Error Code 2STF/8/3:ATA-100 ata-6-Master

Steve:

It means that your internal HDD is dying or dead. You need a new HDD. You can check out the selection at OWC.

Good luck.

cornelius

Hello Again steverooth,

Is this the same issue, as in your previous Topic here eMac Power PC G4 won't start up?

If so, it isn't necessary to start new topics, about the same issue, as it can become confusing to those trying to assist you, and cause duplication of suggestions offered.

For further assistance, and additional questions, you should continue communication, in the original Thread.

Thank You,

ali b

Steve:

I don't have an eMac and have not had the need to change a HDD. If you do a Google search you will likely come up with something like this that should help with the installation.

In terms of data recovery, if you are not able to get access to the HDD via Firewire Target disk mode, it will be difficult to recover it. I suggest that you try booting into Firewire Target Disk Mode again and see if you can access your HDD. The size of the HDD on the host does not matter as much until you are ready to save your data. At this point you merely want to see if the Target drive mounts on the Host desktop.

Keep in touch with questions or updates.

Cheers 🙂

cornelius

steve:

I am not sure if it will work in FW-TDM, but try running What Size on the affected drive. It scans the disk and lists the contents by size. You can then look through the list and see if you can find your data. Let me know how it works.

Cheers.

cornelius

Hi, Steve. Corrupt files are probably not going to be salvageable. Data recovery software works by scavenging the drive for whatever can be identified as a file and then copying the file to another storage medium. But if the file's contents are damaged, no software can know how to supply any missing portions, or how to replace data that has been scrambled with whatever was there in the first place. If someone hands you a book that has 20 pages missing in the middle of it, you aren't going to know what's missing unless you can find another copy of the book. The same thing applies to damaged electronic files — backup copies are the only hope.

steve:

I am glad that most of your data has been recovered, and that your HDD is apparently since functional.

I concur with eww's position on damaged files. Damaged files have their structure altered in such a way that they cannot be read. None of the diagnostic and repair software we use and recommend, like Disk Warrior, Tech Tool Pro or DriveGenius, will repair damaged files.

In terms of the HDD itself I would keep a close eye on the S.M.A.R.T Status from time to time to catch any potential problem early. In addition, I strongly recommend that you keep an up-to-date backup of your entire HDD at all times. You can do this by using SuperDuper to clone your entire HDD to an external firewire HDD. In this way you will not only have a backup of your OS and data which you can clone back in the event of a drive failure, but you will also have an emergency boot drive.

Should you have further questions about any of this please do not hesitate to post back and ask. Meanwhile, Happy Mac Computing and Happy Holidays.

cornellius

steve:

Supposing that you HDD is sound, and I am a bit unsure, try reformatting and installing as per step-by-step directions here:

Formatting, Partitioning Zeroing a Hard Disk Drive
Warning! This procedure will destroy all data on your Hard Disk Drive. Be sure you have an up-to-date, tested backup of at least your Users folder and any third party applications you do not want to re-install before attempting this procedure.

Boot from the install CD holding down the "C" key.
Select language
Go to the Utilities menu (Tiger) Installer menu (Panther & earlier) and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
Select Partition tab in main panel. (You are about to create a single partition volume.)
Select number of partition in pull-down menu above Volume diagram.
(Note 1: One partition is normally preferable for an internal HDD.)
Type in name in Name field (usually Macintosh HD)
Select Volume Format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Click Partition button at bottom of panel.
Select Erase tab
Select the sub-volume (indented) under Manufacturer ID (usually Macintosh HD).
Check to be sure your Volume Name and Volume Format are correct.
Optional: Select on Security Options button (Tiger) Options button (Panther & earlier).
Select Zero all data. (This process will map out bad blocks on your HDD. However, it could take several hours. If you want a quicker method, don't go to Security Options and just click the Erase button.)
Click OK.
Click Erase button
Quit Disk Utility.
Open installer and begin installation process.

Installation Process

Choose to Customize and deselect Foreign Language Translations and Additional Printer drivers.
Check box to install X11 (Tiger) BSD Subsystems (Panther & earlier).
Proceed with installation.
After installation computer will restart for setup.
After setup, reboot computer.
Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
Select First Aid in main panel.
Click Repair Disk Permissions.
Connect to Internet.
Download and install 10.3.9 Combo Update
Computer will restart after updates.
Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
Select First Aid in main panel.
Click Repair Disk Permissions.

Please let me know how this goes for you.

Good luck.

cornelius

Cornelius,

I'm having a very similar problem with my 3 years old Powerbook; It has been some time since I started hearing sporadic weird noises like "TSSSS, TDAC, TDAC" from my Hitachi 80GB HD.

During this noises the HD just interrupts its activity; after a variable period up to 30 secs it starts again working as normal.

The point is that:

AHT - Apple Hardware Test - brief - is passed

AHT - Apple Hardware Test - extended - is passed at 50% (this means that if I start the test two times I'll get a passed and a failed status) with error code 2STF/8/3: ATA-100 ATA6 - MASTER

Disk Utility tests are all passed

SMART tests always passed

Schell command "/sbin/fsck -fy" with booting in shell mode gives a passed

- - -

The question is ... is this HD going to fail?
What does the AHT actually check in order to give that HD error? Is this kind of alarm trustable?

Do you think the zeroing procedure could be useful?

Thanks in advance for any help or directions given,

Fallschirmjaeger


PS - I do not want to divert your help from steverooth, I just googled to this thread that appears to cover my problem too. Even if I'm currently using 10.5 I think this problem is quite general.

Willing to have this message moved to proper forum in case it sounds unfair/not polite.

Fallschirmjaeger:

Welcome to Apple Discussions.

The question is ... is this HD going to fail?
That is hard to say. The fact is that the S.M.A.R.T failing grade is more definitive than Verified; that you may need to run AHT in a loop for hours to pick up intermittent issues etc. That said, the HDD is apparently fine for now.

What does the AHT actually check in order to give that HD error?
I don't know exactly what AHT tests. However, there are several things that can go wrong with a drive. The actual disks on which data is stored can be damaged or have bad physical blocks. The bearing "floats" in lubricant, and the platters are coated with lubricant. Over time the lubricant dries out and becomes thick and sticky. The drive may slow down as a result.

Is this kind of alarm trustable?
I am not sure what you mean by that. Should you be concerned? Yes. Does that mean that the drive is no longer serviceable. It may still have some useful life. I would be sure to have a good backup, and to monitor the HDD for any signs of stress.

Do you think the zeroing procedure could be useful?
I would not recommend zeroing as that is very hard on a drive, even if you are writing zeros only once. It will be sufficient to reformat the drive and do a simple erase as in the procedure posted earlier.

Since your issue seems to be very similar to the original poster's, I don't think there is an issue. Your concern about threadjacking is appreciated.

Good luck.

cornelius

Cornelius:
I have successfully zeroed my HD and, after that, checked and rechecked my HD.

All errors are gone: from what I've experienced anyone who gets my very same type of error with AHT disk should be careful, back all up but not be scared to death.

Apple instructions themselves suggest to erase and reinstall Mac OS in order to solve problems.
I hope my experience will be useful to others.

BTW I have bought a new external HD in order to use Time Machine and always have the situation under control (another very big PLUS is having a .mac account with automatic backup of all Mac OS settings ... it was super these days!).

Hope it helps, thanks for your help!

Fallschirmjaeger

Fallschirmjaeger:

Thank you for posting back with an update on your situation. I am glad it worked for you. Reformat and re-install is an avenue of last resort, but it is an avenue when all else fails and should be used as such.

It is always good practice to have an up-to-date, reliable backup of your computer. Sometimes it is possible to recover your data in case of serious issues, and sometimes it is not. There is no substitute for a good backup.

Cheers 🙂

cornelius