might be a good idea to just clone the drive to a new one every two years.

 

[rocket]

I have 2 utvs, one with a 100gb 7200 drive, the other a stock 35hr unit. The upgrade has been running almost non-stop for 2 years or so (when upgrades first were described here) and being a bit noisy, I can hear it seeking 100% of the time. Now compare that to my pc, where it seeks only when I am doing something on the computer and sometimes at night when I schedule something.


However, I do notice a definite difference in responsiveness between this unit and the 5400 stock unit. I also recall a faster unit after the original upgrade. Now it could be the 5400/7200 or it could be that the larger drive stores the guide and other system stuff more on the same cylinders so seeking is faster and/or not always required.


Also on the stock utv, I find it useful to power it down once a month or so (for 1 hour) and it then gets a bit faster. But with 2 shows recording and one playing back, using the guide is quite a bit slower than on the upgraded unit.