Internal WD 2TB Green won't show up

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Level 1

4 points

Internal WD 2TB Green won't show up

I just installed a new WD 2TB Green internal hard drive in my 2008 MacPro and could not get it to mount. I tried both of the remaining open bays (3 and 4) and got identical behavior with both: when I restarted after the installation, the Mac took 3 or 4 times as long to boot as it normally does but when the desktop finally came up, the new drive didn't show up anywhere. I tried Disk Utility but it didn't show anything for either bay and neither did checking under Serial-ATA in About this Mac.

When I removed the new drive, the system booted up in its usual snappy fashion and everything seems back to normal.

So, it seems like the new drive is having some kind of affect on the system but just doesn't show up at all.

Has anyone had a similar experience with an internal drive and found a solution? Otherwise, I will either exchange or return the drive and see if a new one will work better...

Thanks very much!

Phed

Mac Pro

Posted on Jul 24, 2010 11:31 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 24, 2010 11:41 PM in response to phed888

WD Green drives are slow (when they do work) and there have been other reports of problems with them in Mac Pros. If you want to use WD drives, try the Black, or Blue.

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Answer 2

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Jul 25, 2010 8:57 AM in response to phed888

I disagree that WD Green drives are a real problem. But there have been reports of users that any 2TB drives not working, often in slots #3 & 4.

Some thought maybe it was the new 64MB cache with its Advanced Format
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2888
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/archives/feb10/021510.html

the initial batches and firmware - remember all devices like drives and other components do go through multiple revisions and updates of firmware and chipset.

I would put the blame on getting enough power and handling spinup routines.

It really helps to tell us more, like OS version. Obviously you have to have at least 10.5.2.

Yes, people are using WD Caviar (Black or Blue, or RE4 Green).
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=773

I have used the older 1TB Green, and newer 1.5TB 64MB cache.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZCXJZE/

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Answer 3

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Jul 25, 2010 9:41 AM in response to phed888

One tip: include the full model identifier, such as WD20EARS.
Then we know which 2TB model you are talking about.

Jumper settings photo for EARS model
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/stdadp.php?pfaqid=5324

From Knowledge Base "Mac EARS":

Mac OS version 10.4 onwards (Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard) can use the GUID Partitioning Table scheme (GPT) which will align an Advanced Format drive correctly. Mac OS versions using Apple Partition Manager (APM) will not align partitions correctly and will not provide optimum performance.

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Answer 4

Ein

Level 2

410 points

Jul 25, 2010 11:25 AM in response to phed888

Ever considered the WD drive is bad and not the Mac?

From Neweggs customers reviews, there are lots of DOAs 2TB Green drive.

The Samsung Eco drives have a much better review.

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Answer 5

Ein

Level 2

410 points

Jul 25, 2010 11:43 AM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

Malcolm Rayfield wrote:
WD Green drives are slow (when they do work) and there have been other reports of problems with them in Mac Pros. If you want to use WD drives, try the Black, or Blue.

I'm actually trying to stay way from 7K drives. Once you have a SSD as a boot drive (system and apps). For most users anything faster than a 5K drives just use more power and produce more heat.

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Answer 6

phed888 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 25, 2010 11:46 AM in response to phed888

Thanks for the responses - this is helpful!

My OS is 10.6.4 and the drive is WD20EADS SATA with a 32MB cache.

I got a 5400 drive because I am just going to use it for media storage and playback and I understood that the slower drives are more reliable for that kind of work.

I am not super-handy with computers but I did install the boot drive and the backup drives and they were so simple that I was a little taken aback with this most recent experience and thought maybe there was something I had neglected to do.

I will return the drive and see if the store has the Samsung drive mentioned.

Thanks again for the responses!

Phed

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