New HDD can't play video files

[gwp99]

I currently have an 80G IDE (boot) and a 250G SATA, DVD ROM and floppy drive.

I recently purchased a WDC2500JB 250G int HDD as a 3rd HDD - however, it appears to be unstable. This is the 2nd one as I returned the 1st thinking it was the HDD.

It will not play video files properly - the same file will play fine on either of the other 2 internal drives - audio files play fine. Most times the screen fills with pixel boxes and at times the video file chokes the player (Win Media player 10, zoom player). I have also ended up with corrupt folders after copying complete folders from my backup ext drive.

I have checked all cables and virus scanned the entire system as well as defraged and chkdsked all my drives - (I get some errors with chkdsk the odd time on the new drive).

Disabling the SATA HDD does not help either.

Can anyone offer a suggestion as to a solution (or cause) - I run XP and have SP2 installed although this problem existed before I installed SP2. BIOS is up to date.


Thanks in advance for any help
Gerry

 

[gwp99]

I exchanged the drive for another from the retailer - same model - same results.

In addition, I did the following test to isolate the new drive:

- Used Data LifeGuard Tools 11 to create a new boot drive from the old boot drive - completed with no errors.
- Powered PC down
- Disconnected old boot drive (as well as the SATA drive to ensure it is not part of the problem)
- Set jumper on new disk as master
- Powered up PC - it auto-detected new drive
- Windows logo screen started then PC went into Chkdsk mode - completed without errors - then it rebooted on its own - got to the Windows logo screen again and froze.

The only data device connected was the new WD250JB drive formatted and setup with WD Data Lifeguard tools 11.
In addition, I used WinXp to partition and format. Same results.

 

[ski]

Did you try setting the WD drive's jumper to 'cable select'?

 

[cdogg]

What ATA mode is the drive running in? NTFS or FAT32? How large is the partition?


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind";
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[gwp99]

In Bios I tried user defined and played with some of the settings and set back to auto detect.

NTFS with varying size of partitions from 55G to the full 233G.

 

[cdogg]

To find out the mode, go into Device Manager and view the properties of the IDE controller. It will tell you what it's being detected as.


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind";
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[gwp99]

Ultra ATA - I also tried the CS jumper on both of my IDE drives.

Files move back and forth between the drives but when I try to play an mpg file on the new drive, it either doesn't start or the screen fills with colored pixels and the sounds like a CD skipping and jumping - can't make out any actual audio - just noise - it's almost as if the drive is rapidly spinning and stopping repeatedly.

Gerry

 

[cdogg]

Well, we know it's not the drive (been replaced twice). It must be a setting either in the BIOS or Windows.

Does the same occur if you play an MP3 or WAV file from that drive? If so, check your sound settings thoroughly. Doesn't make sense though that it only occurs on this one drive. You are trying the same exact MPG file on both drives and it only fails on the one, right?

Definitely a strange problem...


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind";
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[gwp99]

You're right - playing a wav file in Windows Media player does the same thing - the visual jumps and the audio skips. It all appears to be happening in pulses of about 1 second apart. Winamp smooths it out somewhat - I have 2 soundcards and both give the same results.

The exact same video or wav file plays on all other drives just fine including my external USB drives.

This PC has been built (1 1/2 years) as an audio system that has been running flawlessly until this new drive arrived.

Gerry

 

[gwp99]

I just wanted to add that a video file copied from one of my previous drives (which plays fine) to the new drive and then from the new drive to any other of my previous drives will play fine from this final location. So it is the output from the new drive to the audio/video cards that appears to be the problem - the actual file appears to move around fine when copied.

 

[Freestone]

You do have the 40-pin, 80 conductor cable required for Ultra-ATA mode, correct? Have you tried another IDE cable?What happens if you try creating a FAT32 volume and playing a video from there?

 

[gwp99]

Yes have tried 3 different 80 wire cables - I just created a small 5 G partitio and copied a mpg to it - same result - major stuttering of video and audio of the file.

 

[gwp99]

Sorry - meant to say I created a 5G FAT32 volume - with stuttering on the video and audio with the mpg.

 

[Freestone]

You mention mode as Ultra ATA, which is incomplete. Specs for a WD2500JB (you mention a WDC2500JB, which I think is the same model) state maximum mode is 100 MB/s (Mode 5 Ultra ATA). Does your motherboard support this mode? What happens if you try the slower 66.6 MB/s (Mode 4 Ultra ATA)? Do the Data Lifeguard diagnostics show anything?

 

[cdogg]

Besides the mode, I'm thinking it could possibly be a power issue - not enough juice. What's the rating on your PSU? For multimedia systems that have many devices installed, you want to make sure you're riding with at least 350W of power. For newer systems 3GHz and up, 400W should be the target.

As a test, you could try disconnecting all devices/cards except the main components - video, sound, primary hard drive, problem drive, CPU, and RAM.


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind";
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[gwp99]

I set to Mode 4 with no difference - my 80G is set to Mode 5.
Yes the model is a WDC2500JB

The drive passed all the Data Lifeguard tests.

I did disconnect everything last night except the new drive with the same problem.

I thought it was a corrupt buffer on the drive but this is the 2nd drive with the same results. The Western Digital tech can't offer anything more.

 

[Freestone]

So far the focus has been on the hard drive. Perhaps if you post the specs for the system it's installed in something may jump out to someone.

 

[gwp99]

Asus P4G8X Delux
P4 2.53G Intel
2G Ram
ATI 7500 AIW Video Card
Sound Blaster 16 SoundCard
MAudio 1010 Soundcard
DVDROM
WD 80G (system drive)
WD SATA 250 (Internal)
Gyration Optical Wireless Keyboard/mouse
BenQ 19" LCD
Norton Antivirus
Windows XP Pro w SP2
BIOS is updated

 

[micker377]

Nowhere did you mention the power supply - is it big/quality enough to support everything you ask of it?

 

[TekTippy4U]

Besides PSU, which you seem to indicate that you've "swapped" drives in/out (so you have the exact same amount as previously during trials)...
I'd like to go back to your 1st post...
you say corruption
Corruption usually occurs for 1 of 3 reasons
-- The 48bitLBA issue and formatting and using the drive beyond the 137GB limit.
-- The drive wasn't "checked for errors" during Format BEFORE data was placed onto the drive (you say it passes data lifeguard tests - but when you Format, you must run a Chkdsk or Scandisk - usually it runs Auto, are you bypassing it with setup switches?)
-- The inappropriate jumper on the drive make screwy things happen beyond 32GB or is it 40GB? on certain WD drives. Are you using any 3rd party partitioning utilities or a Boot Manager?

Also - show your layout of drives (ex IDE0 Master=80gb etc)....IOW, the drive isn't a slave to the DVDROM is it?
I know you have a SATA also (2 more channels? on top of the usual 2 IDE - 4 ATA devices).

you're not using an IDE to SATA adapter are you?

TT4U

Notification:
These are just my thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions.
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