"Horrendous Data Loss" Bug in Hard Drives

Apple Hard Drive Update 1.0

The Hard Drive Update 1.0 includes bug fixes and important updates for the following systems:

iMac Core 2 Duo (Mac OS X 10.4.7 or later)

Mac Pro (Mac OS X 10.4.7 or later)

To complete the firmware update process, please follow the instructions in the updater application (/Applications/Utilities/Hard Drive Update 1.0.app). The updater will launch automatically when the Installer closes.

System Requirements

Mac OS X 10.4.7 or later

iMac Core 2 Duo

Mac Pro

Download from Apple instead.

Never download from 3rd-party sites for official downloads. Get them from the source. That installer could have been a Trojan for all we really know. (It wasn't, but still good practice to link to the source, not the messenger.)

Download from Apple instead.

 

Never download from 3rd-party sites for official downloads. Get them from the source. That installer could have been a Trojan for all we really know. (It wasn't, but still good practice to link to the source, not the messenger.)

What about all the non-official downloading of hacked OSX versions?

More likely for someone to "fiddle" with a complete operating system, than for a very reputable

software site like MajorGeeks to try and "mess" with a download file.

Being a personal computer for a very long time. . .both in Windows and Mac. . .um. . . Duh? This has been a case regarding both OS's not just "Mac" or "Leopard" or earlier versions of OS X. Its basic consistency checking, and its basic usage of your computer. If you know you have a drive that's as volatile as an external HD, then "copy" your data to it, don't "cut/paste/move" it?

Obviously. But the data still shouldn't disappear. Stuff like GNU mv checks that the data was successfully copied to the new volume before deleting it from the old. At this, Finder fails. It is in fact a rather terrible Apple bug. Even so, I always feel better doing it like you mention, no matter which tool I'm using.

Still, Apple finally seems to be aware of the problem. Fixes for the 10.5.1 build recently seeded include, according to Macrumours.com, a fix for "moving files across partitions", addressing the very problem mentioned in the news story.

err.. one of the two unrelated problems that have somehow been melded into one. I don't have a problem with Numberzz, but I have a problem with misinformation. This particular article was rather bad. We are not all in imminent danger of hard drive platter scoring due to the move bug like the article implies, we just have to worry about lost data. The platter scoring is unrelated, and a worry for anyone with the wrong drive, and is unrelated to moving files. That's probably been said already, but the article doesn't reflect it yet.

Is it our fault that China kills off 18 people every day in their coal mines?

 

Is it our fault that China has created an environmental disaster with said coal mines?

 

The problems with China lie in China, not here.

China has its own problems (tons) for sure, but for outsourcing issue, both sides are not problem free! No need to argue it anymore, I am just sick and tired of this one way blaming and complaints here and there. Win-win situation before, now becomes win-lose, WTF!

Is it our fault that China kills off 18 people every day in their coal mines?

 

Is it our fault that China has created an environmental disaster with said coal mines?

 

The problems with China lie in China, not here.

First of all: I used to work for a company that bought Chinese products (not computer-related). I remember the boss being angry because the chinese manufacturors didn't comply with his advice to use better materials. And when they did (for that particular part) they used subsequently inferior materials for other parts, thereby undoing what my boss tried to achieve. So in that particular case the problem IS the chinese sub-contractor. However I've seen from other ppl doing business with chinese that the problems mentioned here are throughout all chinese manufacturing. In all sorts of industries.

The problem is this: You have 2 options to make products cheaper. Decrease labourcosts or decrease quality of materials. The chinese are doing BOTH at once. That way they create cheap (but crappy) products fast and they can sell a lot in a short time span. The chinese employers know that eventually labour-costs will increase. What's left then are "just" crappy products. So when that happens they'll have to be soo rich that they couldn't care less.

That problem DOES become our problem since the majority of these chinese crapp get sold abroad, in the US and in Europe. Thereby destroying our own local labourforce (because the US/Euro contractor also hopes to ride along the chinese "get rich quick"-scheme). And we get dangerous inferior products in our stores with all the consequences associated.

I ban as much chinese {censored} as possible. For my own sake.

In the case here explained. It's a typical decline of stuff that used to be high(er) quality and the typical ignorance of chinese hardware-contractors to FIX the problems that are mentioned to them (as I can't imagine thet Seagate executives haven't mentioned this problem to them since 2003).

Who would you turn to if vital data stored on those drives are gone when the drive fails (in the middle of e.g. a backup operation)?

Delete this article, it's very obscure and from reading makes it sound like the OS is at fault. It obviously fails to get the right point across.

First of all: I used to work for a company that bought Chinese products (not computer-related). I remember the boss being angry because the chinese manufacturors didn't comply with his advice to use better materials. And when they did (for that particular part) they used subsequently inferior materials for other parts, thereby undoing what my boss tried to achieve. So in that particular case the problem IS the chinese sub-contractor. However I've seen from other ppl doing business with chinese that the problems mentioned here are throughout all chinese manufacturing. In all sorts of industries.

 

The problem is this: You have 2 options to make products cheaper. Decrease labourcosts or decrease quality of materials. The chinese are doing BOTH at once. That way they create cheap (but crappy) products fast and they can sell a lot in a short time span. The chinese employers know that eventually labour-costs will increase. What's left then are "just" crappy products. So when that happens they'll have to be soo rich that they couldn't care less.

 

That problem DOES become our problem since the majority of these chinese crapp get sold abroad, in the US and in Europe. Thereby destroying our own local labourforce (because the US/Euro contractor also hopes to ride along the chinese "get rich quick"-scheme). And we get dangerous inferior products in our stores with all the consequences associated.

 

I ban as much chinese {censored} as possible. For my own sake.

 

In the case here explained. It's a typical decline of stuff that used to be high(er) quality and the typical ignorance of chinese hardware-contractors to FIX the problems that are mentioned to them (as I can't imagine thet Seagate executives haven't mentioned this problem to them since 2003).

 

Who would you turn to if vital data stored on those drives are gone when the drive fails (in the middle of e.g. a backup operation)?

I've experienced similar issues with a Chinese sub-contractor (the company name slips at the moment). However, in the end, I found it to be more of a communication barrier. Chinese businesses apparently don't do as well as many perceive; due to the competition I suppose.

Once, I submitted specifications for a part using AISI 1080... I got a bid/quotation per XXXX units. I place my order six months later. Their bids have margins SO tight, $.21 increase in stock piece threw them in the red. Rather than inform me of the situation (and potentially disappoint me), it was switch to AISI 1020. Our testing technicians knew right away the appropriate material was not used - anyone here familiar with their steels knows what I'm talking about. I don't know, once I figured out what happened... I understood why certain chips fell the way they did.

Answer? Add to contracts a clause barring any and all deviations from specifications and additionally implemented an RFI and RFCO system. Since then, costs have gone up, but I'm very comfortable with the quality of precision, and it's STILL cheaper than American manufacturing. Once the owners understood what we wanted and and the manner in which we do business , the experience was much smoother.

I agree with "Envying" - I believe these companies were helping each other out (WIN-WIN). American companies - greedier than ever - becoming more aggressive have turned it to WIN-LOSE without hesitation.