Subject: Using MaxtorÆs Power Diagnostic (POWERMAX.EXE) Utilities (PowerMax v 4.XXX)
Summary: Guide to diagnosing hard disk problems on Maxtor/Quantum hard drives utilizing POWERMAX.EXE.
Disclaimer: This Document is provided as is without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied.
In no event will MAXTOR CORPORATION be liable to you for any damages, including any loss of profit
or savings, arising out of the use or inability to use the information contained in this document.
Maxtor Corporation makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and
specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.
Overview: The POWERMAX.EXE utility performs diagnostic read/write verifications on Maxtor/Quantum hard drives.
These tests will confirm hard drive integrity. Maxtor recommends this utility for troubleshooting any potential
hard drive problem. These problems include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Potential hard drive surface problems (e.g., bad clusters, bad sectors, partitioning/formatting problems, etc.).
2. Drive recognition problems (e.g. hard drive that is not recognized by the operating system).
3. Data removal for security purposes or software corruption.
Maxtor recommends that you run PowerMax on all hard drives before considering warranty replacement.
Guide to diagnosing Hard Disk problems:
The first step to returning a disk drive is clear confirmation that the drive is truly defective. Many disk drives we are
asked to replace are not, in fact defective. It is in your best interest to perform some basic troubleshooting first.
You will avoid the inconvenience, expense, and unnecessary effort of replacing a working drive. Often a faulty cable, file
corruption, virus, or wrong jumper settings can be interpreted as a drive failure.
1. Try a different cable.
2. If the disk drive is not "seen" by the motherboardÆs ATA/SATA hard drive controller or add in (PCI)ATA/SATA
controller,isolate the offending drive as the only device on the bus. If this does not work, try the drive with
another ATA or SATA controller, motherboard, or cable. Do symptoms continue? If not, the problem is with the
controller, motherboard, or cable.
3. If the disk drive passes all tests, the problem remains elsewhere in your system. You could have a system hardware
problem or a corrupted file. Programs in the operating system such as Scandisk and Defrag show only corrupted file
structures not true media damage. If you are receiving errors in Windows, copy and paste the error message to a Web
browser search engine (Yahoo, Alta Vista, Excite, Google, et al.), and search the internet, for articles relating to
the error. You may try reloading the operating system or application program software. You can also use other
(third party) diagnostic utilities that test beyond the hard drive for viruses, file system issues, and registry
integrity.
4. For more information diagnosing hard disk, software and system problems please visit our Knowledge Base at
http://www.maxtorkb.com
5. PowerMax can identify defective hard drives, but may not identify drives with intermittent errors. These drives
usually function well, and only occasionally report errors. If you feel the drive may be failing intermittently,
run the PowerMax extended tests.
6. The best test for a drive with intermittent problems is a ælow levelÆ format routine. !! Warning !! This test
will erase all your data, but the drive will be restored to a æfactory re-certifiedÆ condition. Be sure to make
a full backup of all critical data before proceeding. If your computer has more than one hard drive, be sure to
choose the correct drive. If a drive fails this test, it usually indicates a drive failure.
7. If PowerMax detects a hardware problem at startup, or during the installation confirmation test, the program
displays a list of the most common hardware configuration problems.
Power connection: Make sure that the power connector is firmly seated in the connector. Try another power
connector within the system, and make sure the drive spins when powering the system on.
Interface Cable: The interface cable (the gray one) should have a colored stripe along one side (Usually red,
black, or blue in color). Ensure that it is firmly seated in the connector and that pin one
(the edge of the cable with the color stripe) is closest to the power connector.
SATA Cables: SATA data cables should be checked for drag when connecting. If you can't feel the contact pins
dragging while connecting the cable to the drive, replace the cable. This also applies to the
15 pin power connector.
Jumpers: Confirm the jumpers are correctly set. If other hard drives are connected to the cable, try
testing only the suspect drive alone on the cable.
System Changes: Have you made any recent changes, or added hardware that might interfere with the drive?
If so, remove any recently installed device and re-test the drive. Try to restore the system to
a state before the errors were seen. This includes removing any add in ATA or SATA controllers,
video, game controllers, etc. Test the drive by connecting directly to the system board ATA or SATA
controllers. This can help isolate a hard drive or controller issue.
Note: PowerMax displays an 8 digit diagnostic code in a popup window on failed drives, please write down the code and select
the Contact Maxtor option in the test selection window for further instructions on returning your drive.
Overview of tests using POWERMAX.EXE:
PowerMax is a keyboard menu driven diagnostic. Choices and options are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Further
instructions are displayed at the bottom of the popup window display when a test completes.
Available Tests:
1. Installation Confirmation
2. Basic Quick (90 Second) Test
3. Advanced Test (Full Read Scan)
4. Burn In Test
5. Low Level Format (Quick)
6. Low Level format (Full)
Note: PowerMax will identify drives connected to most Promise, CMD, and Highpoint ATA or SATA controllers. PowerMax will not
identify hard disks connected to some of the newer ATA/SATA controllers.RAID controllers currently are not supported
by PowerMax. If the hard disk is connected to an unsupported controller, it will have to be moved to an alternate
system or controller for diagnosis.
Installation Confirmation Test:
In the ôSelect Testö window Highlight ôInstallation Confirmationö and press [Enter]. The ôTest Statusö window
identifies each test and its results. Before and during the test, the ôCurrent Driveö window displays information
about the Maxtor drive selected for testing. If the drive passes the ôInstallation Confirmationö tests, a results window
will display: Congratulations! Your Maxtor Hard drive is correctly installed. Press any key to continue. Press any key to
return to the ôSelect Testö window.
Basic Quick (90 Second) Test:
In the ôSelect Testö window highlight ôBasic Quick (90 Second) Testö and press [Enter].
The ôTest Statusö window identifies the test and displays the results of each test. At the conclusion of the
ôBasic Quick (90 Second)Testö a window displays the test results. If the ôBasic Quick (90 Second) Testö passes, a results
window will display: Congratulations! Your drive has passed the Basic (Quick) Test. If you are still experiencing problems,
please run the Advanced Test to re-certify your drive. Press any key to return to the ôSelect Testö window
Advanced Test (Full Read Scan):
The Maxtor PowerMax Advanced test runs the basic 90 second quick test, then scans the entire drive (sector by sector) to
find errors. This can be a long test (20 û 30 minutes) depending on drive capacity. Perform this test only if the drive
has passed the first two tests but the drive is still not performing properly. In the ôSelect Testö window, highlight
ôAdvanced Test (Full Read Scan)ö and press [Enter]. If the drive passes the ôAdvanced Test
(Full Read Scan)ö a results window will display: Congratulations! Your drive is certified error free
Press any key to continue and return to the PowerMax Main Menu.
Burn In Test:
This test performs a full drive read sector by sector and allows numerous passes. This can be time consuming depending
on how many cycles (20-30 minutes each) you choose. Perform this test only if the drive has passed the first three tests
and the drive is still not performing correctly. In the ôSelect Testö window Highlight ôBurn In Testö and press [Enter].
A window appears with a brief explanation. You must specify how many times to run the test. Example: ôHow Many passes (1-60) (hit ESC to Cancel)?ö Enter the number of passes (1-60) and press [Enter]. Two to five passes is usually sufficient. If the ôBurn In Testö completes without error, the program returns to the ôSelect Testö window. Near the bottom of the ôCurrent Driveö screen a message will be displayed, Test Results: PASSED
Low Level Format, Quick or Full Test:
!! Warning!! These tests are data destructive, all user information on the hard drive is removed. Maxtor recommends you
backup all critical data and remove other hard drives before performing this test. Perform this test only if all other
tests have passed (or by direction of Maxtor Technical Support) but the hard drive is still not performing correctly.
The quick option is most useful for removing a computer virus, or you are rebuilding the information on your hard drive,
and you need a quick erase of the operating system without taking the time involved to perform a full LLF. The quick LLF
overwrites a pattern of zeros to the first 300 megabytes, and the last 100 megabytes of the drive. The full LLF overwrites
a pattern of zeros to all sectors on the drive. High capacity hard drives take longer to complete. Allow sufficient time
to complete the test. Several hours to overnight may be needed. A full Low Level Format remains the most effective test
