Best replacement hard drive for Time Capsule

[Cave Man]

Oh sorry, I see what you mean. I'd be worried about fitting it, to be honest. I'd much rather just take one drive out and replace it with another drive...

You'd need a 2.5" to 3.5" carriage. They're about US$5 or so.

I'm not that much of a tinkerer! Also 2.5" 1TB drives, are they as reliable as their 3.5" counterparts?

I've had one notebook drive fail (Seagate 80 gb) and four 3.5" drives fail (3 WD, and the infamous Seagate 750 gb firmware problem). I know of no data in terms of reliabilities between the form factors.

 

[jowie]

You'd need a 2.5" to 3.5" carriage. They're about US$5 or so.

The other issue is that I'm on a fairly tight budget (hence the 1TB not 1.5 or 2TB) and a 2.5" drive would be double the cost...

 

[skorpien]

To chime in, I've replaced my TC's HDD (twice) and carried the backup forward both times. All I did was format the new HDD using AirPort Utility (by selecting "Erase") and copy the sparsebundle image from the old HDD (seated in an enclosure) to the TC wirelessly.

Formatting it inside the TC makes sure all the proper partitions are set up. And after checking the integrity of the backup (or something along those lines) the first time it backed up to the new drive, Time Machine's been backing up flawlessly.

 

[jowie]

Formatting it inside the TC makes sure all the proper partitions are set up. And after checking the integrity of the backup (or something along those lines) the first time it backed up to the new drive, Time Machine's been backing up flawlessly.

Thanks for the info! I shouldn't really have been thinking of doing the whole clone thing, since I didn't do that when I transferred the files originally. So thanks for stopping me do something pointless and stupid.

I guess I don't have to do it wirelessly though... Connecting via Ethernet will be much quicker, no?

 

[skorpien]

Thanks for the info! I shouldn't really have been thinking of doing the whole clone thing, since I didn't do that when I transferred the files originally. So thanks for stopping me do something pointless and stupid.

I guess I don't have to do it wirelessly though... Connecting via Ethernet will be much quicker, no?

Of course! I just did mine wirelessly since my computer is a bit too far from the Time Capsule and I didn't feel like moving it closer. That and my backup wasn't excessively large.

 

[jowie]

Of course! I just did mine wirelessly since my computer is a bit too far from the Time Capsule and I didn't feel like moving it closer. That and my backup wasn't excessively large.

Excellent.

 

[bellco33]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I have a question. Brian33, you put a WD20EARS in your 500GB Time Capsule... I did the same thing and everything is worked perfectly except for the fact that the disk never stops cycling. The OEM hard drive would spin down after about 5 minutes of inactivity, this one will not do that. It actually creates more heat and uses more energy because of this. Are you experiencing the same problem?

 

[jowie]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I have a question. Brian33, you put a WD20EARS in your 500GB Time Capsule... I did the same thing and everything is worked perfectly except for the fact that the disk never stops cycling. The OEM hard drive would spin down after about 5 minutes of inactivity, this one will not do that. It actually creates more heat and uses more energy because of this. Are you experiencing the same problem?

Uh-oh, don't like the sound of that...

 

[Brian33]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I have a question. Brian33, you put a WD20EARS in your 500GB Time Capsule... I did the same thing and everything is worked perfectly except for the fact that the disk never stops cycling. The OEM hard drive would spin down after about 5 minutes of inactivity, this one will not do that. It actually creates more heat and uses more energy because of this. Are you experiencing the same problem?

No, no problems with mine. The new WD20EARS in the TC spins down just like the original drive did. It's less noticeable because it's so quiet, but I can tell when it's "on" or "off".

I can't imagine why yours won't spin down. Did you use the exact same model (i.e. a 2TB WD20EARS) that I used? I guess there could be firmware differences, or you somehow damaged something inside the TC, but neither seems like a likely explanation...

Brian33.

 

[chrfr]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I have a question. Brian33, you put a WD20EARS in your 500GB Time Capsule... I did the same thing and everything is worked perfectly except for the fact that the disk never stops cycling. The OEM hard drive would spin down after about 5 minutes of inactivity, this one will not do that. It actually creates more heat and uses more energy because of this. Are you experiencing the same problem?

Having the same problem here with a 1st gen 500GB upgraded with a WD15EARS. It's quite warm though I never hear the fan.

 

[carlgo]

The first generation ones, at least, overheated in part because there was little if any fan action and even then it just stirred the super-heated air around inside the case.

Somebody at Apple made the decision that making it quiet was more important than cooling.

As I understand it the power supply is what heats it up, not the hard drive.

If you want it to last you have to go through the modifications found on the internet. If it is dead you have to replace some capacitors and if it works and you want to keep it that way, you have to modify the fan.

This involves turning it around and upside down and cutting a hole in the bottom plate to allow for cool room air to be sucked in, blown over the innards and then out through the vents. The fan is also rigged to run all the time, but at around half-speed. You can hear it if it is close to you, but the unit is just warm now, not hot, and it should last a long time.

I did all this and it works. Will update to a bigger drive later.

 

[chrfr]

The first generation ones, at least, overheated in part because there was little if any fan action and even then it just stirred the super-heated air around inside the case.

This isn't an overheating issue, it's that the new disk never stops spinning, which is not how the OEM drive behaves.

 

[balamw]

This isn't an overheating issue, it's that the new disk never stops spinning, which is not how the OEM drive behaves.

It's funny because the EARS drives like to park shut down on their own and folks go to great lengths to get them to stop doing this. Could it be that someone applied one of these tweaks to your drive?
EDIT: link https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/929824/

Also, did you reattach the thermal sensor when you replaced the drive?

B

 

[bellco33]

No, no problems with mine. The new WD20EARS in the TC spins down just like the original drive did. It's less noticeable because it's so quiet, but I can tell when it's "on" or "off".

I can't imagine why yours won't spin down. Did you use the exact same model (i.e. a 2TB WD20EARS) that I used? I guess there could be firmware differences, or you somehow damaged something inside the TC, but neither seems like a likely explanation...

Brian33.

Same exact model (WD20EARS). I put the original drive back in last night, and it spins down as it should, so that eliminates damage to the Time Capsule. Did you do anything to the jumpers on the drive itself?

 

[Brian33]

Did you do anything to the jumpers on the drive itself?

Nope, didn't change anything on the drive or inside the TC either.

 

[balamw]

Nope, didn't change anything on the drive or inside the TC either.

You may want to run wdidle3 and see if the drive's settings are not what you expect.

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/tips/Disable_WDGreen_HeadParking.htm

B

 

[bellco33]

Thanks everyone. Looks like I'll be trying a different drive. It's just not functioning in the manner in which it is supposed to.

 

[jowie]

Thanks everyone. Looks like I'll be trying a different drive. It's just not functioning in the manner in which it is supposed to.

So I'm guessing the conclusion is that your drive is malfunctioning? Are you going to get a replacement?

I'm a little nervy about buying a WD Green drive now... Do you think yours is most likely a rare case?

 

[Brian33]

Yeah, bellco33, tell us if you try a different drive how it works out. It may or may not have the same problem, and it would be nice to know. Maybe you can return the drive?

And I'm wondering how you concluded it isn't spinning down -- sound? heat? vibration? Mine sits six feet away from me, and I never hear it spin down, and I can just barely hear it spin up when I access it, and that only when everything else is quiet (not often, with two kids around!). If yours is in a closet or something, or sits near another external drive that would mask the sound... I'd guess you would never hear the spin down/up change...

 

[oli912]

Hello everybody, hello bellco33,

unfortunately I have to report, that I'm having the exact same problem. Also upgraded my 500gb TC with a WD 2TB WD20EARS. Everything works fine except that the drive never spins down.
I have been searching for a solution and haven't found one so far. Really annoying. I'm also assuming (like balamw) that it might have something to do with the "ECO-spin down" features of the WD drive. Would be great to find a solution for this. I doubt that the drive is malfunctioning.
O

 

[balamw]

I just picked up three of them for my WHS server, which replaced my TC, and have my old TC taken apart. If I get a chance, I'll try it out for myself and report back.

B

 

[bellco33]

Yeah, bellco33, tell us if you try a different drive how it works out. It may or may not have the same problem, and it would be nice to know. Maybe you can return the drive?

And I'm wondering how you concluded it isn't spinning down -- sound? heat? vibration? Mine sits six feet away from me, and I never hear it spin down, and I can just barely hear it spin up when I access it, and that only when everything else is quiet (not often, with two kids around!). If yours is in a closet or something, or sits near another external drive that would mask the sound... I'd guess you would never hear the spin down/up change...

It's too quiet to hear, and I have really good hearing and 0 kids . It sitting by itself, away from anything else that may cause vibration, with no other NAS drives plugged into the USB port. The only way I can tell is by putting my hand on top of the Time Capsule. You can feel it vibrate slightly (not enough to be audible, but just from the head spinning. You can also hear it when the OEM drive parks or starts up again, that is very audible.

I just put in a 150GB WD (non green series) SATA hard drive that I had sitting around to test this. It spins down if not in use for more than 2ish minutes. So this is NOT the case of Apple putting firmware directly on the OEM drives to allow them to spin down. I believe this is specific to the EARS drives. Brian33, maybe you have a special one (or one that is defective but in a beneficial way) or perhaps you haven't put your hand on it recently. When it is not being accessed, it should be very cool with absolutely no vibration. Chrfr and oli912 are reporting the same problem as me...you're the exception. I just wish we could figure out why yours is working and ours are not. What model number is yours (on the bottom of the TC)? Mine is A1254.

 

[bellco33]

Nope, spoke to soon. Still isn't working

 

[Brian33]

Very strange!

I checked mine again, and although the drive is very quiet, I can definitely hear it spin up when I mount the TC internal disk using finder, and then spin down again after 2 to 3 minutes. I also felt the tiny vibration stop at the same time it spun down. So, I'm confident mine is acting the way we want.

BTW, when my TC is not being accessed it is not "very cool" to the touch; it's not very warm either, but it is noticeably warm. I think this is normal and is a result of the power supply heat.

I didn't see a model number on the bottom and I was too lazy to unplug all the cables to check the back of the unit. Airport Utility tells me the serial number is 6F81452UYZV, if that's any use.

 

[jowie]

When it is not being accessed, it should be very cool with absolutely no vibration.

Very cool? Really? My TC runs hot to the touch even when the hard drive hasn't been spinning for hours. And mine's un-modded and therefore very obvious to tell when the HD is spinning!

Are you testing the temperature of the disk itself with the cover off, or are you saying that your whole unit is cool when the HD isn't spinning?