Hacking USB HD Spindown Issues and Answers

erolz · May 4, 2009

Hi,

First of all i want to thank all for the GREAT work on the USB loader!
nice job!!

BUT...there's still one "BIG" problem to fix regarding USB harddisk: The Spindown Issue.

Q:What is this all about?
A:Some external hard drives will spin down (enter into power saver mode) after 10 minutes of drive inactivity.
Once the drive is accessed again, the drive will exit from the power saver mode and spin back up.
To fix this problem you must read/write a piece of data to the drive every 9 minutes or so.

Q:Are there any solutions?
A:Seagate is the only one with software to control the spindown settings.
There is a temporary WD My Passport Spindown fix but you have to Disassembe the hardrive and it only works with Revision Number B7B.
There is a R/N: B8B with the same model number Which does not allow the removal of the USB controller as it is built onto the drive.

This is how you open a WD Essential.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2ej3zBeCv0

how to open a WD Mybook:
http://www.ransackery.com/western-digital-...ecover-data.htm

And here's the WD My Passport Spindown fix guide by SonyUSA using HDPARM for windows:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=146789

TEST RESULTS:
WD 3200BMWVU-11A04 /B8B
serial:WXH109925518

1.WiiFit : short lab run (no balance board needed). After i finished the run, the wii hangs and the only thing i can do is a hard reset

2.Super Mario Galaxy : played about 20min but hangs when i got the star after beating the levelboss..the music hangs and the game wont react.

Please post all test results, solutions and tips here!
thanx

erolz · May 4, 2009

anyone?

skedone · May 4, 2009

weird coz my wiifit or any other games come to that stop or crash like that i would say your problem is the fact its a WD drive mine is just a hdd en-closer and a maxtor 400gig drive init

FoxForceFive · May 4, 2009

I've got an old Maxtor HDD. I simply downloading the software from the seagate site, installed & re-bootd, it then recognised it & I changed the sleep function to 'never'.

Bawal · May 4, 2009

Hi erolz -

I hear you. I have exactly the same situation here. WD type B8B

I read myself since some days thru that stuff... with the following results/ideas (so far):

1. the solution, using hdparm will not work, because it is not working with USB-drives.
Older WD's (cases) could be disassembled; and the drive, which has an external IDE->USB adapter,
could be directly attachted to a PC and then hdparm may work.
B8B types have a build-in USB adapter, so no way for hdparm.
2. HDDScan works, because it can change APM (Advanced Power Management) settings thru USB.
Tried that already.
But, problem: Only on temporary base. When HDD loose power, APM is on again.

As far as I know, the "enabled APM" is (hard-)coded into the HDD and no way thru USB to change that.

So what to do?
I am working with the GUI USB Loader (which is a nice one

) here:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=149922
and I have the hope that disabling APM could be implemented because Source is open/available.

I think the solution is to add the command to disable APM into the USB Loader. So everytime the USB Loader
starts, it sends the disable APM-command to the HDD device. Way of cool, because attachted to Wii APM is disabled but
when attachted to PC APM is enabled...!

I found already the command(s) which need to be send to the device. But because I'm not a (C-)Programmer,
I'm not sure how to implement. And, besides that, I'm not sure whether the USB Loader can 'talk' to the HDD
directly... or only via 'generic' WBFS.

...having this option in the Loader would make it perfect...!

ekolimits · May 4, 2009

FoxForceFive said:
I've got an old Maxtor HDD. I simply downloading the software from the seagate site, installed & re-bootd, it then recognised it & I changed the sleep function to 'never'.

i got an old ide maxtor too but dont know how to turn off the sleep... can someone help me?

Skater4599 · May 4, 2009

I too have an old External Maxtor 250GB, the software from there website allows me to put the drive sleep to 'never' but my problem is with wiconnect24 on the drive never turns off.. ever which isnt good, if i turn off wiconnect24 i can no longer access news or weather channel, dont care about news but i like the wheather channel, so i installed preloader and use the "ignore wiconnect24" option. that works great when i shutdown from the wii menu, but when i use the shutdown option from any homebrew, HBC, emulators etc, the wiconnect24 option stays on and the preloader setting doesnt turn it off so again the drive never goes back to sleep, anyone else have anymore ideas? i guess for now ill have to deal with not using the weather channel and turn off wiconnect24 completely

Adr990 · May 4, 2009

I never had a sleep mode problem with this HDD:
Toshiba 640GB PX1393E-2G32

I left the Wii a while while it played SSBB (DVD9) Via USB Loader. Like a half hour...
And no Sleep mode here...

It does have a power off button on the back... (So it turns off without need to unplug things.)

magic12 · May 4, 2009

try this new cios222 & uLoader v1.5B.

http://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_utilidad-ul...-idioma_1217626

this shit is doing random HDD reads. that way the HDD
never goes to sleep.

im hoping that waninkoko will put this in 1.6

maybe option for cios selection

BIG MOE · May 4, 2009

why not using the HDD manager and set power manager to NEVER go to sleep instead of 15MINUTES as manufacturing default , did all the Seagate Free Agents that I've done for all my buddies that way and they have no issues

magic12 · May 4, 2009

BIG MOE said:
why not using the HDD manager and set power manager to NEVER go to sleep instead of 15MINUTES as manufacturing default , did all the Seagate Free Agents that I've done for all my buddies that way and they have no issues

maybe because i have WD drive

Eddie_Brock · May 4, 2009

I recently bought a VERBATIM SmartDisk, 500gb USB2.0 external harddrive. No spindown issues whatsoever. External power supply, so as long as you remember to turn it on when you want to play, and off when you're done, it works 100%.

ekolimits · May 4, 2009

how do i use the seagate software to tell my maxtor to stop sleeping?

manias · May 4, 2009

how do you use it? you download it

seagate.com
the software only works on seagates and maxtors
for the other brands, use hdparm (not @ usb tho, disassemble)

mephesta · May 4, 2009

so is hdparm a working solution for Internal WD that are put into generic enclosures?

Meannekes · May 5, 2009

i found a official wd prog. that stop´s the spindown on my WD Elements 640gig..

google is your friend

Skater4599 · May 5, 2009

What are you guys doing for wiconnect24? if you turn off the sleep mode, the drive stays on all day/night if your connect24 is on

Matt93 · May 5, 2009

So in ALL Seagate drives you can control the spindown?

And Meannekes, don't just say google is your friend. If you find something then share it!

BigNastyCurve · May 5, 2009

Got a WD my passport essential 500gb thingy - has spindown, but the ultimate USB loader (and some other loaders) have special code in them that account for time it takes the hard drive to spin up. Just use one of those. You get a slight pause, but no lockups and the game keeps going. I've done the mario kart test with it and it's been just fine.

Plus, it's been said the the cios 55(?) v11 will take care of all of this.

ekolimits · May 5, 2009

which tool did you use from the seeagate website for your maxtor internal hdd?

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