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Hitachi 6GB White Label Microdrives

cgrape2

Experienced Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2009
Messages
285
Location
Lodi,CA
Does anybody know how to get one of these things to work in a PC?My laptop won't recognize it.Hitachi's site has no special drivers either.Googleing really didn't solve the problem either.<Sigh>
cgrape2
 
Shouldn't matter. Your PC should at least get this to respond to an IDENTIFY command, as it's a standard IDE interface.

I use a 5GB Seagate microdrive on my PIII server (via a CF-to-PATA adapter)--it's been running for more than a year 24x7.

There is an MMC-interface microdrive, but I've never seen one.
 
I've done the connection to my PC every way I can think of.
1)Directly connecting using a built in CF Slot
2)Connectiong using a USB\CF Adapter
3)USB Card reader
4)PCMCIA CF Adapter

Nothing seems to work.
I do have a 4GB Hitachi Blue Label drive that functions perfectly in all of the above ways.What am I missing with the 6GB drives?
cgrape2
 
Shouldn't matter. Your PC should at least get this to respond to an IDENTIFY command, as it's a standard IDE interface.

Right, but it could matter, if he was trying to use a cheapy IDE adapter... sometimes those just don't work right.

Anyhow, that's apparently not the issue. Could it maybe be something as simple as a DOA drive? Those things do have pretty high failure rates...
 
Anyhow, that's apparently not the issue. Could it maybe be something as simple as a DOA drive? Those things do have pretty high failure rates...

Tell me about it. :mad: Especially those drives sold on a particular auction site and labeled "Refurbished". Apparently that word doesn't mean what it used to.

I've had to hold at least one seller's feet to the fire for selling one of these as "new" when it was no such thing.
 
Apparently that word doesn't mean what it used to.

Funny you should say that... with hard drives, it does mean something different. I'm not sure how it started, but there's a difference between 'refurbished' and 'recertified.' Refurbished means that it was a failed drive sent to some random third-party company to be repaired, whereas recertified means that it was actually reworked by the manufacturer themselves. And usually with the third-party refurbishers, they don't care much about quality and reliability as long as they can get it half-assed working long enough to resell it.
 
Supposedly the White label drives have some firmware difference from the blue labeled ones.But both are supposed to be IDE.
I can hear it spinning,so,it's not dead.Windows has decided that it is a "Removeable Drive" type,but when clicked on says that there needs to be a disk in it.Well,that's progress I suppose.It's still not useable.
Thanks for the advice!
cgrape2
 
but when clicked on says that there needs to be a disk in it.

Oh, maybe it's just not initialized or formatted, then... Assuming XP or 2000, go, Start -> Run, type compmgmt.msc and hit enter. Click on Disk Management, find the disk and right click on it... should give you a bunch of options for initializing, creating a partition and formatting it.
 
Yep,I'm using XP.I didn't think to try your solution.Thanks I'll give it a go and report back.
cgrape2
 
Funny you should say that... with hard drives, it does mean something different. I'm not sure how it started, but there's a difference between 'refurbished' and 'recertified.' Refurbished means that it was a failed drive sent to some random third-party company to be repaired, whereas recertified means that it was actually reworked by the manufacturer themselves.

Google "define: refurbish" and read the definitions. Most carry a meaning of "return to as good as or better than original". e.g.:

To rebuild or replenish with all new material; to restore to original (or better) working order and appearance.

In all my years, the meaning of a "refurbished" piece of equipment has been "repaired with any worn or damaged parts replaced by new parts", not simply "repaired so it doesn't make any magic smoke".

I'll agree that "recertified" has the stamp of approval of the manufacturer, but saying that "refurbished" means the same as "repaired" is just plain old mendacity.

But then, on eBay, the language used by sellers leaves you in stitches if you take it seriously. Test equipment missing parts being sold as "working", for example. (When you ask, the seller will often say that it's working because the pilot light came one when power was applied).
 
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Oh yeah, I know what the word "refurbished" is supposed to mean, and for the most part refurbished goods are just that... repaired, working as good as new and reasonably warrantied, but maybe with some minor cosmetic blemishes or whatnot.

But I was saying that in common usage it means something completely different with regards to hard drives. Like I said, I dunno how that came about... it's probably just sellers trying to stretch the truth (by that I mean, lie), since "we made it kinda work" doesn't have the same ring to it. :D
 
Well I got the message PCMCIA MTD-0002 in the Device Manager,in my Laptop.My Desktop saw it when I used the "Disk Management" Pgrm in Windows.It saw the drive and assigned it a letter.I was able to write to it and read from it.Now in the Laptop,it's not recognized.Odd,but at least it sorta works.
cgrape2
 
I did a little searching and ran across this:

Hitachi 6GB Microdrive 3K6-6 HMS360606D5CF00 Harddisk

This is a "white label" (OEM) Hitachi 6GB Microdrive 3K6-6 HMS360606D5CF00. This version has serious restrictions, and does not even work in PCMCIA-ATA mode. As expected, it works fine with ATA hosts and regular card readers.

That could explain why it won't work in your laptop, if that's the model you have.
 
Ok,then.That's probably why it won't work in my Laptop in either the PCMCIA Adapter or the Direct Connection of the CF Card Slot.But it Does work with my Desktop PC using a Card Reader.
Thanks for all the help!
cgrape2
 
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