Why this Sata WD Hard Drive not work on my Mac Pro?

[Tangerine]

I'm so confused why this WD ATA Hard Drive is not working on my Mac Pro. Bought Brand New at Best Buy. It's a SATA Hard Drive. It look a little different then my original SATA Hard Drive that came with my Mac Pro. The only different I see is that it also have a IDE Interface, which is not required because it can either use as a SATA interface or IDE. I plug it in the Mac Pro and it not even readable when I boot up with Mac OS X Install CD. Try using Disk Ultilities to format the Hard Drive and it's not even there.

This is the link the product that I originally purchased it from.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...gital&lp=8&type=product&cp=1&id=1142294266836

The only different I see is that it have an IDE Interface too. I need this Hard Drive to work bad.

 

[janey]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...M+16MB+Cache+SATA+3.0Gb/s+Hard+Drive+-+Retail

is Newegg's pic of the hard drive. No ATA visible. Are you sure you got the right drive?

 

[synth3tik]

I run Raptors in my MP, so I don't know for sure, but by chance is the IDE connector blocking the SATA to fully plug into the MP? Seeing how most desktops still have the more standard HD tray, they my have over looked this and placed the IDE connector in the way of the SATA.

that the only thing that comes to mind to me

 

[janey]

...they my have over looked this and placed the IDE connector in the way of the SATA.

I wasn't aware Mac Pros had IDE support

 

[Tangerine]

I didn't bought it from NewEgg, but from Best Buy. I don't have the Hard Drive anymore so I can't take a picture. Unless there is a different between a WD5000KS and a WD5000KSRTL that make it not compatible with the Mac Pro. I'm so lost there is too many model.

It look exactly like this. I'm looking to buy a retail version of the Western Digital WD5000KS, I think their newest generation which have whisper quiet operation. I buy a Seagate Barracuda 500GB from NewEgg and it was very loud it annoy me so I return it.

 

[janey]

I didn't bought it from NewEgg, but from Best Buy. I don't have the Hard Drive anymore so I can't take a picture. Unless there is a different between a WD5000KS and a WD5000KSRTL that make it not compatible with the Mac Pro. I'm so lost there is too many model.

It look exactly like this.

I am saying, given the model number, that is the picture Newegg has and the picture shows no IDE. Again, the second picture also doesn't have IDE.

[deleted, irrelevant]

Okay, my apologies. VoidBoi just told me that they slide in, right..so they might not fit. Erk, unless you know the exact model number, and then proceed to buy one that does work with your Mac Pro..

 

[Tangerine]

I am saying, given the model number, that is the picture Newegg has and the picture shows no IDE. Again, the second picture also doesn't have IDE.

Did you plug in everything? As in, only one power and SATA? There's two power ports on that hard drive, the 4 pronged one on the right of that pic, and the one that looks slightly longer than the SATA one that's to the left of the SATA port in that picture. Only plug in one, not both, otherwise you risk damage to the drive.

As in IDE Interface, I mean the 4 Pin. I don't think it call IDE though, it look more like a power adapter that go in there. I just put on four screws on the metal plate and slice it in. I thought it would just work like that.

 

[janey]

As in IDE Interface, I mean the 4 Pin. I don't think it call IDE though, it look more like a power adapter that go in there. I just put on four screws on the metal plate and slice it in. I thought it would just work like that.

Actually that's not IDE, that's the legacy Molex power connector.

IDE looks like

 

[Tangerine]

Okay, my apologies. VoidBoi just told me that they slide in, right..so they might not fit. Erk, unless you know the exact model number, and then proceed to buy one that does work with your Mac Pro..

So I guess the one I buy at Best Buy model WD5000KSRTL won't work? Does anyone have a link to the newer generation of Western Digital Drive WD5000KS model I can buy? The one with Whisper Quiet operation. I don't want to buy another one risking it doesn't work again. The 500GB Seagate Barracuda from NewEgg just doesn't cut it. The loud seek time really annoy me.

I found this one though, wonder if it's the same or not. Great price for it too.

https://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101258

 

[janey]

So I guess the one I buy at Best Buy model WD5000KSRTL won't work? Does anyone have a link to the newer generation of Western Digital Drive WD5000KS model I can buy?...

Look, I'm sorry, but I have NO idea which model you currently have and what you want to buy. Could you perhaps clarify?

 

[Tangerine]

Look, I'm sorry, but I have NO idea which model you currently have and what you want to buy. Could you perhaps clarify?

I just want a Western Digital Hard Drive that is quiet and will work on the Mac Pro. Their newer generation one with whisper quiet technology. There a review on this site about this Hard Drive. It look really good. I thought I could walk into local store and buy it, but the one at Best Buy don't work. I'm guessing it 2 different Hard Drive, even though they almost have the same model name.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article617-page1.html

 

[VoidBoi]

I'm guessing it 2 different Hard Drive, even though they almost have the same model name.

You guess correctly. If they were exactly the same drive, the models would also be exactly the same.

 

[janey]

...Their newer generation one with whisper quiet technology. There a review on this site about this Hard Drive. It look really good...

Okay, how bout an equally as nice and slightly cheaper (free shipping too) drive from Newegg - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152052

edit: If you're not convinced..your beloved review site (bah!!) has a good review on another hard drive in the same family, compared it to a drive from the same family as your WD, and said it was just as quiet and actually vibrated less.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article657-page3.html

 

[Dark Dragoon]

I thought that the WD5000KSRTL and the WD5000KS were the same. It's just the RTL means it's the retail version in a nice box with some extra bits.

I'm running 2 WD5000KS's in my Mac Pro, I didn't have any problems installing them and they work well. I've set the AAM (Automatic Acoustic Management) of the drives to 128 which made them slightly quieter. Though it's difficult to tell with a Raptor in there as well.

There are also the newer WD500AAKS drives which have fewer platters, which supposedly makes them a bit quieter.

 

[Tangerine]

I thought that the WD5000KSRTL and the WD5000KS were the same. It's just the RTL means it's the retail version in a nice box with some extra bits.

I'm running 2 WD5000KS's in my Mac Pro, I didn't have any problems installing them and they work well. I've set the AAM (Automatic Acoustic Management) of the drives to 128 which made them slightly quieter. Though it's difficult to tell with a Raptor in there as well.

There are also the newer WD500AAKS drives which have fewer platters, which supposedly makes them a bit quieter.

This is what I thought, the RTL stand for retail? Unless something is funky going on or some magical thing I havent done yet to make it work on my Mac Pro. Dark Dragoon, can you tell me where you buy your Hard Drive. I feel like going to a retail store to buy it but it will be the same.

 

[mustang_dvs]

A couple of forehead smacking questions:

1. Are you sure that the drive is installed in the carrier in the correct orientation (label down and SATA ports at the rear -- though I can't figure out how you'd install it wrong-side up)?
2. Have you tried plugging the drive into another of the MacPro's bays?
3. Can you hear/feel the drive spin-up when you boot the machine?

It's a wild guess, but I'd wager the drive is toast.

(Although that guess is partially influenced by my low opinions of both Western Digital and Best Buy -- one makes failure prone storage devices, the other is a big-box retailer who created a hidden in-store website in order to disprove customer claims that the BestBuy.com prices are lower and trains employees solely on high-pressure tactics to sell service plans and hardly anything on actual in-store products.)

Also, unless it's on closeout, never buy "retail" editions of hard drives or DVD/CD-ROMs -- you're paying a 10-20% premium for pretty packaging and zero tangible benefits.

 

[Dark Dragoon]

This is what I thought, the RTL stand for retail? Unless something is funky going on or some magical thing I havent done yet to make it work on my Mac Pro. Dark Dragoon, can you tell me where you buy your Hard Drive. I feel like going to a retail store to buy it but it will be the same.

I'm from the UK though, I bought mine from Dabs. Though they no longer sell the WD5000KS model as it was replaced with the WD5000AAKS one.

When I received my hard drives all I did was screw them into the drive carrier and slide them in. I'm pretty sure they just appeared in the disk utility.

I'd say that mustang_dvs is correct, and that you got a broken drive.

 

[Tangerine]

I order a WD5000KS from ZipZoomfly.com. I never purchase online retail before but it was the cheapest one that is currently selling this Hard Drive model. It have almost as many feedback at NewEgg. $124.50 and Free Shipping. I really hope I was just unlucky and got a bad one. Would freak me out if it my Hard Drive bay or Mac Pro is crapping out on me. I try plugging in a 500GB Seagate Barracuda and it read it just fine. So just hope it's just that particular Hard Drive. Thank you for everyone help and suggestion. I will let everyone know if the new OEM arrive will work.

 

[tribe3]

I bought that exact same HD from BestBuy and it works perfectly. Are you pushing it in all the way?

 

[Tangerine]

I bought that exact same HD from BestBuy and it works perfectly. Are you pushing it in all the way?

Yes Did you buy the 320GB or the 500GB one? I wouldn't think it does matter though. I bought the 320GB one.

I think it may be Norton somehow mess up my Hard Drive. I use Partition Magic (Now own by Norton) in Windows XP to partition an external Hard Drive. But I received an error instead, after booting up the Mac OS X was no longer bootable. The Mac side use a Seagate Barracuda 320GB. Even when I format it and re-install Mac OS X it still won't boot up. I try a different Seagate Hard Drive and it does recognize and boot up. Can Windows side really mess up your Mac side? Just a warning, stay far away from Norton. Damn I hate Norton! Now I have to wait for the Hard Drive I have order to test it out once again. But the one at Best Buy should work, don't know why it wasn't readable. I really feel like going out to Best Buy and grab another one, too bad I already order one from another online retailer. Best Buy having a sales on this Hard Drive too last time I check.

 

[mustang_dvs]

I don't know what Best Buy's return policies are on opened hard drives, but at the least, you could ship it off to WD for a replacement under warranty.

I'm a bit confused, though, did you run the Norton utility on the WD 320GB drive and then it failed, or has it not worked at all, i.e. that from the moment you opened the package, the drive has been an expensive paperweight? If it's the latter, take it back to Best Buy.

As for repartitioning drives -- since your Mac Pro isn't a "standard" win-box, I'd stick to OS X when you need to fundamentally mess with hardware, like drives or expansion cards, unless you have no expectation or desire for it to necessarily work on the Mac side of the coin.

 

[Tangerine]

I don't know what Best Buy's return policies are on opened hard drives, but at the least, you could ship it off to WD for a replacement under warranty.

I'm a bit confused, though, did you run the Norton utility on the WD 320GB drive and then it failed, or has it not worked at all, i.e. that from the moment you opened the package, the drive has been an expensive paperweight? If it's the latter, take it back to Best Buy.

As for repartitioning drives -- since your Mac Pro isn't a "standard" win-box, I'd stick to OS X when you need to fundamentally mess with hardware, like drives or expansion cards, unless you have no expectation or desire for it to necessarily work on the Mac side of the coin.

Best Buy return policy is very good, I like it better then CompUSA. I bought it and it wasn't readable, so I run back and return it right away. I told them it wasn't working and they refund all my money. As for the Norton part may be messing up my Computer, sorry I didn't give the specific details on it. It was the 320GB Seagate Barracuda that seam to be acting strangely. I can still add file to it, but I can no longer bootup Mac OS X with this Hard Drive, even if I erase and re-install a new Mac OS X on it. That's why I run out and buy a new Western Digital at Best Buy. Turn out the Western Digital wasn't readable by my Computer. So I plug a 500GB Seagate Barracuda Hard Drive and it read it just fine and I was able to install Mac OS X and boot up from it. Too bad it was so loud that I can't live with it. I never mess with my Hardware, just add an aftermarket fan for my ATI X 1900XT Graphic Card. If it's just the bay drive that is not working, I can easily send to Apple store to fix the problem. The problem is some Hard Drive work and some don't. They will just tell me it's just the Hard Drive.

 

[RedBear]

Confusion reigns...

Someone around here is very confused, and I hope it's not me. As far as I know there is no such thing as a hybrid SATA/IDE hard drive. That would require the drive manufacturer to build in two completely different controller chipsets right in the drive, and there is no reason for them to do that because there are inexpensive IDE-to-SATA and SATA-to-IDE adapters commonly available for the few people who want to mix and match old hardware with new systems and vice versa. There are a few external Firewire/USB/eSATA drive enclosures that can accept both IDE and SATA drives somehow, but that's completely different from having both types of interfaces on the same internal hard drive. The interfaces are designed to be in the same location on the end of the drive, so that makes it even more unlikely that such a drive would ever exist since the interfaces would overlap.

What you see on that hard drive is just a 4-pin "molex" power connector, which allows you to power the SATA drive from the molex type power cables found in any system that was originally designed to use IDE drives. This is useful for older computers that have been upgraded with a Serial ATA controller card, because the cards usually don't provide an SATA power connector. They just have the SATA data ports, and if the drive doesn't have that optional 4-pin power connector you have to use a molex-to-SATA power cable adapter.

I don't know if the Mac Pro has any molex connectors at all anymore (maybe for the CD/DVD drive?), but it appears that the Mac Pro hard drives are mounted in slide-in chassis system rather than the more awkward bracket with loose SATA cables found in a typical PC. So I would think it would be difficult to screw up the actual connecting of the drive to the Mac Pro.

Furthermore all SATA drives have identical connectors, whether they are 3.5-inch desktop drives or 2.5-inch notebook drives. Unlike with IDE they are actually interchangeable now without needing a special adapter. Since the Mac Pro uses SATA drives that means any SATA hard drive should be compatible with any Mac Pro (although notebook drives would need a size adapter to fit in the slide-in chassis). This just leaves us with one option to explain why this SATA drive "didn't work" with your Mac Pro:

It was DOA. It happens. I hope you got your money back. Go buy any other "Serial ATA" 3.5-inch desktop-size hard drive. If it's not dead, it will work with the Mac Pro. End of story.

 

[Tangerine]

Yeah, I know what you are saying. The problem is when I stick it in and it wasn't even readable. I may be I get a DOA, it happen but chances are with retail drive it's very less, which worry me it may not be the Hard Drive at all. That's why I order another one to test it out. It's impossible to mess up installing Hard Drive on the Mac Pro. Just mount the 4 scews and slide it in place, so I know I did it correctly.

 

[mustang_dvs]

Tangerine, I don't get why you're being so obstinate...

• You plug a brand new drive in and it doesn't work.
  
• You plug a different drive into the same location and it does work.
  
• You ask for people's opinion, four or five tell you that the new drive is dead, you say that Best Buy has an easy return policy, then you dig in your heels and refuse to accept the possibility that, maybe one of the knuckle-draggers at Best Buy might have dropped the box, or that WD built a faulty drive (which happens, especially with WDC) -- all because you spent an extra $15 for the retail version, which is exactly the same as the OEM version, except the box has color pictures and it includes a useless CD-ROM.

It's really simple: take the drive back and exchange it. If the new drive doesn't work -- begin to suspect your Mac, in which case, you: a) hope you purchased AppleCare, if it's more than a year old; b) call your local Apple Store (assuming you have one), or call AppleCare for an in-home visit. If you don't have AppleCare and it's been less than a year, you can find the MacPro kit on eBay for as little as $100 shipped.

Of course, it's also possible that you've done something to your Mac Pro which you're not telling us about, which is why you're so resistant to the idea that it's the drive that's bad.

As for the other drive that won't show up -- try installing MacFuse and the NTFS-3G drivers and restart the machine -- it might show-up on the desktop.

There's a wealth of knowledge and good-natured people who are willing to help, on this board, but we can only do so much, especially if the person asking for help is unwilling to do a relatively simple thing (returning the drive) that would help greatly in the diagnosis.