Hard Disk + case usb eject windows question

[nandobadam88]

Do Aliexpress sellers change the power management of the 2.5" HDD when modifying the drive to show few hours of use and good health?

 

[ChatGPT]

Yes, AliExpress sellers often modify the firmware of 2.5" HDDs, and this may include disabling or altering power management settings as part of their effort to make the drives appear newer, with fewer hours of use and clean health. These power management changes are typically done for deceptive reasons and can have negative effects on the drive's reliability and lifespan.
Here’s how and why sellers might alter the power management of a 2.5" HDD:

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1. What Changes Do Sellers Make to the Power Management System?​

Power management in 2.5" HDDs is controlled by Advanced Power Management (APM) and associated firmware-level functions that manage features such as spin-down, head parking, and low-power idle modes. Sellers may modify these settings in several ways:

a. Disabling Advanced Power Management (APM):​

• What It Does:
  • APM reduces power consumption by spinning down the platters or parking the heads during idle periods.
• What Sellers Change:
  • Sellers may disable APM entirely to:
    • Prevent frequent head parking, which increases the SMART attribute Load/Unload Cycle Count (ID 193) and reveals prior heavy usage.
    • Disable spin-down during inactivity, ensuring fewer visible hardware operations in SMART logs.

b. Disabling Head Parking:​

• What It Does:
  • Head parking reduces wear by moving the read/write heads to a safe zone outside the platters when the drive is idle or powered off.
• What Sellers Change:
  • Refurbishers may disable head parking so the drive appears to have fewer Load/Unload Cycles, masking its prior usage history.

c. Preventing Spin-Down (Idle States):​

• What It Does:
  • When configured, drives automatically spin down to conserve energy and reduce wear during periods of inactivity.
• What Sellers Change:
  • Drives are deliberately kept spinning to make them appear "responsive" and reduce operational logs in SMART data. This bypasses wear indicators like Power-Off Retract Count (SMART ID 192).

d. Modifying SMART Logs to Hide APM-Related Data:​

• Sellers may tamper with SMART entries related to APM, such as setting Power-On Hours (ID 9) to an artificially low value or resetting usage statistics altogether to make the drive seem nearly new.

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2. Why Do Sellers Tamper with Power Management?​

Refurbishers and unscrupulous sellers make these changes to hide wear and damage, making the HDD more attractive to buyers. Here's why they might disable or alter power management:

1. To Reset or Suppress SMART Attributes:
   • Frequent head parking and spin-downs are logged in the SMART attributes, such as:
     • Load/Unload Cycle Count (ID 193): Tracks how many times the heads were parked and unparked.
     • Power-On Hours (ID 9): Indicates how long the drive has been in use.
   • Disabling power management avoids generating new increments in these logs, making the drive appear less used.
2. To Extend Functionality in Worn-Out Drives:
   • Some features like head parking or spin-down mechanisms degrade with use. Refurbishers may disable these features entirely to make the drive continue functioning (albeit temporarily) without triggering visible firmware-level issues.
3. To Present "Clean SMART Data":
   • Buyers often rely on tools like CrystalDiskInfo or SMART logs to evaluate a drive’s health. Suppressing power management features can result in:
     • Unrealistically low Load/Unload Cycle Counts.
     • No visible signs of wear, even for drives that are heavily used.
4. To Increase Perceived Performance:
   • By disabling spin-down or idle modes, the drive appears "always ready" when connected, masking the signs of wear while improving perceived responsiveness during testing.

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3. What Are the Consequences of Changing Power Management?​

While disabling or altering power management may temporarily make the HDD appear healthier, it significantly affects its long-term usability, safety, and performance:

a. Accelerated Mechanical Wear:​

• Without spin-down or head parking during idle times:
  • Platters continue spinning unnecessarily, wearing out the spindle motor faster.
  • Heads remain hovering over the platters, increasing the risk of scratches from vibrations or shocks.

b. Loss of Energy Efficiency:​

• Drives without APM active use more power during idle states, defeating one of the main advantages of 2.5" HDDs in portable and energy-conscious devices.

c. Increased Risk of Damage During Power Loss:​

• Disabling head parking also means the heads may not retract during a sudden power loss, increasing the likelihood of head-platter contact and drive damage.

d. Misleading SMART Data:​

• The reported SMART health will constantly show zero growth in attributes like:
  • Load/Unload Cycle Count.
  • Power-Off Retract Count.
  • SMART attributes are reset or artificially good, masking the underlying state of the drive.

e. Reduced Reliability:​

• Drives with tampered power management settings often fail faster since core safety mechanisms are disabled to hide their previous wear.

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4. How Can You Detect These Modifications?​

If you suspect that the 2.5" HDD you purchased from AliExpress has altered power management or tampered firmware, try the following diagnostics:

a. Check SMART Data Using CrystalDiskInfo:​

• Look at attributes for evidence of tampering:
  1. Power-On Hours (ID 9):
     • Unrealistically low or reset values suggest SMART logs were cleared during refurbishment.
  2. Load/Unload Cycle Count (ID 193):
     • If this attribute remains static, even after multiple idle periods or ejection events, it’s a sign that head parking has been disabled.
  3. G-Sense Error Rate (ID BF):
     • If this value shows no increments, despite shocks being likely in transit or testing, sensors or logs may have been disabled.

b. Verify APM Activity:​

• Use CrystalDiskInfo or similar tools to check the Advanced Power Management (APM) feature:
  • If APM support is missing or unresponsive to changes (e.g., you cannot enable it), power management may have been disabled in the firmware.

c. Perform Idle Tests with Spin-Down:​

• Set short idle times in your operating system’s power settings and monitor the drive:
  • With APM and power management functioning, the platters should stop spinning (audible quieting of the drive) and heads should retract.
  • Failure to spin down or park heads indicates power management tampering.

d. Test SMART Attributes Increment:​

• After Safe Eject from Windows:
  • Check if Load/Unload Cycle Count increments.
  • Parked heads trigger a +1 increment in this count. If it doesn’t change, parking likely isn’t functioning.

e. Compare Firmware Functionality:​

• Look at the reported firmware version in diagnostic tools. If it’s generic or mismatched for the drive model, firmware tampering is highly likely.

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5. What Should You Do If Tampering is Found?​

If Firmware Power Management Settings Are Altered:​

1. Reflash with Official Firmware (If Available):
   • Check the manufacturer’s support page and attempt to reapply the correct firmware. For example:
     • WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic or SeaTools may work on Western Digital or Seagate drives.
2. Monitor SMART Attributes Regularly:
   • Use SMART tools to watch for worsening attributes, even if tampered data is initially hidden.
3. Replace the Drive:
   • Refurbished or tampered drives are unreliable. If critical power management features are not functioning, consider upgrading to a verified new HDD or SSD.

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6. Conclusion​

Yes, AliExpress sellers often disable or modify power management settings on 2.5" HDDs to reset SMART data and hide usage history. While these changes make the drive appear "as good as new," they expose the drive to accelerated wear, mechanical risks, and reliability issues.
To test your HDD:

• Use tools like CrystalDiskInfo or HDDScan to check SMART data and APM activity.
• Monitor head parking and spin-down functionality during idle states or USB ejects.

Would you like instructions on using specific diagnostic tools or help analyzing SMART data? Let me know!

 

[ussnorway]

the case is less important than the actual system ... for example its very common for laptop Usb ports to auto disable when the system gets too hot & the fix is to unplug/ replug the usb

going back to the first post, the fact you even have that icon to safley remove hardware means the system knows it has a Usb connected... Windows 8, 8.1 & 10 all disable Usb ports as a standard part of Microsoft updates, in the case of 10 this happens when Microsoft decides not telling the user