Re: [PLUG] Hard Drive warranty RMA

[JP Vossen <jp@jpsdomain.org>]

> Date: Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:30:11 -0400
> From: TuskenTower <tuskentower@gmail.com>
> 
> How do keep data secure when a hard drive fails and you need to
> warranty RMA the device?

You use full-disk encryption ahead of time...  :-)


 > My father's Western Digital usb backup drive
> went south after only a few months of operation.  I think that the HD
> is toast since it started clicking in front of me and I haven't been
> able to mount it on multiple machines.  Thoughts?

I saw all the follow-ups to this but am replying directly here for 
reasons that will be obvious.

When this happened to me on 2008-09-10 Western Digital was very good 
about it, even for one-off consumer stuff.  My problem was heat death, 
but I think it was caused by bad caps in the unit, which is small, and 
fanless.  With the new drive I also tried to mitigate heat by a) 
replacing the bad capacitors which I had to do anyway, and adding a 
thermal pad between the drive and the PC's aluminum cover plate (big 
thanks to Tom H for help with that).

I invoked the "Sensitive Data Procedure", but having said that, I can't 
find a shred of evidence for this on the web right now, in Google or the 
WDC site.

What I did:

* Start at http://support.wdc.com/warranty/index_end.asp?lang=en
* Cover the bases and so I can say I did it: Test via Data Lifeguard 
Diagnostic for DOS (CD) Version: Version 5.04c, Publish Date: Jun, 2004
	= NON-WD Drive: error/status code: 0201
* Call WD CS: 1-800-275-4932,1  re: sensitive data on the disk
* Goof around trying to fax something, which didn't work
* Got EM from westerndigital@custhelp.com
	= Replied with requested details and JPEG

I suggest you email or call them and ask about it.  They required proof 
that I had the drive, so I emailed then a picture.  Otherwise that was 
it.  I'd previously read about them requesting you send only the drive's 
top cover plate back, but they didn't even do that.

Good luck,
JP
----------------------------|:::======|-------------------------------
JP Vossen, CISSP            |:::======|      http://bashcookbook.com/
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