Whos is still running active hard drive protection?

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Logi7 · #1 Post by **Logi7** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 1:18 pm

If find it makes startup liek 10 seconds longer, just sitting there staring at my wallpaper before explorer even starts

plus i fugure if my HDD ever breaks ill just call up big blue and flaunt my warranty

if so what setting do you have it at?

primedude · #2 Post by **primedude** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 1:25 pm

So you're making nightly backups? Or are you expecting IBM to pay for costly data recovery after you drop your laptop?

I'm not saying Active Protection is the be-all, end-all to data protection, but there's more to losing a hard drive than just the hardware. Ten seconds at startup seems like a reasonable price to pay for increased protection.

Flightvector · #3 Post by **Flightvector** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 1:42 pm

I leave it off when using my notebook at home since it is always on a table. But I will always turn it on when travelling with it just to give it a use. If it may just save my data from a drop, it is worth using. But sometimes, oddly, I just wonder if I just want to be able to use that nifty accelerometer for the heck of it...how many notebooks have those?

But I really want to tap into this data, I wished APS could give me a real-time readout of the acceleration and a graph that could be plotted. Even its ability to sense orientation (maybe a small piezo system??) makes me wonder just all the ways I could use this data

. While typing away in the airplane I can tell whether the pilot is doing a good job, measure acceleration due to turbulence, or even compare acceleration rates between different jetliners!

Ok, getting a bit carried away, but I do think that automatically parking the array reading head can create a real benefit to protecting data. In that manner it is not all a gimmick, and rightfully so, because IT data loss and damage is getting to be a larger issue nowadays. Warranty may be able figure out if damage is accidental and then refuse service, and that still doesn't give me back my lost data. So it is better to use something than nothing when travelling.

Conmee · #4 Post by **Conmee** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 2:30 pm

I haven't timed my system, but I keep APS running all the time, and it doesn't seem to interfere with defragmenting or booting. I'm also using a retail WinXP installation too, so I'm not sure what the problems are with APS. I'll do some tests and time my boot results. I find that more often than not, it's the Access Connections applet that causes some delay because it's applying settings to the network cards and default IE pages and printers.

Daniel.

#5 Post by **jdhurst** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 2:38 pm

I agree with Conmee that APS does not interfere with the system. I have mine running all the time. It takes no time to load, is transparent in daily operation, and does not appear to use any significant resources. I am one of the unfortunate persons that lost an early 60Gb hard drive to APS, so I watch it very carefully. Seems to be fine now and I like the insurance.

Now that I have recently gone wireless as well as wired, Access Connections sure does slow down the startup, even it does not interfere with normal operation.

It takes my T41 about 4 minutes to start. So I start it, forget it for five minutes and then use it. It performs wonderfully well and fast.
... JDHurst

cjsuh · #6 Post by **cjsuh** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 2:45 pm

JDhurst,

What do you mean, you lost a 60GB hard drive to APS? Is there something with APS that can possibly ruin a HD?

Greg Gebhardt · #7 Post by **Greg Gebhardt** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 2:55 pm

I have never turned mine off on my 2373KXU and R50. Worked fine for me, no problems.

I have always been very happy with the speed my TPs boot up.

Conmee · #8 Post by **Conmee** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 2:55 pm

There were some problems with the 60GB drives that had an early controller BIOS and in conjunction with APS could crash or worse... I believe that's what JD's talking about... With the latest versions of APS shipping and the latest 60GB drives, that problem has been resolved.

Daniel.

#9 Post by **jdhurst** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 3:04 pm

Yes, that is what I was referring to. Thank you Conmee. It was most disconcerting. I put the Laptop on the floor, went to the kitchen, came back and it was gone. Never have I lost a drive so quickly. Even bad drives, I was able to copy data off somewhere else before replacing the drive and rebuilding. Not this one - 100% one instant, gone the next. Thankfully both Drives and APS have long been since repaired by Hitachi and IBM. There is a diskinfo tool that I think I got from Hitachi that reports on firmware *and* says that no updates are required if that is the case. .... JDHurst

ian · #10 Post by **ian** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 3:54 pm

What on earth is the point of having an ACTIVE protection system when it's inactive - I type pretty quickly but I doubt that I'd be able to activate the protection system just before a fall...

This is a nonsense - do what you will - my APS is going to remain active guarantee or no guarantee

meditate2001 · #11 Post by **meditate2001** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 5:59 pm

i havent got my t42 now, i am still with my t40, so i have no clue about aps, but it is inside the notebook so that you can use any harddrive you want or should it be an ibm/hit. drive ?

awolfe63 · #12 Post by **awolfe63** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 6:07 pm

It is inside the notebook. I think it works with any modern drive.

Chun-Yu · #13 Post by **Chun-Yu** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:06 pm

IBM claims that the drives are "specially modified" so according to them you need a drive from them. I can't say I've ever tried it with a non-IBM drive though, so who knows.

Conmee · #14 Post by **Conmee** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 8:02 am

I've used the 60GB and 80GB Toshiba drives with 16MB caches (MK6022GAX and 80xxGAX models) and their heads also park briefly during jolts/sudden motion when installed in a T41/T42. So I believe it's drive independent... once the accelerometer detects enough motion, the APS application sends a 'park heads' command to the drive via the IDE interface. So if the drive supports whatever the 'park heads' command is, it will work. I can get more precise/technical, but that would require me actually having to look the info up online. lol...

Daniel.

plucky duck · #15 Post by **plucky duck** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 9:48 am

I have mine turned off. Even on the lowest setting it reacts when I have it on my lap in bed with slight movements. Most of the time it's sitting on my lap or on my table at home, so it's not really needed.

hmphargh · #16 Post by **hmphargh** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:24 pm

I think someone should use the system to create a game, maybe a pinball or puzzle game where you have to roll the ball through a series of mazes. anyone? anyone?

Chun-Yu · #17 Post by **Chun-Yu** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 4:28 pm

Flightvector wrote:I leave it off when using my notebook at home since it is always on a table. But I will always turn it on when travelling with it just to give it a use. If it may just save my data from a drop, it is worth using. But sometimes, oddly, I just wonder if I just want to be able to use that nifty accelerometer for the heck of it...how many notebooks have those?

Besides the ThinkPad, I know that the Toshiba M20x tablets have accelerometers, but they are not used for active HD protection, but instead to let you shake the tablet to do stuff like switch programs (stupid, I know...especially since this just gets people to shake it while it doesn't have any active HD protection).

JaimitoBond · #18 Post by **JaimitoBond** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 10:54 pm

plucky duck wrote:Most of the time it's sitting on my lap or on my table at home, so it's not really needed.

I have trouble understanding the logic of people who don't use it because it is on a table or whatever. The whole point is that if you drop it, like off your table or lap, the APS will make it less likely to lose the data. So unless it is mounted on to some thing sturdy, like a port replicator, it should be on.

If you simply don't believe in IBM's APS, then sure turn it off. But you did paid for the technology.

G2007 · #19 Post by **G2007** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 3:22 pm

Has anyone with the "short fan" noticed that the surging noise is significantly reduced when active protection is off?

Whos is still running active hard drive protection?

Are you still running active protection?

Whos is still running active hard drive protection?

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