Problems with G-Drives?

Hi- I've searched the forums and I can't believe this hasn't been a problem for anyone else- maybe I'm just not using that 'magic' word!

My drive of choice recently is G-Tech's 1TB G-Drive Q, they're everywhere and the prices are good- I've come to trust the G-Tech drives over the years but I'm now having problems with my third G-Drive Q in as many months!

I am able to use the drives for a while- varying lengths of time each, before I start getting spinning beach balls and my system'll hang up.

The first two drives would never come back up and I'd generally have to either turn-off/unplug the drives (would get a 'device removal' error) before my Mac would start functioning again or I'd have to do a force-shutdown.

This third one will typically come back up if I let it sit... but it takes 4 or 5 minutes! According to the Creative Cow forums, G-Tech is currently looking into issues with controller boards supplied to them by their vendors, anyone privy to this? Are the odds really that I have gotten 3 bad drives in a row (each from different retailers, no less!)?

I'm running a unibody 17" Macbook Pro, Snow Leopard (though had same issue in Leopard) FCS2, working in DVCProHD 720 30p as well as DVD Studio Pro

--Additionally, does anyone have experience getting a refund for G-Tech, Apple Store or MacMall after 30 days? My understanding is that I have to go to the manufacturer, but all they'll do is repair or replace... I'd rather just get refunded and go with a different make.

-Dana

Have you turned off the put hard drives to sleep whenever possible in System Preferences>Energy Saver. That should help...

Otherwise that it's happened so often and with a solid brand like G-Tech would lead me more to the belief that your laptop has a false contact in the Firewire port.

Noah

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NoahK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have you turned off the put hard drives to sleep
> whenever possible in System Preferences>Energy
> Saver. That should help...
>
> Otherwise that it's happened so often and with a
> solid brand like G-Tech would lead me more to the
> belief that your laptop has a false contact in the
> Firewire port.

Turning off the energy saver preferences was the first thing I did... funny thing is- it seemed to fix the issue for a day or two- then kept right on happening.

Hmm- I'd hate to think I've got a bad FW port... but that's a good point. I have a LaCie rugged drive that doesn't seem to have this problem with... though to be fair, I'm not keeping it connected for hours at a time. Hmm.

It also occurred to me that I am using a power strip that has a power saving "feature" (certain plugs to power down when not meeting power threshold- though I'm not using said plug positions). I've just switched the power strip for something more standard and will give it a good day's worth of testing.

how great would it be if the issue was a stupid $13 power strip rather then $750 worth of drives! Fingers crossed.

That could do it as well. I will just say in general G-Tech is pretty high end and three drives failing for you in a row says to me it's something from your environment, not the drives.

Noah

Final Cut Studio Training, featuring the HVX200, EX1, EX3, DVX100, DVDSP and Color at [www.callboxlive.com]!
Author, RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera available now at: [www.amazon.com].
Editors Store- Gifts and Gear for Editors: [www.editorsstore.com]

> G-Tech is pretty high end and three drives failing for you in a row says to me it's something from
> your environment, not the drives.

That used to be true maybe two years ago, but my recent experience suggests that this is incorrect. G-Techs in the last two years have been dropping like flies. Not as bad as Lacies or Maxtors, but in my experience, worse than Seagates or Promaxes. And this wasn't limited to one environment.

That said, I did get uneasy when I read this:

> I am using a power strip that has a power saving "feature" (certain plugs to power down when
> not meeting power threshold

Screw that. There's a reason we don't let power go out arbitrary with editing equipment. The cost is usually much higher than just the computer or drive shutting down; you're risking data loss. Chuck that power strip and find something reliable.


www.derekmok.com

>Screw that. There's a reason we don't let power go out arbitrary with editing equipment. The cost >is usually much higher than just the computer or drive shutting down; you're risking data loss. >Chuck that power strip and find something reliable.

Yeah- I've taken it out of the equation; It is a "normal" strip that just has 3 spots for peripherals that shut off when a "master" plug isn't drawing more then a certain amount of power (used to use it for an external TV monitor/speakers etc.)... nothing has been connected to these three plugs, or even the master plug- just the other "standard plugs", but as I was experimenting today- I realized I could hear the thing clicking on and off... so yeah... screw that.

I am hearing that about G-tech recently... like I said, it's gotten heated on the Creative Cow forums within the last two months. So are there any FW800 drives you can recommend?

I have had Two G-Drive Q's go bad on me in the last few months, causing my whole system to crash when connected to the machine. Luckily the hard drive was fun and it was just the board that went peculiar. In the end due to deadlines i had to take the drives out of the casings and put them inside my mac pro where they now happily reside. I do have to empty casings too that make good paperweights.....

Well it's still happening. I've used another power strip as well as gone straight into the wall- so the "special" power strip wasn't the problem.

I've been getting between 20 and 45 minutes of use from the drive before it hangs up and has to be switched off. Everything hangs- Final Cut Pro, Finder, anything that's open. Nothing works until I just physically switch the drive off. It's terribly frustrating and being that it's now the 3rd drive to have these same problems in over the last three months is still pretty unbelievable to me.

Right now I'm working primarily from my macbook so using it internally is not an option for this project.

I had an external drive do this to me just today. Not a G-Tech, a different brand. It turned out to be the interface. I switched over to Firewire 400 and it was fine.

I had this problem as well... just before leaving or the Holiday weekend.... don't think that was a stress free weekend away... It would come up and unmount intermittently and Diskwarrior wouldn't repair the drive (heart pounding) Remembering a thread somewhere, I took the drive out of the case, put it into one of my MacPro's and all has been well since. I did put the drive back in the case for an emergency trip to Boston, but I don't trust it for anything important right now.

Unfortunately opening up the enclosure voids the warranty... but I'm calling G-Tech anyway on Monday to see if there is any remedy.

Steve

Steve

FCPX
FCP 7.0.3
Premier CS6

MBP Retina 2.6i7 16GB / iMac 27" 3.4i7 16GB

I totally agree with Derek. But I have had worse luck. I've used G-Tech exclusively for four years and about 6 drives. 4 out of 6 have failed to some degree at some stage in their lives and been replaced by the good folks at G-Tech (or whatever they are called these days).

So why do I keep buying them?

Better the devil you know than blah blah ... plus they have good replacement service and ... they match the Mac and look cool.

Harry

Harry Bromley-Davenport.

derekmok Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Screw that. There's a reason we don't let power
> go out arbitrary with editing equipment. The cost
> is usually much higher than just the computer or
> drive shutting down; you're risking data loss.
> Chuck that power strip and find something
> reliable.


I have had 4 of 4 GTech drives die as well.

I now believe that footage doesn't exist until its in 3 drives at once. But, if you find yourself freaking about data loss (especially with the cursed GTech drives) is to have iStat Menu on your Mac. When the drive eventually fails, click the drop down menu that runs over top of everything and open the Activity Monitor. Force quit the Finder and the computer lockdown usually stops long enough to shut down.

On one of my drives, I was able to connect it with USB and then copy out most of my files to another non-GTech back up drive. Eventually I did discover an m2v file that somehow got corrupted. Avoid the offending file and copy the rest. So far I havent lost a project ---- but I probably am as I write this - just for having said that.

The other 3 drives all died in the same week for no apparent reason.

i am having problems with 2 g-drives and fcp 6.06.
the drives keep hanging and then cannot be ejected.
i am using american bought machines with a transformer in europe.
does anyone have any thoughts on what to do,
the finder hangs, fcp hangs, i cannot work.
thanks.

G-Drives are not "everywhere". They are not anywhere near my home studio gear or my EA Studio. They, in a word, suk. #1 killer "do not buy me" red flag - they have NO FANS which means death to fast spinning / heat generating drive units.

It's shocking to me why people don't do more research before buying something as important as storage - it boggles my mind. This is THE MAIN AREA of a workstation where the word "CHEAP" should not even be in the same zipcode.

G-Tech hasn't been even close to being the dependable name it was before it was sold to SimpleTech / Fabrik / whomever bought them out. Been a loooooong time since I depended on one...a few years ago. All I use now is Caldigit VRs and I will be testing a new RAID config that may be on the list of "must haves" soon. I will post my info when I am done.

My 2 cents: Avoid G-TECH...especially the garbage G-Drive without the fans. Junk....and they DO NOT do refunds (they didn't do it for me). They will send you 10 refurbished units one after another before they will send you your money back.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.