[mythtv-users] Any ideas how to make my hard drive shut up?

[Raphael Pooser]

Richard Bronosky wrote:
> On 6/6/06, Raphael Pooser <rpooser at gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> Richard Bronosky wrote:
>> So basically your drive is grinding and that's noisy.... Did you try
>> hdparm -M128 /dev/hda ?  It doesn't matter *what* my drive does at any
>> time whatever time, I hear absolutely nothing, and this is in no way
>> exaggerated.  It's an 80GB maxtor diamond max 9, one of the noisiest
>> drive in recent years OOTB, only because they ship it with ACM off by
>> default for max performance.  I let flagging happen during playback
>> because sometimes I watch a show a few min before it's done recording
>> and flagging is set to start right when a show ends.
>>     
>
> I have:
> [code]
> root at mythtv:~# hdparm -i /dev/hda
>
> /dev/hda:
>
>  Model=Maxtor 6L200R0, FwRev=BAH41E00, SerialNo=L506RKAH
>  Config={ Fixed }
>  RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=57
>  BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=16384kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16
>  CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=268435455
>  IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
>  PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
>  DMA modes:  mdma0 mdma1 mdma2
>  UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2
>  AdvancedPM=yes: disabled (255) WriteCache=enabled
>  Drive conforms to: (null):
>
>  * signifies the current active mode
> [/code]
>
> I only know what I'm learning from
> http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Use_hdparm_to_improve_IDE_device_performance#MultSect_-m
>
> Which makes me wonder why you can do hdparm -M128 /dev/hda
>
> Can you please post the result of your hdparm -i /dev/hda
>
>   
sure thing I'll post that tonight (at work now).
I see from your own hdparm -i that you have acoustic management 
disabled, but your drive reports that it has the capability 
("AdvancedPM=yes").
check out
http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Use_hdparm_to_improve_IDE_device_performance#Acoustic_Management_-M
from the same page.
Of course, that gentoo page doesn't state it, but with any aspect of 
hdparm, not just -M, there's always the whole "at your own risk" thing.  
However, since you're using a Maxtor drive, and I have it working great 
with a Maxtor drive, there is probably no risk.  So far I've set all my 
linux box disks (3 of them, all maxtor) to -M128 and have no troubles since.
If I open my case and everything is completely silent and I get right up 
next to it maybe a foot away, I can then heat the head movement :)
Raphael