# Lacie External Disk Failure - don't despair!!!



## s_solt (Apr 27, 2010)

I am posting this because it might save someone else from disaster. We have had two different models of external Lacie disk enclosure fail recently. One was only a few months old.

Because both enclosures were dual disk raid arrangements removing a disk and dropping it in a Sata dock was probably not an option: you need the controller to interpret the Raid data.

In each case having almost given up the data as lost, we tried opening the case and providing sata power to the hard disks directly from a PC power supply so that the external power was only required to power the disk controller. This worked!!!!

We conclude that we have either experienced partial failure of the external power supply, or a poor connection: the power supply delivers several voltages via the din plug. There doesn't seem to be enough juice getting through to spin the disks although they do make spasmodic tick tick noises as they try to start. The disk controller is working and crucially this is required to read the Raid disks.

Of course we have voided the warranty on these units and will have to throw away the enclosures once we have retrieved the data but hey! we do have our data and have saved ourselves hundreds of pounds in data retrieval (I wonder if the DR consultancies have also figured this quick cheap solution out but aren't saying....).

We won't be buying any more Lacie drives....

Steve

Illustrated: Lacie on life support!!!


----------



## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

That is the fix for most external drive failures...simply removing the drive.

External drives run hot and are not meant to be powered on and in continous use. They are best for backups and should be powered off when not in use.


----------



## s_solt (Apr 27, 2010)

Actually, I was particularly careful to point out in my second line that *just removing the drive and putting it in a dock wouldn't have worked*. Possibly the removal of one drive would have reduced the load such that the other drive worked and with the Raid redundancy, we might have retrieved the data from one drive only.

The whole point about my solution in the case of these dual drives was that they remained in situ and the data continued to be controlled by the Lacie Raid controller, whilst the electrical power to spin the hard disks was supplied independently.

I do take your very good point, however, about external disks not being designed for continuous operation - we hadn't realised this

Steve


----------



## jomiketo (Aug 11, 2010)

I have just come across your post on this site and would be extremely grateful for a little more info on how you did this? I have a LaCie 2Big Network which failed to switch on the other day. It is configured in RAID 0 striped and I have no back up! The data on their is really important and I am afraid that if I send the chassis back to LaCie they may just replace the card in there, including the RAID controller and I will have lost my data! I am prepared to void the warranty as I feel this approach may well work! I dont believe there is any damage to the drives, when I insert the power cable the lights on the rear of the chassis blink once but then nothing, no noise no light at the front. It sounds very much like it is a power issue which seems to be a problem for many LaCie disks!

I've had a look at your photo but if you could run me through the process I would be very grateful indeed!

Many thanks


Jonathan


----------



## sjoerdve (Jan 28, 2010)

Same here, I did this more than a year ago for someone. This week again someone else. This time the more elegant way:
2 powersupplies for external sata connector attached to the lacie disks, power the lacie controller and connected to Mac, backup to normal external hdd.
over the time the controoler gets damaged maybe from fluctuations in the powernet. Saving money on electronics did the rest.
Lacie = lass sie = let it be


----------

