# failed IDE DPS self test



## nmr59

can anyone please tell me what is the DPS test I ran in BIOS? I was operating a Compaq 5400 XP pc. It hass a 20gig HD and while using it last night the system shut off. I restarted it and had it operational for about an hour or two before it shut itself down again. I turned it off overnight. Used the pc 3x this morning and had the same issue with less time in between shut downs. The last time it shut down it won't run XP in any mode: safe, normal or last known good config. I just tried rebooting again and still the same result. I F10'd during setup and went through the bios menus. I saw a DPS self test and ran it not having a clue what I was doing. The test failed and came back with this note: "TEST FAILED. DRIVE REPLACEMENT REOMMENDED". What a drag - I need a new harddrive? I went through some HD posts here and see it may be this or that... please advice. I working off a Win98 333MHz E Machines and a 14K modem (got PCI prob) lol..... a lil sluggish to say the least but at least I'm on line.
I'll hang around here to see what anyone offers.
ALSO, the HD is a Maxtor 20Gig, cable type 80 conductor. What are my choices in replacements drives. I'm a lil nervous about replacing it myself but have no choice (>$$). How simple is it to replace the drive.
thanks all. happy holidays.
nancy
PS: I'm glad I kept that ole' external modem around!!


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## crazijoe

You hard drive may vey well be defective. But you should go to the Maxtor's website and download their drive utility program (DOS version), install it on a floppy, boot into the floppy and run a diagnostics against the drive. Check and see what is left of the warranty on the drive. Most Maxtor drives have a 3 year warranty. As far as a replacement for the drive, you could basically istall any IDE drive, but I would keep it under 80GB because not knowing the systems cabability (drive limits, 48bit LBA, etc.)


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## YeeFam

You indeed have a bad drive - DPS is feature of the hard drive that predicts and warns users that the hard drive may be going bad.

It does that by monitoring various drive error parameters, such as bad spots, number of failed writes and reads, etc - and when they exceed certain limits - a warning is displayed (usually during bootup.)

I would not use the drive until a new system is created, then try to recover the information using the drive as a "slave" drive.


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## nmr59

At the advice of Compaq tech support:

Drive Fitness Test (v3.40) . 

This utility creates a self-booting DOS diskette to run the DFT(Drive Fitness Test) utility. The DFT provides a quick, reliable method to test SCSI and IDE hard disk drives. The Drive Fitness Test analyze function performs read tests without overwriting customer data. (However, Drive Fitness Test is bundled with some restoration utilities that will overwrite data). 

Download the utility from the folowing link : 

http://www.hitachigst.com/downloads/dft32_v400_b01.exe 

I ran the test and got a this favorable disposition code:

Once the test is over user will get message "Disposition Code = 0 x 00" 

This indicates that the drive is perfect. 

So I am stumped! Anyone familiar with this conflict please HELP! I dont want to replace the harddrive if its the PSU. Maxtor referred me to Compaq who tells me my warranty ran out in March. I guess the 3 yr warranty only applies to out-of-box purchases. :sad: 
Thanks for your replies. The XP is still stuck on the safe mode selections screen because of the abrupt shut down and will not boot in any mode.
nancy


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## YeeFam

Quote from attached PDF:
' 
*Compaq Drive Protection System* 

The Compaq Drive Protection System (DPS) is a diagnostic tool built into the hard drives
installed in select Compaq Deskpro computers and workstations. DPS is designed to help
diagnose problems that might result in unwarranted hard drive replacement.
When Compaq Deskpro Computers and workstations are built, each installed hard drive is tested
using DPS and a permanent record of key information is written onto the drive. Each time DPS is
run, test results are written to the hard drive. This information may be used to help diagnose the
hard drive and the computer system.
Running DPS will not affect any programs or data stored on the hard drive. The test resides in the
hard drive firmware and can be executed even if the computer will not boot to an operating
system. The time required to execute the test depends on the manufacturer and size of the hard
drive; in most cases, the test will take approximately 2 minutes per gigabyte.
DPS should be used when you suspect a hard drive problem. If the computer reports a SMART
Hard Drive Detect Imminent Failure message, there is no need to run DPS; instead, back up the
information on the hard drive and replace the hard drive.


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## nmr59

*thanks for the DPS 411 - still lost*

I am still at a loss as to why the DPS said to replace the hard drive and the hitachigts test said it was in perfect working order... Compaq support was of little help in that area... bottom line as I see it... I have to reformat the hard drive and see if that helps.
I ran across a link in these forums for Ccleaner (registry cleaner) I removed some things that seemed to be unecessary. I dont recall if I did it before the shut downs began or after (I thought the shut downs were ISP related so I rebooted and kept on working). In hindsight, I must have done the cleaning before the shut downs. I may have removed some XP stuff... I dont recall...
Anyway, I've had my questions answered. I will reformat and see if the harddrive stays up and running. I did buy a 120GB drive tonight at BB. Retail was $100 with $50 in rebates. What appealed to me was the 5 yr Seagate warranty as opposed to a 1 yr warranty on WD and Maxtor drives..
Thanks again ya'll :wave: , nancy


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## crazijoe

Very nice choice for a HD. I do like Seagate's reliability.


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## YeeFam

Excellent choice - and maybe just to help with the confusion - the tests ran are testing different things - that is why you are getting different answers. The test you ran pretty much checks how well the fixed disk reads and writes on your hard drive in general, the DPS records error rates on read and writes, spin up time, and many more things.

_(And HP laid off most of the people who knew how the systems are put together - so best of luck with your Compaq!)_


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## ciarannll

nmr59 said:


> can anyone please tell me what is the DPS test I ran in BIOS? I was operating a Compaq 5400 XP pc. It hass a 20gig HD and while using it last night the system shut off. I restarted it and had it operational for about an hour or two before it shut itself down again. I turned it off overnight. Used the pc 3x this morning and had the same issue with less time in between shut downs. The last time it shut down it won't run XP in any mode: safe, normal or last known good config. I just tried rebooting again and still the same result. I F10'd during setup and went through the bios menus. I saw a DPS self test and ran it not having a clue what I was doing. The test failed and came back with this note: "TEST FAILED. DRIVE REPLACEMENT REOMMENDED". What a drag - I need a new harddrive? I went through some HD posts here and see it may be this or that... please advice. I working off a Win98 333MHz E Machines and a 14K modem (got PCI prob) lol..... a lil sluggish to say the least but at least I'm on line.
> I'll hang around here to see what anyone offers.
> ALSO, the HD is a Maxtor 20Gig, cable type 80 conductor. What are my choices in replacements drives. I'm a lil nervous about replacing it myself but have no choice (>$$). How simple is it to replace the drive.
> thanks all. happy holidays.
> nancy
> PS: I'm glad I kept that ole' external modem around!!







i have the same problem but my HD is seagate :upset: can anyone help me please


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