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General discussion

Windows - Delayed Write Failed

Feb 13, 2005 1:17AM PST

I have a 120 GB IDE drive (system) and two 120 GB SATA drives on my system.

I have a problem with one of my SATA drives. WHile viewing the "My Computer" window, the drive will just disappear! Windows will then give me the error message:

"Windows - Delayed Write Failed"

Any clues as to what this is?

Discussion is locked

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http://www.lacie.com/support/drivers/
Mar 12, 2005 4:31AM PST
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Same problem
Apr 10, 2005 9:39AM PDT

I get both problems, dissapearing drive and "delayed write failed" notice, when using external hard drives with USB and Firewire connections. The problem appears after a couple of hours of working with files. Ive noticed that the external drives overheat, and the problem goes away when the drive cools down and the computer is rebooted. Weird.

I found other reasons for these errors here, but no solutions for me, might work for you.

http://searchwinsystems.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid68_gci1041335,00.html

http://hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/22061/

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Just asking.
Apr 10, 2005 9:45AM PDT

Since you know it has to do with heat, what are you doing to fix that?

Bob

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Take a break
Apr 10, 2005 9:58AM PDT

I had this problem when transferring all my files from another hard drive, and after about 3 hours of copying. The problem has not ocurred during regular use.

I just read in another post that using updated manufacturer (not microsoft) drivers for the interface card might solve the problem.
http://bermangraphics.com/problems/delayedwritefailure.htm

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Completely Wrong
Apr 13, 2005 12:03AM PDT

Drive is a Seagate Barracuda 160 GB, using a Maxtor FireWire (IEEE 1394) connection. The firewire controller is integrated into the Gigabyte motherboard, which has a VIA chipset.

I was completely wrong in thinking the problem was due to heat. Ive been trying to get this drive working for a couple of days now, and now I cant write ANYTHING even if Ive just booted and the drive is cold. A couple of changes can be noted from the time it worked ok to when it stopped working.

Moved computer - Ive tried replacing cables and checking connections, I dont think this is it since the drive works ok when its connected via IDE, and the external case works ok with another smaller drive.

Installed newest ATI Catalyst drivers - I read about a problem related to new ATI card drivers and VIA chipsets a while ago, supposedly fixed with WinXP SP2. This probably isnt the problem since I have SP2 and .

Exceeded 112GB - Maybe there is a size limit here, I think this is the most likely reason for my problem, Ill keep checking

Any ideas anyone?

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What I've learned.
Apr 13, 2005 12:16AM PDT

PCs and Firewire connected drives are failing in droves.

Lesson? Don't suggest or support such.

What I do? Connect it with USB 2.0

-> Fallout? Some diehards (masochists?) really want it to work. I've yet to find a cure when it's not working outside for wholesale replacement of machine and drives.

Bob

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Microsoft explanation
Apr 29, 2005 5:00AM PDT

Go to
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330174&sd=RMVP

I'm not sure this is correct, since I corrected the problem using other methods.

I am running 2 ide drives (80gb and 120gb) and I received the delayed write message. This occured after a monitor time out. The second time it occured, the system froze and I had to disconnect the power to restart. I rebooted from the second drive and ran chkdsk on both disks. Ths system then booted on the second disk. I restarted the computer and booted from the first disk. Everything worked fine. Just to make sure, I ran a system restore from an earlier date. I have had no further problems.

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"It is a Problem with Sata Basics"
May 1, 2005 5:20AM PDT

In Bob's post above "What I have learned" he emphasizes that things are not quite right in Sata land. A couple of quotes from the SI web site should re-enforce that.

"SiI3112A: nForce Data Corruption

Data corruption problems can occur with nForce-based motherboards such as the Asus A7N8X when multiple hard drives are attached to the SATA controller. This problem is related to an issue with the PCI controller in the nVidia chipset and can be fixed with a system BIOS update.

For the latest BIOS updates for your nForce motherboard that fixes the data corruption problem, please visit the website of your motherboard maker for the appropriate BIOS and flash utilities. Silicon Image cannot provide the solution to this issue since it involves a change to the system BIOS settings on the motherboard. There were no revisions made to the drivers for the SiI3112A so you may use the latest version posted on this website. Please check the Related Articles link on the lower right.

Links to a few motherboard download sites are below:

Asus

Abit

Leadtek

SiI3112A: Hard Drive Compatibility

Motherboards using the SiI3112A Serial ATA controller are often shipped with a SATA-IDE HD adapter card using Marvell bridge chips. Depending on the hard drive used, there are some configurations that need to be set properly or they may not work.