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Preparing a Drive for Testing
The following steps will help you ensure proper usage of the WD Quick Tester.
1. Check jumper settings: Jumper settings determine the number of devices on a
cable in a computer system. The WD Quick Tester supports one hard drive
attached at any one time and only certain jumper settings. For Western Digital
hard drives, refer to the Jumper Settings section to make sure that the drive
attached is jumpered correctly. For non Western Digital hard drives, refer to the
manufacturer’s documentation.
2. Check the cable connection: The WD Quick Tester is supplied with an EIDE
cable. Verify that the cable is in good working condition and that pin 1 on both
hard drive and tester are aligned. Of the 40 pins on an EIDE connector, pin 1 is
designated in red. Most EIDE cables are keyed to fit the connector only one way.
3. Check power: The WD Quick Tester uses a standard 12 V, 4-pin connector on a
PC power supply. Verify that the connector you are using is in proper working
condition. This connector is also keyed and cannot be reversed but will fit either
the hard drive or tester. If the power connector is not attached, the WD Quick
Tester may display invalid messages.
Jumper Settings
For the hard drive to be detected by the WD Quick Tester, the drive must be jumpered
according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Verify that the jumper settings on the
hard drive are supported by the WD Quick Tester. For Western Digital hard drives,
refer to the following illustration and setting definitions. For non Western Digital hard
drives, refer to the manufacturer’s documentation.
•Cable Select (CSEL/CS): Jumper settings remain the same on all hard drives in a
system (both single- and multi-drives setups). This protocol requires a special
CSEL cable, and the host system must support CSEL. The WD Quick Tester
supports this setting.
•Single: Indicates the only drive on the cable. Three distinct configurations on
Western Digital hard drives are a) pins 3 and 5 for older models, b) pins 4 and 6 for
current 10-pin drives, and c) the simplest, for late model drives, all jumpers
removed. The WD Quick Tester supports all three configurations of the Single
setting.
IMPORTANT: The EIDE cable must remain in proper working condition to
ensure accurate test results.
Jumper added
Jumper pins
KEY:
2
642
5
8
7
10
931
10-PIN
CONNECTOR
Single
3
642
5
8
7
10
931
10-PIN
CONNECTOR
Dual
(Master)
Dual
(Master)
Dual
(Master)
Dual
(Master)
Dual
(Master) 4
10-PIN
CONNECTOR
642
5
8
7
10
931
Dual
(Slave)
1
10-PIN
CONNECTOR
642
5
8
7
10
931
Cable Select
(Default Setting)
continue or abort the operation. If further testing is required, do not use the drive until
such further testing is performed.
Drive Failure Notification
If the drive under test is found to be unrecoverable and is failed, the following
information will be presented to the user:
##Drive FAIL##. Press Next.
After pressing the Next/No button, the Error Code (EC), Main Test function (Mt),
and Sub Test (St) function are displayed.
EC:xxx Mt:y St:z. Press Next.
Record this data for future reference. You can download a list of error code definitions
from our Web site at www.westerndigital.com/support.
The WD Quick Tester has the ability to detect if the failing drive is a Western Digital
model that supports proprietary features. These features can determine if the failure
was caused by customer handling. In this case, you will be notified that the drive is not
covered under warranty. DO NOT return the drive.
Test results are recorded to the drive’s logging sector (WD only) with details of the test,
assuming the drive is functional enough to support the logging function. Results are
also stored in the tester database.
Drive Pass Notification
As with the fail notification, the WD Quick Tester displays a Pass message when
testing or erasing has completed successfully. The operator is also required to press the
Next/No button to acknowledge the successful test completion.
DRIVE PASSED. ** Press Next. **
Test results are recorded to the drive’s Logging sector with details of the test. Results are
also stored in the tester database.
Full Drive Erase
The Full Erase Function allows for the complete data erasure of the hard drive by
writing zeroes to all sectors. Normally the Quick Erase function is sufficient for the
successful reinstallation of the operating system on a functional drive. However in
some instances, a Full Erase may be desired. Newer Western Digital hard drives
incorporate features which allow this process to be completed much quicker than older
Western Digital or other make hard drives. Erase speed will vary depending on drive
feature:
WD Write = 2 GB per minute
PIO Write = 3.5 MB per minute
With Western Digital drives that support the WD Write feature, once started, this
function cannot be aborted. Using other manufacturer drives, this operation can be
aborted and then restarted as desired. For other manufacturer hard drives and WD
hard drives that do not support the WD Write function, this function may take several
hours to complete.
Caution: Do not pull the power cord to abort this function, as this will cause media
errors and will require the Full Drive Test or Full Drive Erase to correct the errors.
•Master: Designates the drive as the boot device or first device detected on the cable
and that a Slave device is present. The WD Quick Tester does not support the
Master setting on Western Digital hard drives because these drives have unique
configurations for Master and Single. However, the Master setting is supported on
other manufacturer hard drives that share the same configuration for Master and
Single.
•Slave: Designates the drive for use as additional storage and that another device (a
Master or boot drive) is on the cable. The WD Quick Tester does not support this
setting.
LEDs
The WD Quick Tester features two LED indicators for user notification. When lit,
either or both LEDs denote a particular status.
Main Menu
Press the Next/No button and continue until the function you wish to perform is
displayed. Execute the choice by pressing the Select/Yes button.
Full Drive Test
Highly recommended for all test procedures, the Full Drive Test provides the most
extensive testing of the two test functions. Test time for the Full Drive Test will vary
depending on the capacity of the drive under test. New generation drives will test at
greater than 1 GB per minute while old generation drives may test at less than 10 MB
per minute. Test progress is displayed on the second line of the tester LCD. If errors are
detected during this operation, the WD Quick Tester will correct the bad sector.
If the drive passes the testing, it is spun down, and the drive information and test data
are stored in the tester database. The WD Quick Tester will report that the test is
completed and that the drive passed, indicated by both a message on the display and a
lit Green LED. DO NOT return a drive for repair if it passed the test.
If the drive fails at any point in the testing, the WD Quick Tester attempts to spin
down the drive and notifies the user. If the drive failed for user-induced handling
damage, DO NOT return the drive for warranty repair. If the drive failed for non-
customer handling related issues, the WD Quick Tester will report the failure. In both
failure cases, the Red LED is lit. The drive information and test data are stored in the
tester database.
At any time during the Full Drive Test, you can abort the operation by pressing either
button. The test is then stopped, and you are given the choice to Abort or Return to
the test. If you abort, you will not know if the drive is bad.
Quick Drive Test
The Quick Drive Test is identical to the Full Drive Test except the full media scan is
not performed unless an error is detected during testing. The Quick Drive Test may
not identify all media related errors but can be used to test basic functionality of a
drive. If you suspect media issues, use the Full Drive Test function. If a media-related
failure is detected, the WD Quick Tester will report the failure and give the choice to
LED Indicates
Red Failure
Green Requested task completed successfully
Red and Green Requires user action
