Firmware update and SATA II hard drive

bazineta wrote:
I do run a stout workload, and Xcode does really enjoy the extra memory, but the problem was often most evident when I had little more than Mail and Safari running, just surfing the net, conditions under which I was most definitely not swapping.

Ok just thought I'd check as I have found that it's an onslaught of disk IO that usually triggers the beachball for me and I thought perhaps the added memory reduced the virtual memory swapping for you alleviating the issue.

bazineta wrote:
With respect to the SMART data, I'd be surprised if the drives in your desktop machine were equipped with G sensors, so it's not really an apples to apples there.

Yup, you're right. Bad comparison.

katmeef wrote:

My hitachi 5k500.b has 0 for that SMART attribute after 307 power on hours. Mine has specific identifier of HTS545050B9A300, which is yours?

I don't have the identifier on me as my machine is now with Apple (hopefully they figure something out). But it was the stock 160GB drive that came with my MBP13. It's a Hitachi. The load cycle count on it was also up in the 23000 range although I think that's normal for laptop drives with shock sensors. It's the g-sense error rate that worried me but not sure if that's related to this particular problem.

*Apple is not reading this post / forum - i think!*

*Let us use the official Bug-Report / feedback from on this webpage:*


* http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html*

*Maybe Apple will solve the problem (faster) if there is a large number of official incoming bug reports?!*

BTW: two different Samsung 500 GB drives doesn't work in my MBP 15" FW 1.7
Even the WD 500 GB Blue Scorpion Drive doesn't work. I can't even install MAC OSX on it, but it works perfect as an external Harddisk

My workaround: I boot from the external harddrive and I'm still waiting for the fixed firmware 1.8 😟
It ***** !!!

Great idea to remind people to send feedback, but this is not a bug report and who reads these feedback? There's no tellin!

The only way to get Apple to do anything about this problem is if you call Apple Care and make them fix it... Or take the computer back for replacement if you're within your 14-day period, as a lot of people already are outside that time frame. Call Apple Care!!!

The problem is... Apple Care is returning macbooks AS WE SENT...

then WE need to discover by own

I bought my MBP 13" in July, didn't put the 1.7 firmware on it. Upgraded my RAM and HDD to 500Gb.
Then about a week ago I upgraded to 1.7, machine hasn't had any beach balls and it running really fast. Have also now upgraded to 10.5.8

My 4Gb of RAM is from Crucial and my 500Gb HDD is FUJITSU MJA2500BH G2

Patrick, is it a single Crucial 4GB RAM?

can you tell us the spec or the code of part number?

It is their 4Gb upgrade pack which is 2Gb Dimms.
204-Pin SODIMM 256MX64 DDR3 PC3-8500
[http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.aspx?model=MacBook%20Pro%202.26GHz%20 Intel%20Core%202%20Duo%20%2813-inch%20DDR3%29%20MB990LL/A%20Mid-2009&pl=Apple&ca t=RAM]

Thank you Patrick!

Mine seems not so good... it's HYNX 2GB module with lot of chips on both sides 😟

I tested (extensive test) each one and passed... 😟 (1st time with both them installed they didn't passed: the test show me mem. error)

The issue of this thread has been shown to be unrelated to RAM.
If you are having a problem with your RAM, that discussion belongs in another thread.

Unfortunately, this thread has sort of become the dumping ground for any HDD issues. Few people posting new problems have been following the thread since the problem popped up with the 1.7 update.

JoeyR wrote:
Unfortunately, this thread has sort of become the dumping ground for any HDD issues. Few people posting new problems have been following the thread since the problem popped up with the 1.7 update.

That is because the thread is too long to work. It should be closed and another thread "part 2" should be opened.

im experiencing random beachballing also, its quite annoying.

I agree completely. Feel like doing the honors? If not, possibly Fishbert will agree...hint...hint... Maybe even state in the initial post that the first avenue of help is to contact Apple Support and also to leave feedback and that the thread is a place to share our HD experiences after the firmware update. It would be great to keep this thread alive but only if we are going to stay on topic and people aren't only here to vent, especially if they haven't been in contact with Apple or left feedback.

pepparkaka wrote:

JoeyR wrote:
Unfortunately, this thread has sort of become the dumping ground for any HDD issues. Few people posting new problems have been following the thread since the problem popped up with the 1.7 update.

That is because the thread is too long to work. It should be closed and another thread "part 2" should be opened.

I disagree. It's best not to split the conversation, as then we'll all end up with 2 threads to follow, not just the 1.

So long as we manage the thread to nip off-topic posts in the bud so they don't hijack the thread, this one conversation should be fine.

If it gets too long, a moderator will close the thread and start a new one. But really, we're only at 41 pages... there's a "HDD click + beep" thread (regarding a similar issue with new MBPs) that's up to at 77 pages at the moment.

Well hmm.. am I posting in the right topic? There seems to be numerous threads on this subject and almost all of them have the same symptom:

"Beachballs of death popping up at random times lasting around 30 seconds during which time the machine is almost completely locked up"

The click+beep 78 page thread seems to be more specific to the new 17" MBPs with 7200 RPM drives but involve the same basic beachball annoyance.

This 41 page thread seems to be more specific to using SATA II drives with the new MBPs and the possible effect of the EFI 1.7 patch; again involving the same basic beachball annoyance.

My issue is with a new MBP 13" patched with the EFI 1.7 firmware update but I get the same 30 second beachball lockup but with the stock 160GB Hitachi drive (which is supposedly SATA-I).

So overall, it seems that a growing number of us new MBP owners have some type of issue with random beachball lockups but there are multiple threads that are more specialized to certain groups of hardware. Seems like this is a more general problem with the new MBPs and disks ... but now I'm unclear which thread to be posting to or if my class of issue deserves a new thread.