[ubuntu-za] Seagate support for Ubuntu

[Hannes Coetzee]

David Robert Lewis wrote:
> Charles Oertel wrote:
>> Dear David
>>
>> David Robert Lewis wrote:
>>   
>>> I purchased a Seagate Barracude 500GB SATA internal drive from Chaos 
>>> Computers last month and formatted it NTFS thinking this would be a safe 
>>> option.
>>>   
>>>     
>> I presume you mean 'safe' as in easy to use on Windows machines and 
>> Linux, from a compatibility perspective?  I would not trust NTFS as a 
>> filesystem per se.  Also, since it is proprietary, and Microsoft has 
>> been less than forthcoming with the specs of the API, the linux support 
>> for writing to NTFS is not reliable.  (This may have changed, but even 
>> if it has it most probably is not yet completely bedded down).
>>
>>   
>>> am now stuck with the problem of not 
>>> trusting the drive or the combination of the drive and Ubuntu. There is 
>>> absolutely no support for Ubuntu from Seagate,
>>>   
>>>     
>> Was the problem a filesystem or a hardware error?  If hardware, don't 
>> trust the drive.  If filesystem, use ext3 or something we know is robust.
>>
>>   
>>> How can I insure this doesn't happen again?
>>>     
>> Don't use NTFS on Ubuntu.
>>
>>   
>>> Should I take the drive back 
>>> to the shop?
>>>   
>>>     
>> If there are hardware errors yes.  Get them to prove the drive is OK.
>>
>> regards
>> Charles Oertel
>>
>>   
> Thanks for the advice. Needed some direction > Return Drive > Test > Any 
> New Drive = Ext3
> 
> d.
> 

Before you ditch Seagate... Seagate is and always has been the most 
reliable drives on the market. In my 13+ years of working with computers 
I've seen countless drives from other manufacturers fail but Seagate 
seems to be the only drives one can rely on. I've only seen 2 Seagate 
drives fail before the 5 years guarantee was over (I suspect it was 
mishandling on the clients part). I still have a working Seagate ST-238 
& I often see working 1GB Seagate drives. They also offer the longest 
guarantee (5 years) as far as I know and I personally won't store my 
information on any other drives.

PS: Blaming Seagate for NTFS problems is like blaming Pick 'n Pay when 
you burn bacon & eggs. :)

Regards
Hannes