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-   -   Hard-disk too hot! (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/hard-disk-too-hot-846101/)

ario 11-23-2010 03:47 PM

Hard-disk too hot!
 
I can't use my touchpad because it's burning my fingers! The source for this huge temperature which can melt some candles is my hard drive.
Heres the out put of hddtemp command:
Code:

ario@ario-laptop:~$ sudo hddtemp /dev/sda
/dev/sda: WDC WD3200BEVT-22ZCT0: 59°C

Can't use hdparm -B because whatever I put in front of B it will spin down my hard drive in only five seconds, which is too bad! (Searched for it a lot, and found that linux can not solve this problem for my hard drive. So forgot about it!).
How can I cool down the hard drive?
I now that my hard drive will stop working in next months if I don't do anything for it:(
Please help. I searched all around for this and I won't believe that I'm the only who has this problem. Any response will be appreciated.

PenGUiN_6_1 11-23-2010 03:57 PM

If the system gets too hot, it tripwires...well, actually just shuts down until it cools. You can blow air from a fan OVER AND UNDER the system...this works to keep it cool. That was my experience...on SEVERAL occasions...during install. Otherwise, it works well without the fan (I call the fan the one not in the computer...one you would plug in; for me, it happened during certain installs). Another option is to get a fan that is also a laptop stand with a built in fan (one that you place it on and it can keep the laptop cool). Hope this helps

ario 11-23-2010 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PenGUiN_6_1 (Post 4168619)
If the system gets too hot, it tripwires...well, actually just shuts down until it cools. You can blow air from a fan OVER AND UNDER the system...this works to keep it cool. That was my experience...on SEVERAL occasions...during install. Otherwise, it works well without the fan (I call the fan the one not in the computer...one you would plug in; for me, it happened during certain installs). Another option is to get a fan that is also a laptop stand with a built in fan (one that you place it on and it can keep the laptop cool). Hope this helps

Thanks for the tip. But the problem is that, Hard-drive in linux as I searched mustn't be as hard as it's 60C for me. Yes I used a laptop plastic base with a fan which stayes under my laptop and connectes to it through USB port. But this can not cool it either. The problem is with hard-drive S.M.A.R.T power management function. As a matter of fact, Hard is cool under windows! Without any FAN!
Now what?

business_kid 11-24-2010 02:01 PM

mount options might help
noatime - don't update file dates (last accessed stuff)
relatime - cross between the above and normal - 15sec instead of 5 sec check

I would back up. It doesn't sound healthy. Allow air circulation around it, consider fans. Linux is usually a lot easier on hd than windows

eveningsky339 11-24-2010 06:40 PM

That's a hot hard drive!

Fans will only be a temporary solution by the looks of it. I recommend setting aside some money for a replacement hard drive that is more Linux-friendly.

ario 11-29-2010 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eveningsky339 (Post 4170144)
That's a hot hard drive!

Fans will only be a temporary solution by the looks of it. I recommend setting aside some money for a replacement hard drive that is more Linux-friendly.

Of course I'm thinking to this as a solution. Which hard drive is more Linux-Friendly?
The HOT hard-disk on my laptop is:
Western Digital WDC Scorpio Blue 320GB.
Tested a worked Seagate 160GB hard drive. Had the same temperatures. Any Idea?

TobiSGD 11-29-2010 06:17 AM

I have a WD Scorpio Black 320GB in my laptop, which has (except for a cache and 7200rpm instead of your 5400rpm) the same technical specifications as your drive. It never reaches the temperatures of your drive (its currently at 32°C), but I have to use hdparm with -B 254 because otherwise I have a spindown and spinup ca. every 10 seconds.
I doubt that your drive is just not Linux-friendly, otherwise mine would be also, and the Seagate you tested with them. I think that there is another issue. Have you cleaned up your cooling system? Maybe you have an application that is contantly reading/writing to the drive?

ario 11-29-2010 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD (Post 4174523)
I have a WD Scorpio Black 320GB in my laptop, which has (except for a cache and 7200rpm instead of your 5400rpm) the same technical specifications as your drive. It never reaches the temperatures of your drive (its currently at 32°C), but I have to use hdparm with -B 254 because otherwise I have a spindown and spinup ca. every 10 seconds.
I doubt that your drive is just not Linux-friendly, otherwise mine would be also, and the Seagate you tested with them. I think that there is another issue. Have you cleaned up your cooling system? Maybe you have an application that is contantly reading/writing to the drive?

Thanks for your helpful information. I think it's not because of cooling system. All my laptop has is a fan on CPU and GPU and a small clean air window near hard drive. But the hard drive keeps getting hot!
All I can see is that my hard drive LED on laptop blinks every 30 seconds. I must add that the temperature is about 50 degree when e.g. reading eBook and about 60 when browsing internet.
Now what? Should I change the hard drive? Is this a problem with main-board chip-set or it's driver?

TobiSGD 11-29-2010 01:04 PM

But did you actually clean up the cooling system? Without that you cant be sure. Maybe there is dust behind the clean air hole? I would consider that a least a part from the air that the fan on your CPU intakes comes through this hole to cool your disk.

ario 11-29-2010 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD (Post 4174989)
But did you actually clean up the cooling system? Without that you cant be sure. Maybe there is dust behind the clean air hole? I would consider that a least a part from the air that the fan on your CPU intakes comes through this hole to cool your disk.

I will unscrew my laptop and check for any sign of dust. But for now, lets take a look at statistics:
Using sudo hddtemp /dev/sda in Ubuntu 10.04 when reading eBook it's 55C.
Using HDD Temperature v4.0 in windows 7 when reading eBook it's 45C.
Does it ring any alarm? Thank you gain:)

TobiSGD 11-29-2010 02:37 PM

OK, that is really hot, I just surf the net and watch a film besides that and have only 42°C. Maybe it gets cooler if you give a
Code:

sudo hdparm -B 254
to your drive and it has to spin up/down not so often, but just a guess. I still doubt that it is your drive. Have you checked for background processes that constantly use the drive?

ario 11-30-2010 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD (Post 4175058)
OK, that is really hot, I just surf the net and watch a film besides that and have only 42°C. Maybe it gets cooler if you give a
Code:

sudo hdparm -B 254
to your drive and it has to spin up/down not so often, but just a guess. I still doubt that it is your drive. Have you checked for background processes that constantly use the drive?

Thanks again. I also checked for hdparm -B. It returns that -B value is already set to 254 (No spin-downs). For the next part, sorry I don't know how to check that, I mean I can see if some activity is running on my hard drive, but can't figure out which application is using it. Running powertop will suggests me to press A to activate SATA power management link or something like this, which will cause too effects and it uses to suggest me that again and again.
Is it because of the speed of my laptops fan? How can I check it? What is the normal rpm for a laptops fan?
Any response will be appreciated.
Aario

business_kid 12-01-2010 03:31 AM

In the hope of ending this thread, allow me to state a few things.
Junction temperature for semiconductors (right in the middle of the ic) is 150C above which they melt. Processors and lsi chips start misbehaving at lower temperatures. Everything outside the middle should be cooler. As a rough guide, what's too hot to hold on the outside is too hot. I have no clue whether your temperature is taken from the middle of the hd (59C would be ok) or the air blowing over it, in which case 59C would be too hot.

Fans should be going fast enough to prevent heat build up. Mine has 4 speeds:
<40 - off
>40 - speed 1 (slow & quiet)
>55 - speed 2
>65 - speed 3
>75 - speed 4 (Roaring)

Install acpitools and play with them for a bit Man acpitool. It is possible for someone to have too much information, you know.

ario 02-17-2011 06:20 PM

Man, thanks for your reply.
I must say that things were more complicated than we thought (I thought;) ). That problem was with south bridge chip on mainboard. Since AMD doesn't provide any driver for the M780G chipset under linux, clock pulse frequency of the southbridge and also output current of USB filter on my laptop is not controllable by Linux. So south-bridge is too hot and some problems with USB port.
South-bridge chip on my laptop ACER 5536 is installed upon HDD. So when one is hard, the other is hot too. Installed all chipset drivers under Windows 7, and they became cold. Searched all over AMD.com website and found nothing for Linux. Formatted linux partition, fixed mbr for windows 7 and left the laptop away to avoid seeing it's disgusting face!
I'm totally out of Idea. Please help me how can I install a driver to cool down South Bridge SB700 chip on my laptop ACER5536. Can I install the windows driver using NDISwrapper?
Thanks again.

MTK358 02-17-2011 07:08 PM

NDISwrapper is for Wi-Fi drivers only.


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