Re: Drive failure common at 1-year mark?

> I have never had a problem getting Seagate replaced by filling out a form online (only).  And never once have the drives been in a Windows machine.  They have either been in unix servers or in Macs.  Most in unix servers.  I just describe the problem in the online form, get their labels they provide online, and send it in.   A few weeks later a new (or refurb) drive shows up.
> 
> I used to avoid WD due to some bad experiences back "in the day".  However, lately I have added them to my list of drives I buy.  My seagates also have 5 year warranties.  I only buy the "enterprise" versions of drives.

I have had trouble withi Seagate but perhaps my expectations are different.

I bought 4 "green" 1TB retail drives (at different times) to put in RAID enclosures. First went bad in about 3 months. Went through the procedure, sent it back, UPS showed it delivered, Seagate took like a week to figure out that it was somewhere between the loading dock and whomever marks it as having been received (and I had used their RMA label). Then ensued many promises, broken, about when they would provide a replacement. I think the whole experience ended up taking almost 2 months (I was travelling during some of that time so had to make sure there was an alternate delivery address). There wasn't a lot of money involved, there was significant inconvenience (I wouldn't run the RAID with the single drive), but the most impressive thing was Seagate's attitude, they seemed to consider this all business as usual.

When the second and third drives went (which I believe was around the one-year mark), I figured it wasn't nearly worth my time and trouble to return them. Bought replacement Samsung's for a lower price than the Seagates were selling at, I've had no problems with them. So this is my workaround for the foreseeable.

Won't go near a Seagate retail product and I recommend against them to friends. Barracuda used to be a premium product, no longer. I do still buy the enterprise products, although I'm looking to get off them.

	Tom