🚀 go-pugleaf

This is not a spam, but a posting to the main hardware and storage
usenet sites about a replacement offer from Western Digital on the 1.6
Gb Caviar AC31600 drive. I am posting this information because I learned
of it from one of the weekly IT journals I receive, which means it might
be a month or more (or not at all) before it shows up in any of the
mainstream PC magazines.

According to Western Digital, there was a manufacturing problem that
causes some of the AC31600 drives to fail. The company has a Diagnostic
Utility that will determine if an AC31600 is likely to fail. This
utility and instructions for its use can be found on the AC31600 Quality
Bulletin webpage at:

<http://www.wdc.com/products/ac31600-quality.html>

Read the webpage, then go to item 5, download the utility, unpack it,
and read the instructions for running the software. If you are not sure
whether your PC has this particular drive or not, the utility will tell
you which drive is in your PC, and if it's the one in question. If it is
an AC31600, it will run the tests. 

If the hard drive passes, a screen message will say so. If it doesn't
pass (mine didn't), it will display a Failure Code Number and tell you
to contact Western Digital Technical Support. I called their 800 number
(listed in the documentation), gave them the Failure Code Number, and
they said they will send a newer model 1.6 Gb drive within the next 8 to
10 days, and to return the suspect drive in the same shipping container.
No argument, no fuss.

For anyone who has this model drive, or thinks they might, the test
software should be obtained and tested on that drive. If you know of
anyone else who might have this model drive, please pass this
information along to them.

David