Maxtor QUICKVIEW ATA User Manual

QuickView 400/500GB  
Serial ATA Product Manual  
January 13, 2006  
Part Number: 000001931  
®
®
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Publication Number: Part Number: 000001931  
Before You Begin  
Thank you for your interest in Maxtors QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA hard disk drives. This  
manual provides technical information for OEM engineers and systems integrators regarding the  
installation and use of Maxtor Serial ATA hard drives. Please do not remove or cover up Maxtor  
factory-installed drive labels. They contain information required should the drive ever need  
repair. Drive repair should be performed only at an authorized repair center. For repair informa-  
tion, contact the Maxtor Product Support Center at 1-800-2MAXTOR.  
CAUTION: Maxtor hard drives are precision products. Failure to follow these precautions and  
guidelines outlined here may lead to product failure, damage and invalidation of all  
warranties.  
1 BEFORE unpacking or handling a drive, take all proper electrostatic discharge (ESD)  
precautions, including personnel and equipment grounding. Stand-alone drives are  
sensitive to ESD damage.  
2 BEFORE removing drives from their packing material, allow them to reach room  
temperature.  
3 During handling, NEVER drop, jar, or bump a drive.  
4 Once a drive is removed from the Maxtor shipping container, IMMEDIATELY secure  
the drive through its mounting holes within a chassis. Otherwise, store the drive on a  
padded, grounded, antistatic surface. NEVER stack hard drives. This may cause dam-  
age to the drive.  
Corporate Headquarters:  
500 McCarthy Blvd.  
Milpitas, California 95035  
Tel: 408-894-5000  
Fax: 408-362-4740  
Table of Contents  
Chapter 1  
INTRODUCTION  
1.1 AUDIENCE.................................................................................................. 1-1  
1.2 MANUAL ORGANIZATION..................................................................... 1-1  
1.3 TERMINOLOGY AND CONVENTIONS ................................................ 1-2  
1.4 REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 1-3  
Chapter 2  
GENERAL DESCRIPTION  
2.1 PRODUCT OVERVIEW ............................................................................ 2-1  
2.2 KEY FEATURES.......................................................................................... 2-1  
2.3 REGULATORY COMPLIANCE STANDARDS....................................... 2-3  
2.4 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS.............................................................. 2-4  
INSTALLATION  
3.3.2 Data Transfer Rates ................................................................................3-4  
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive i  
Table of Contents  
SATA BUS INTERFACE AND ATA COMMANDS  
SERVICE AND SUPPORT  
ii Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Introduction  
Chapter 1  
INTRODUCTION  
This chapter gives an overview of the contents of this manual, including the intended  
audience, how the manual is organized, terminology, conventions, and references.  
1.1  
1.2  
AUDIENCE  
The QuickView 400/500 Serial ATA hard disk drive product manual is intended for  
several audiences. These audiences will include: the end user, installers, developers,  
consumer electronics and personal computer original equipment manufacturers (CE/  
PC OEM), and distributors. This manual provides information about installation,  
principles of operation, interface command implementation, service and support.  
MANUAL ORGANIZATION  
This manual is organized into the following chapters:  
• Chapter 1 – Introduction  
• Chapter 2 – General Description  
• Chapter 3 – Installation  
• Chapter 4 – Product Specifications  
• Chapter 5 – SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
• Chapter 6 – Service and Support  
• Appendix A – Breaking the 137-Gigabyte Storage Barrier  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 1-1  
Introduction  
1.3  
TERMINOLOGY AND CONVENTIONS  
In the Glossary at the back of this manual, you can find definitions for many of the  
terms used in this manual. In addition, the following abbreviations are used in this  
manual:  
• ASIC  
• ATA  
• Bels  
• bpi  
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit  
Advanced Technology Attachment  
sound power units  
bits per inch  
• DA  
Double Amplitude (represents pk-pk shaker displacement  
decibels  
• dB  
• dBA  
• DPS  
• ECC  
decibels, A weighted  
Data Protection System  
Error Correcting Code  
• Gbit/s gigabits per second  
• GB gigabyte  
• G/rms root means square  
• Hz  
hertz  
• Kfci  
• KB  
• LSB  
• mA  
• MB  
thousands of flux changes per inch  
kilobytes  
Least Significant Bit  
milliamperes  
Megabytes (1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes when referring to disk  
transfer rates or storage capacities and 1,048,576 bytes in all  
other cases)  
• Mb/s  
• MB/s  
• MHz  
• ms  
Megabits per second  
Megabytes per second  
Megahertz  
milliseconds  
• MSB  
• mV  
• ns  
Most Significant Bit  
millivolts  
nanoseconds  
• PC  
Personal Computer  
• SATA Serial ATA Interface  
• tpi tracks per inch  
1-2 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Introduction  
• µs  
• V  
microseconds  
Volts  
The typographical and naming conventions used in this manual are listed below.  
Conventions that are unique to a specific table appear in the notes that follow that  
table.  
Typographical Conventions:  
Names of Bits: Bit names are presented in initial capitals. An example  
is the Host Software Reset bit.  
Commands: Interface commands are listed in all capitals. An example  
is WRITE LONG.  
Register Names:Registers are given in this manual with initial capitals.  
An example is the Alternate Status Register.  
Parameters: Parameters are given as initial capitals when spelled out,  
and are given as all capitals when abbreviated. Examples are Prefetch  
Enable (PE), and Cache Enable (CE).  
Hexadecimal Notation:The hexadecimal notation is given in 9-point  
subscript form. An example is 30H.  
Signal Negation: A signal name that is defined as active low is listed  
with a minus sign following the signal. An example is RD–.  
Messages: A message that is sent from the drive to the host is listed in  
all capitals. An example is ILLEGAL COMMAND.  
Naming Conventions:  
Host: In general, the system in which the drive resides is referred to as  
the host.  
Computer Voice: This refers to items you type at the computer  
keyboard. These items are listed in 10-point, all capitals, Courier font.  
An example is FORMAT C:/S.  
1.4  
REFERENCES  
For additional information about the SATA interface, refer to the latest revision of the  
AT Attachment-7 with Packet Interface (ATA/ATAPI). For additional information  
about the Serial ATA interface, refer to the latest specifications on the internet at  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 1-3  
General Description  
Chapter 2  
GENERAL DESCRIPTION  
Serial ATA is a high-speed link replacement for the Parallel ATA attachment of mass  
storage devices. The serial link employed is a high-speed differential layer that utilizes  
Gigabit technology and 8b/10b encoding. This chapter will provide you with an  
overview of key features of the QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA hard disk drive,  
performance data, reliability, and versatility data. Performance and installation data are  
provided in chapters 3 and 4 respectively.  
2.1  
PRODUCT OVERVIEW  
Maxtor is the one of the industry leader’s in developing Serial ATA (SATA) and  
providing SATA hard drives in volume.  
Serial ATA provides faster data transfer speeds, more bandwidth, more potential  
for speed increases in future generations and better data integrity. Serial ATA  
hardware is smaller and more compact than traditional Parallel ATA componets.  
A powerful command set and hot plug feature make SATA very attractive for  
ATA RAID applications.  
With a maximum external (burst) data transfer speed of 300MB per second, the  
1.5Gb Serial ATA interface speed is doubled to maximize drive throughput for  
future growth in drive transfer rates supporting data intensive environments. The  
QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drive features an embedded hard disk drive  
controller, and uses SATA commands to optimize system performance. Because  
the drive manages media defects and error recovery internally, these operations  
are fully transparent to the user.  
The innovative design of the QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drive incorporates  
leading edge technologies with transfer speeds up to 300MB/second, Advanced  
Cache Management, Shock Protection System (SPS), Data Protection System (DPS),  
and Quiet Drive Technology (QDT). These enhanced technologies enable Maxtor to  
produce a family of high-performance, high-reliability drives.  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
2-1  
General Description  
2.2  
KEY FEATURES  
The QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drive includes the following key features:  
General  
• Low profile, 1-inch height  
• Emulation of IBM® PC AT® task file register, and all AT fixed disk commands  
• Windows NT2000, XP, Server, and Media Center Edition certification  
• Thin cables for easy routing and improved cooling  
• 1 meter cable length for increased design and layout flexibility  
• Connectors designed for blind mate and hot plug  
• Reduced pin count to enable RAID scalability  
• Point-to-Point host to device connection  
• Low voltages  
• Interface power control features  
• Easy installation/configuration (plug/play,no jumpers, no external terminators)  
• Command optimization  
• Native Command Queuing using First Party DMA  
Performance  
• Average seek time of <12 ms  
• 300MB/s interface data transfer rate  
• Average rotational latency of 4.17 ms  
• Serial ATA interface with transfer speeds up to 300MB per second  
• 16MB Cache buffer  
• Look-ahead DisCache feature with continuous prefetch and WriteCache  
write-buffering capabilities  
• AutoTask Register update, Multi-block AutoRead, and Multi-block  
AutoWrite features in a custom ASIC  
• Read-on-arrival firmware  
• Quadruple-burst ECC, and double burst ECC on-the-fly  
• 1:1 interleave on read/write operations  
• Adaptive cache segmentation  
• 100% FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing Motors)  
2-2 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
General Description  
Reliability  
• 1.0 million hours mean time expected until failure (MTTF)  
• Automatic retry on read errors  
• S.M.A.R.T. 4 (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology)  
• Transparent media defect mapping  
• High performance, in-line defective sector skipping  
• Reassignment of defective sectors discovered in the field, without reformatting  
• Data Protection System to verify drive integrity  
• Quiet Drive Technology (QDT)  
2.3  
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE STANDARDS  
Maxtor Corporation’s disk drive products meet all domestic and international product  
safety regulatory compliance requirements. Maxtor’s disk drive products conform to  
the following specifically marked Product Safety Standards:  
• Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Standard 1950. This certificate is a  
category certification pertaining to all 3.5-inch series drives models.  
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standard C.22.2 No. 1950. This  
certificate is a category certification pertaining to all 3.5-inch series  
drives models.  
• TUV Rheinland Standard EN60 950. This certificate is a category  
certification pertaining to all 3.5-inch series drives models.  
• Korean EMC certifications are issued by Radio Research laboratory (RPL),  
which is organized under the Ministry of Information and Communications  
(MIC). EMC testing includes electromagnetic emissions (EMI) and  
susceptibility (EMS). Certified equipment is labeled with the MIC mark and  
certification number.  
Product EMI/EMS Qualifications:  
• CE Mark authorization is granted by TUV Rheinland in compliance  
with our qualifying under EN 55022:1994 and EN 50082-1:1997.  
• C-Tick Mark is an Australian authorization marked noted on Maxtor’s  
disk drive products. The mark proves conformity to the regulatory  
compliance document AS/NZS 3548: 1995 and BS EN 55022: 1995.  
• Maxtor’s disk drives are designed as a separate subassembly that conforms to the  
FCC Rules for Radiated and Conducted emissions, Part 15 Subpart J; Class B  
when installed in a given computer system.  
• Approval from Taiwan BSMI. Number: D33019  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
2-3  
General Description  
2.4  
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS  
The QuickView Serial ATA Serial ATA hard disk drive is compatible with the IBM  
PC AT, and other computers that are compatible with the IBM PC AT. It connects  
to the PC either by means of a third-partySATA adapter board, or by plugging a cable  
from the drive directly into a PC motherboard that supplies SATA interface.  
2-4 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Installation  
Chapter 3  
INSTALLATION  
This chapter explains how to unpack, configure, mount, and connect the Maxtor  
QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drive prior to operation. It also explains how to start  
up, format, and operate the drive.  
3.1  
SPACE REQUIREMENTS  
Figure 3-1 shows the external dimensions of the QuickView Serial ATA hard disk  
drive. For more information please refer to Chapter 4 for product specifications.  
Figure 3-1 Mechanical Dimensions of the QuickView Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
3-1  
     
Installation  
3.2  
UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS  
CAUTION: The maximum limits for physical shock can be exceeded if the  
drive is not handled properly. Special care should be  
taken not to bump or drop the drive. It is highly recommended  
that QuickView Serial ATA Serial ATA drives are not stacked or  
placed on any hard surface after they are unpacked. Such handling  
could and will cause media damage.  
CAUTION: During shipment and handling, the antistatic electrostatic dis-  
charge (ESD) bag prevents electronic component  
damage due to electrostatic discharge. To avoid accidental dam-  
age to the drive, do not use a sharp instrument to open the ESD  
bag and do not touch Printed Circuit Board components. Save  
the packing materials for possible future use.  
1. Grounded wrist straps should be worn when opening the ESD bag.  
2. Three layer runners should be installed on every table and bench where the  
product is processed while still vulnerable to ESD.  
3. Open the shipping container and remove the packing assembly that  
contains the drive.  
4. Remove the drive from the packing assembly.  
5. Always handle the disk drive from the sides.  
6. Do not touch the circuit board.  
7. Never stack the disk drives on top of one another nor store them on their  
sides.  
8. When you are ready to install the drive, remove it from the ESD bag.  
3-2 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
 
Installation  
Figure 3-2 20-Pack Shipping Container  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
3-3  
 
Installation  
3.3  
Hardware Options  
3.3.1  
Serial ATA Interface Connector  
The Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA hard disk drive ships with 2 no  
connect (NC) pins for the purpose of storing a jumper when not in use. For normal  
operations, no action is necessary. However, if your motherboard does not support  
the Gen. II (3Gbps) data rate, you will need to limit the data transfer rate by  
transferring the jumper to the pins as shown in Figure 3-3 and Figure 3-4.  
Normal operation (3Gbps)  
Limit Data Transfer Rate (1.5Gbps)  
Figure 3-3 Data Transfer Rate Jumper Pin Options  
3-4 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
     
Installation  
Figure 3-4 The QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Interface Connector  
3.3.2  
3.3.3  
Serial ATA Bus Connector  
Some PC motherboards have a built in Serial ATA connector. These Serial ATA  
connectors are compatible with QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drives. If the  
motherboard has a Serial ATA connector, simply connect a 7 pin Serial ATA cable  
between the drive and the motherboard. See Figure 3-4  
Adapter Board  
If you do not have a built-in Serial ATA interface connector, you must install a Serial  
ATA adapter board and connecting cable to allow the drive to interface with your  
system. Maxtor does not supply such an adapter board, but they are available from  
several third-party vendors.  
Please carefully read the instruction manual that comes with your adapter board to  
ensure signal compatibility between the adapter board and the drive. Also, make sure  
that the adapter board jumper settings are appropriate.  
There are total of 7 pins in the signal segment and 15 pins in the power segment.  
The pin definitions are shown in the following table (Table 3-1). Note that the pin  
is numbered from the pin furthest from the power segment.  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
3-5  
     
Installation  
Table 3-1 Device plug connector pin definition  
Signal Segment Key  
nd  
Signal  
segment  
S1  
S2  
S3  
S4  
S5  
S6  
S7  
Ground  
A+  
2
Mate  
Differential signal pair A from Phy  
A-  
nd  
Ground  
B-  
2
Mate  
Differential signal pair B from Phy  
B+  
nd  
Ground  
2
Mate  
Signal Segment “L”  
Central Connector Polarizer  
Power Segment “L”  
Open  
Power  
segment  
P1  
P2  
P3  
P4  
P5  
P6  
P7  
P8  
P9  
P10  
P11  
Open  
Open  
st  
Ground  
Ground  
Ground  
1 mate  
nd  
2
2
mate  
mate  
nd  
nd  
V
V
V
5V power, pre-charge, 2 mate  
5V power  
5
5
5
5V power  
nd  
Ground  
2
mate  
Staggered  
Spin/LED  
1. Pin 11, before PHY initialization, is used  
to detect staggered spin up. If Pin 11 is  
grounded Drives spin up on power. If Pin 11  
is no-connect, the drive will not spin up  
until host initiates the PHY initialization rou-  
tine.  
2. Pin 11, after PHY initialization, is used  
for driving LED Activity. The device pro-  
vides a low voltage-current driver to drive  
the LED activity signal.  
st  
P12  
P13  
P14  
P15  
Ground  
1 mate  
nd  
V
V
V
12V power, pre-charge, 2 mate  
12  
12  
12  
12V power  
12V power  
Power Segment Key  
3-6 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
 
Installation  
The following points should be noted:  
All pins are in a single row, with a 1.27 mm (.050”) pitch.  
• The comments on the mating sequence apply to the case of backplane  
blindmate connector only. In this case, the mating sequences are: (1) the  
ground pins P4 and P12; (2) the pre-charge power pins and the other  
ground pins; and (3) the signal pins and the rest of the power pins.  
• There are three power pins for each voltage. One pin from each voltage  
is used for precharge in the backplane blind-mate situation.  
• If a device uses 5.0 V, then all V5 pins must be terminated. Otherwise,  
it is optional to terminate any of the V5 pins.  
• If a device uses 12.0 V, then all V12 pins must be terminated. Otherwise,  
it is optional to terminate any of the V12 pins.  
3.4  
ATA Bus Interface Connector (J1, Section C)  
On the QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drives, the Serial ATA bus interface cable  
connector (J1, section C) is a standard 7-pin Serial ATA. See Figure 3-4.  
To prevent the possibility of incorrect installation, the connector has been keyed.  
This ensures that a connector cannot be installed upside down.  
3.5  
MOUNTING  
Drive mounting orientation, clearance, and ventilation requirements are described  
in the following subsections.  
3.5.1  
Orientation  
The mounting holes on the QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drives allow the drive  
to be mounted in any orientation. Figure 3-5 and Figure 3-6 show the location of  
the three mounting holes on each side of the drive. The drive can also be mounted  
using the four mounting hole locations on the PCB side of the drive. Mounting  
dimensions are shown in Figure 3-6.  
Note: It is highly recommended that the drive is hard mounted on to  
the chassis of the system being used for general operation, as well  
as for test purposes. Failure to hard mount the drive can result in  
erroneous errors during testing.  
Drives can be mounted in any orientation. Normal position is  
with the PCB facing down.  
All dimensions are in millimeters. For mounting, #6-32 UNC screws are  
recommended.  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
3-7  
     
Installation  
Figure 3-5 Mounting Screw Clearance and Mounting Screw Locations  
3-8 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
 
Installation  
Figure 3-6 QuickView Serial ATA Mounting Dimensions  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
3-9  
 
Installation  
CAUTION: The PCB is very close to the mounting holes. Do not exceed  
the specified length for the mounting screws. The specified  
screw length allows full use of the mounting hole threads,  
while avoiding damaging or placing unwanted stress on the  
PCB. The QuickView Serial ATA specifies the minimum  
clearance between the PCB and the screws in the mounting  
holes. To avoid stripping the mounting hole threads, the max-  
imum torque applied to the screws must not exceed 8 inch-  
pounds. A maximum screw length of 0.25 inches may  
be used.  
3.5.2  
3.5.3  
Clearance  
Clearance from the drive to any other surface (except mounting surfaces) must be a  
minimum of 1.25 mm (0.05 inches).See Figure 3-5.  
Ventilation  
The QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drives operate without a cooling fan,  
provided the base casting temperature as measured where the motor is attached to  
the base does not exceed 131°F (60°C). Drive reliability and warranty will be  
limited if the drive is exposed to temperatures greater than 60° C. Figures 3-6 and  
3-7 show airflow recommended for adequate cooling. Clearance from the drive to  
any surface above and below the drive must be a minimum of 1.25mm. Maxtor  
leaves the design and application of cooling and clearance for the disk drive to the  
user, but the drive must maintain a case temperature at or below 60° C.  
3-10 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
   
Installation  
Figure 3-7 Lengthwise Airflow Cooling  
Figure 3-8 Crosswise Airflow Cooling  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
3-11  
   
Installation  
3.6  
FOR SYSTEMS WITH AN ATA ADAPTER BOARD  
To install the QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drive in an AT-compatible system  
without a Serial ATA connector, you need a third-party IDE-compatible adapter  
board.  
To connect the QuickView Serial ATA drives, use the Serial ATA cable, 1 meter  
long or shorter. The Serial ATA cable connectors are keyed to ensure proper  
orientation.  
3.6.1  
Adapter Board Installation  
Carefully read the manual that accompanies your adapter board before installing it.  
Make sure that all the jumpers are set properly and that there are no address or signal  
conflicts. You must also investigate to see if your AT-compatible system contains a  
combination floppy and hard disk controller board. If it does, you must disable the  
hard disk drive controller functions on that controller board before proceeding.  
Once you have disabled the hard disk drive controller functions on the floppy/hard  
drive controller, install the adapter board. Again, make sure that you have set all  
jumper straps on the adapter board to avoid addressing and signal conflicts.  
3.7  
TECHNIQUES IN DRIVE CONFIGURATION  
Operating System Limitations  
3.7.1  
Most popular operating systems available today have additional limitations which  
affect the use of large capacity drives. However, these limitations can not be  
corrected on the BIOS and it is up to the operating system manufacturers to release  
improved versions to address these problems.  
DOS and Windows 95 use a File Allocation Table (FAT) size of 16 bits which will  
only support partitions up to 2.1 GB. Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, and  
Windows ME use a FAT size of 32 bits, allowing partitions of up to 2.2 terrabytes.  
Windows NT, 2000, and XP use NTFS, which allows partition sizes up to 16  
terrabytes.  
3.8  
SYSTEM STARTUP AND OPERATION  
Once you have installed the QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drive, and adapter  
board (if required) in the host system, you are ready to partition and format the drive  
for operation. To set up the drive correctly, follow these steps:  
1. Power on the system.  
2. Run the SETUP program. This is generally on a Diagnostics or Utilities  
disk, or within the system’s BIOS. Some system BIOS have an auto-  
detecting feature making SETUP unnecessary.  
3. Enter the appropriate parameters.  
3-12 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
         
Installation  
The SETUP program allows you to enter the types of optional hardware installed—  
such as the hard disk drive type, the floppy disk drive capacity, and the display  
adapter type. The system’s BIOS uses this information to initialize the system when  
the power is switched on. For instructions on how to use the SETUP program, refer  
to the system manual for your PC.  
During the AT system CMOS setup, you must enter the drive type for the  
QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drives. The drive supports the translation of its  
physical drive geometry parameters such as cylinders, heads, and sectors per track to  
a logical addressing mode. The drive can work with different BIOS drive-type tables  
of the various host systems.  
You can choose any drive type that does not exceed the capacity of the drive. Table  
3-2 gives the logical parameters that provide the maximum capacity on the  
QuickView Serial ATA hard disk drives.  
3.8.1  
Big Drive Enabler (Software download)  
Maxtor’s Big Drive Enabler is a one step executable that enables support for drives  
larger than 137 Gigabytes in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and XP Service Pack 1.  
This utility takes the guess work out of editing the windows registry. The Big Drive  
Enabler fixes an operating system limitations. This utility is needed anytime a hard  
drive larger than 137 GB is connected to a system’s ATA bus, regardless of any  
system BIOS that supports 48-bit LBA.  
Note: Failure to install the required service packs and install the Enabler  
Big LBA patch can result in data loss when accessing the hard disk  
beyond 137 Gigabytes. For more information regarding Win-  
dows limitations and the 137 Gigabyte barrier, please read Max-  
tor Knowledge Base Answer ID 960 and Microsoft Knowledge  
Base Article 303013.  
3.8.2  
To use the Maxtor Big Drive Enabler,  
Download big_drive_enabler.exe from the Maxtor.com website, then double click  
on the downloaded file to begin installation.  
3.9  
Logical Addressing Format Specifications  
Table 3-2 Logical Addressing Format  
MODELS INTERFACE  
CYL  
HD  
SPT  
MAX LBA  
CAPACITY  
SATA 300  
3H400F0  
16,383  
16  
63  
781,422,768  
400GB  
16 MB Buffer  
SATA 300  
3H500F0  
16,383  
16  
63  
976,773,168  
500GB  
16 MB Buffer  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
3-13  
       
Installation  
Note: Capacity may be restricted to 8.4GB (or less) due to system BIOS  
limitations. Check with your system manufacturer to determine  
if your BIOS supports LBA Mode for hard drives greater than  
8.4GB. Default logical cylinders is limited to 16,383 as per the  
ATA-4 specifications.To match the logical specifications of the  
drive to the drive type of a particular BIOS, consult the system’s  
drive-type table. This table specifies the number of cylinders,  
heads, and sectors for a particular drive type.  
Boot the system using the operating system installation disk—for example, MS-  
DOS—then follow the installation instructions in the operating system manual.  
3-14 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Product Specifications  
Chapter 4  
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS  
4.1  
Model Number and Capacity  
MODELS  
3H400F0 / 3H500F0  
Formatted Capacity  
(GB LBA Mode)  
400GB / 500GB  
GB means 1 billion bytes.  
Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.  
4.2  
Drive Configuration  
Sectors per Drive  
(max LBA)  
781,422,768 / 976,733,168  
Integrated Interface  
Recording Method  
Servo Type  
1.5/3.0 Gb/s Native Serial ATA  
RLL EEPR4  
Embedded  
400GB  
500GB  
Number of Servo  
Sectors  
240  
16  
Data Zones per Surface  
Data Sectors per Track (ID/OD)  
800/1344  
105/91  
780/1320  
92/71  
2
Areal Density (Gbits/in max,  
ID/OD)  
Flux Density (kfci, ID/OD)  
Recording Density (kbpi, ID/OD)  
Track Density (ktpi)  
523/867  
791/662  
122  
460/846  
771/647  
117  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
4-1  
       
Product Specifications  
Performance Specifications  
Seek Times (typical read, ms)  
Track-to-Track  
0.8  
Average (normal seek)  
12  
Full Stroke (normal seek)  
Average Latency (ms)  
17.0  
4.17  
<0.5  
Controller Overhead (ms)  
Rotation Speed (RPM ±0.1%)  
Data Transfer Speed (MByte/sec max)  
To/From Interface  
7217  
SATA150 / 300  
115 MB per sec / 225 MB per sec  
35 MB per sec / 68 MB per sec  
To/From Media (ID/OD up to nn.n, where  
nn.n is the maximum transfer rate possi-  
ble)  
Sustained (ID/OD up to nn.n, where nn.n  
is the maximum transfer rate possible)  
35 MB per sec / 68 MB per sec  
Data Buffer Size (MB)/Type  
16 MB  
<15.0  
Drive Ready Time (typical sec)  
4.3  
Physical Dimensions  
PARAMETER  
VALUE  
Height (maximum in mm)  
26.30  
101.6  
147.0  
718.0  
Width (typical mm)  
Depth (in. and mm)  
Weight (maximum in grams)  
4-2 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
 
Product Specifications  
4.4  
Power Requirements (Avg for 400GB)  
MODE  
12V (mA)  
2126  
2181.57  
834  
5V (mA)  
POWER (W)  
Spin-up (peak)  
881  
901.66  
726  
29.9  
30.69  
13.6  
11.9  
8.1  
Spin-up (peak Max)  
Seek  
Random Read/Write  
687  
735  
Idle  
436  
567  
Standby  
Sleep  
19  
392  
2.2  
19  
392  
2.2  
4.4.1  
Power Requirements (Avg for 500GB)  
MODE  
12V (mA)  
2126  
2287.42  
834  
5V (mA)  
POWER (W)  
29.9  
Spin-up (peak)  
881  
1025.15  
726  
Spin-up (peak Max)  
32.57  
13.6  
Seek  
Random Read/Write  
687  
735  
11.9  
Idle  
436  
567  
8.1  
Standby  
Sleep  
19  
392  
2.2  
19  
392  
2.2  
4.4.2  
Voltage Tolerance  
VOLTAGE TOLERANCE  
5.0 Volts + / - 5%  
12.0 Volts + / -10%  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
4-3  
     
Product Specifications  
4.5  
Power Mode Definitions  
Spin-up  
The drive is spinning up following initial application of power and has not yet  
reached full speed.  
Seek  
A random access operation by the drive.  
Read/Write  
Data is being read from or written to the drive.  
Idle  
The drive is spinning, the actuator is parked and powered off and all other circuitry  
is powered on.  
The drive is capable of responding to read commands within 40 ms.  
Standby  
The motor is not spinning. The drive will leave this mode upon receipt of a  
command that requires disk access. The time-out value for this mode is  
programmable. The buffer is active to accept write data.  
Sleep  
This is the lowest power state – with the interface set to inactive. A software or  
hardware reset is required to return the drive to the Standby state.  
4.6  
EPA Energy Star Compliance  
Maxtor Corporation supports the goals of the U.S. Environmental Protection  
Agency’s Energy Star program to reduce the electrical power consumption of  
computer equipment.  
4-4 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
   
Product Specifications  
4.7  
Environmental Limits  
NON-OPERATING/  
PARAMETER  
OPERATING  
STORAGE  
Temperature  
0° C to 60° C  
measured on base casting  
Low temperature (-40° C)  
High temperature (71° C)  
per MIL-STD-810E, method  
501.3  
Thermal Gradient  
Relative Humidity  
Wet Bulb  
25° C per hour (maximum)  
5% to 95% (non-condensing)  
37.7°C (maximum)  
Altitude (relative to sea  
level)  
-650 to 10,000 feet  
-650 to 40,000 feet  
Acoustic Bels  
400GB  
500GB  
Idle (typical/max)  
Quiet Seek (typical/max)  
2.8 / 3.0  
2.8 / 3.0  
3.1/ 3.4  
3.1 / 3.6  
Notes:  
1. Margin Demonstrated implies the product will operate at the stated conditions  
with an acceptable impact to the ARR specification for any OEM requiring  
those values in their purchase specification.  
2. The testing performed by Maxtor is consistent with ISO 7779. Variation in  
acoustic levels from the idle specification may occur due to offline activity  
according to the SMART specification and/or atmospheric conditions.  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
4-5  
 
Product Specifications  
4.8  
Shock and Vibration  
PARAMETER  
OPERATING  
NON-OPERATING  
Mechanical Shock  
R=0.988/shock at 63 Gs  
2 msec, 1/2 sine  
R=0.90@>= 300G  
2
Rotational Shock  
R=0.988 @ 2000 rad/sec  
10 - 2000 Hz  
Rotational Random  
Vibration  
2 - 300 Hz  
95.4 rad/sec  
2
2
12.5 Rad/Sec  
Random Vibration  
10 - 2000 Hz  
0.86G RMS Overall  
PSD:  
7 - 800 Hz at 3.08G RMS  
(No Damage)  
Linear Sine Vibration  
Rotational Sine Vibration  
Frequency (Hz)  
Acceleration (Gpk)  
10  
- 1.00  
Frequency (Hz) / Acceleration  
(Rad/Sec2pk)  
10 - 12.50  
260 - 12.50  
1000 - 0.70  
4-6 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
 
Product Specifications  
4.9  
Reliability Specifications  
Annualized Return Rate  
<1.0%  
Annualized Return Rate (ARR) indicates the average against  
products shipped. ARR includes all reasons for returns (failures,  
handling, damage, NDF) but does not include inventory credit  
returns.  
Start/Stop Cycles  
>50,000  
This indicates the average minimum cycles for reliable start/stop  
function.  
R=0.9998@ >4500,  
R=0.9995 @ >7500,  
R=0.5 @ >= 50000  
Data Reliability  
<1 in1015 bits read  
Data errors (non-recoverable). Average data error rate allowed with  
all error recovery features activated.  
Component Design Life  
5 years  
Component design life is defined as:  
a.) the time period before identifiedwear-out mechanisms impact the failure rate,  
or  
b.) the time period up to thewear-out point when useful component life expires.  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
4-7  
 
Product Specifications  
4.10  
EMC/EMI  
4.10.1  
Radiated Electromagnetic Field Emissions - EMC Compliance  
The hard disk drive mechanism is designed as a subassembly for installation into a  
suitable enclosure and is therefore not subject to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules  
(47CFR15) or the Canadian Department of Communications Radio Interference  
Regulations. Although not required, the disk mechanism has been tested within a  
suitable end-use product and found to comply with Class B limits of the FCC Rules  
and Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.  
The CE Marking indicates conformity with the European Union Low Voltage  
Directive (73/23/EEC) when the disk mechanism is installed in a typical personal  
computer. Maxtor recommends that testing and analysis for EMC compliance be  
performed with the disk mechanism installed within the user's end-use application.  
4.10.2  
Canadian Emissions Statement  
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions  
from digital apparatus as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian  
department of communications.  
Le present appareil numerique n'emet pas de bruit radioelectriques depassant les  
limites applicables aux appareils numeriques de Class B prescrites dans le reglement  
sur le brouillage radioelectrique edicte pa le ministere des communications du  
Canada.  
4.11  
Safety Regulatory Compliance  
All Maxtor hard drives comply with relevant product safety standards such as CE,  
CUL, TUV and UL rules and regulations. As delivered, Maxtor hard drives are  
designed for system integration before they are used.  
4-8 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
       
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Chapter 5  
SATA BUS INTERFACE AND ATA COMMANDS  
This chapter describes the interface between the QuickView Serial ATA 400/500GB  
hard disk drive and the ATA bus. The commands that are issued from the host to  
control the drive are listed, as well as the electrical and mechanical characteristics of  
the interface.  
5.1  
5.2  
INTRODUCTION  
The Maxtor QuickView Serial ATA 400/500GB hard disk drive uses the standard  
ATA/ATAPI-7 interface. Support of various options in the standard are explained  
in the following sections.  
MECHANICAL INTERFACE  
5.2.1  
Signal Cable and Connector  
The Maxtor QuickView Serial ATA 400/500GB hard disk drive contains unitized  
connector for both signal and power connections. The dimensions and  
specifications of the unitized connector comply with clause 14 in the ATA/  
ATAPI-7 standard.  
5.3  
ELECTRICAL INTERFACE  
ATA Bus Interface  
5.3.1  
5.3.1.1  
Electrical Characteristics  
Signals on the SATA interface are assigned to connector pins according to clause 14  
in the ATA/ATAPI-7 standard. The signaling protocol complies with clause 15-17 of  
the standard.  
5.4  
REGISTER ADDRESS DECODING  
The Maxtor QuickView Serial ATA 400/500GB hard disk drive allow their host  
systems to address the full set of command and control registers as specified in clause  
5 of the ATA/ATAPI-7 standard.  
5.5  
COMMAND INTERFACE  
5.5.1  
General Feature Set  
The µProcessor, Disk Controller, and ATA Interface electronics are contained in a  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 5-1  
                   
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
proprietary ASIC developed by Maxtor.  
5.5.2  
Supported Commands  
The Maxtor QuickView Serial ATA 400/500GB hard disk drive support all the  
mandatory commands from the general feature set for devices not supporting the  
Packet command feature set. Refer to the ATA/ATAPI-7 standard for a detailed  
description of these commands. The IDENTIFY DRIVE command, however, is  
elaborated in the section “Identify Drive Command” on page 5-5  
Note: 1. As defined in the ATA/ATAPI-7 standard.  
Table 5-1 lists the supported commands.  
Table 5-1 Supported Commands  
Feature  
Register  
Value(s)  
Command  
Command  
Code  
CHECK POWER MODE  
98h, E5h  
B1h  
DEVICE CONFIGURATION FREEZE LOCK  
DEVICE CONFIGURATION IDENTIFY  
DEVICE CONFIGURATION RESTORE  
DEVICE CONFIGURATION SET  
DOWNLOAD MICROCODE  
EXECUTE DRIVE DIAGNOSTIC  
FLUSH CACHE  
C1h  
B1h  
C2h  
B1h  
C0h  
B1h  
C3h  
92h  
07h, 01h  
90h  
E7h  
FLUSH CACHE EXTENSION  
IDENTIFY DEVICE  
EAh  
ECh  
IDLE  
97h, E3h  
95h, E1h  
00h  
IDLE IMMEDIATE  
NOP  
READ BUFFER  
E4h  
READ DMA  
C8h, C9h  
25h  
READ DMA EXTENSION  
READ FPDMA QUEUED  
60h  
5-2 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
   
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-1 Supported Commands  
Feature  
Command  
Register  
Command  
Code  
Value(s)  
READ LOG EXTENSION  
READ MULTIPLE  
2fh  
C4h  
READ MULTIPLE EXTENSION  
READ NATIVE MAX ADDRESS  
READ NATIVE MAX ADDRESS EXTENSION  
READ SECTOR(S)  
29h  
F8h  
27h  
20h, 21h  
24h  
READ SECTOR(S) EXTENSION  
READ VERIFY SECTOR(S)  
READ VERIFY SECTOR(S) EXTENSION  
SECURITY DISABLE PASSWORD  
SECURITY ERASE PREPARE  
SECURITY ERASE UNIT  
SECURITY FREEZE LOCK  
SECURITY SET PASSWORD  
SECURITY UNLOCK  
40h, 41h  
42h  
F6h  
F3h  
F4h  
F5h  
F1h  
F2h  
SEEK  
70h  
SET FEATURES  
EFh  
Note 1  
00h  
SET MAX ADDRESS  
F9h  
SET MAX ADDRESS EXTENSION  
SET MAX SET PASSWORD  
SET MAX LOCK  
37h  
00h  
F9h  
01h  
F9h  
02h  
SET MAX UNLOCK  
F9h  
03h  
SET MAX FREEZE LOCK  
SET MULTIPLE MODE  
F9h  
04h  
C6h  
99h, E6h  
SLEEP  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 5-3  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-1 Supported Commands  
Feature  
Register  
Value(s)  
Command  
Code  
Command  
SMART DISABLE OPERATIONS  
SMART ENABLE OPERATIONS  
SMART ENABLE/DISABLE ATTRIBUTE AUTOSAVE  
SMART EXECUTE OFF-LINE IMMEDIATE  
SMART READ DATA  
B0h  
D9h  
B0h  
D8h  
D2h  
D4h  
D0h  
D5h  
DAh  
D3h  
D6h  
B0h  
B0h  
B0h  
SMART READ LOG  
B0h  
SMART RETURN STATUS  
SMART SAVE ATTRIBUTE VALUES  
SMART WRITE LOG  
B0h  
B0h  
B0h  
STANDBY  
96h, E2h  
94h, E0h  
E8h  
STANDBY IMMEDIATE  
WRITE BUFFER  
WRITE DMA  
CAh, CBh  
35h  
WRITE DMA EXTENSION  
WRITE DMA FUA EXTENSION  
WRITE FPDMA QUEUED  
WRITE LOG EXTENSION  
WRITE MULTIPLE  
30h  
61h  
3fh  
C5h  
WRITE MULTIPLE EXTENSION  
WRITE MULTIPLE FUA EXTENSION  
WRITE SECTOR(S)  
39h  
CEh  
30h, 31h  
34h  
WRITE SECTOR(S) EXTENSION  
5.5.3  
Identify Drive Command  
This command allows the host to receive parameter information from the drive.  
5-4 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
 
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
When the command is received, the drive:  
1. Sets BSY  
2. Stores the required parameter information in the sector buffer  
3. Sets the DRQ bit  
4. Generates an interrupt  
The host may then read the information out of the sector buffer. Parameter words in  
the buffer are shown in Table 5-2.  
Note: All reserved bits or words should be zeroes.  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
Word  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
General configuration bit-significant information:  
15:  
14-8:  
7:  
0 = ATA device  
Retired  
1 = removable media device  
Obsolete  
6:  
0
5-3:  
2:  
Retired  
Response incomplete  
Retired  
1:  
0:  
Reserved  
1
2
Obsolete  
Specific configuration  
3
Obsolete  
4-5  
6
Retired  
Obsolete  
7-8  
9
Reserved for assignment by the CompactFlash Association  
Retired  
10-19  
20-21  
22  
Serial number (20 ASCII characters)  
Retired  
Reserved  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 5-5  
 
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
Word  
23-26  
27-46  
Firmware revision (8 ASCII characters)  
Model number (40 ASCII characters)  
15-8:  
7-0:  
80h  
47  
48  
00h = Reserved  
01h-FFh: = Maximum number of sectors that shall be transferred per interrupt on  
READ/WRITE MULTIPLE commands  
Reserved  
Capabilities  
15-14: Reserved for the IDENTIFY PACKET DEVICE command.  
13:  
1 = Standby timer values as specified in this standard are supported.  
0 = Standby timer values shall be managed by the device  
12:  
11:  
10:  
9:  
Reserved for the IDENTIFY PACKET DEVICE command.  
1 = IORDY supported. 0 = IORDY may be supported  
1 = IORDY may be disabled  
1 = LBA supported  
49  
8:  
1 = DMA supported.  
7-0:  
Retired  
Capabilities  
15:  
14:  
13-2:  
1:  
Shall be cleared to zero.  
Shall be set to one.  
Reserved.  
50  
Obsolete  
0:  
Shall be set to one to indicate a device specific Standby timer value  
minimum.  
51-52  
Obsolete  
5-6 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
Word  
15-3:  
2:  
Reserved  
1 = the fields reported in word 88 are valid.  
0 = the fields reported in word 88 are not valid  
53  
1:  
1 = the fields reported in words (70:64) are valid.  
0 = the fields reported in words (70:64) are not valid  
0:  
Obsolete  
54-58  
59  
Obsolete  
15-9:  
8:  
Reserved  
1 = Multiple sector setting is valid  
7-0:  
xxh = Current setting for number of sectors that shall be transferred per  
interrupt on R/W Multiple command  
60-61  
62  
Total number of user addressable sectors  
Obsolete  
15-11: Reserved  
10:  
1 = Multiword DMA mode 2 is selected.  
0 = Multiword DMA mode 2 is not selected  
9:  
1 = Multiword DMA mode 1 is selected.  
0 = Multiword DMA mode 1 is not selected  
63  
8:  
1 = Multiword DMA mode 0 is selected.  
0 = Multiword DMA mode 0 is not selected  
7-3:  
2:  
Reserved  
1 = Multiword DMA mode 2 and below are supported  
1 = Multiword DMA mode 1 and below are supported  
1 = Multiword DMA mode 0 is supported  
Reserved  
1:  
0:  
15-8:  
7-0:  
64  
65  
66  
PIO modes supported  
Minimum Multiword DMA transfer cycle time per word  
15-0: Cycle time in nanoseconds  
Manufacturer’s recommended Multiword DMA transfer cycle time  
15-0:  
Cycle time in nanoseconds  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 5-7  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
Word  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
Minimum PIO transfer cycle time without flow control  
67  
15-0:  
Minimum PIO transfer cycle time with IORDY flow control  
15-0: Cycle time in nanoseconds  
Cycle time in nanoseconds  
68  
69-70  
71-74  
Reserved (for future command overlap and queuing)  
Reserved for IDENTIFY PACKET DEVICE command.  
Queue depth  
75  
15-5:  
4-0:  
Reserved  
Maximum queue depth – 1  
76-79  
Reserved for Serial ATA  
Major version number  
0000h or FFFFh = device does not report version  
15:  
14:  
13:  
12:  
11:  
10:  
9:  
Reserved  
Reserved for ATA/ATAPI-14  
Reserved for ATA/ATAPI-13  
Reserved for ATA/ATAPI-12  
Reserved for ATA/ATAPI-11  
Reserved for ATA/ATAPI-10  
Reserved for ATA/ATAPI-9  
Reserved for ATA/ATAPI-8  
Reserved for ATA/ATAPI-7  
1 = supports ATA/ATAPI-6  
1 = supports ATA/ATAPI-5  
1 = supports ATA/ATAPI-4  
1 = supports ATA-3  
Obsolete  
80  
8:  
7:  
6:  
5:  
4:  
3:  
2:  
1:  
Obsolete  
0:  
Reserved  
5-8 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
Word  
81  
Minor version number  
0000h or FFFFh = device does not report version.  
0001h-FFFEh = see 6.16.41 of ATA/ATAPI-7 specification  
Command set supported.  
15:  
14:  
13:  
12:  
11:  
10:  
9:  
Obsolete  
1 = NOP command supported  
1 = READ BUFFER command supported  
1 = WRITE BUFFER command supported  
Obsolete  
1 = Host Protected Area feature set supported  
1 = DEVICE RESET command supported  
1 = SERVICE interrupt supported  
1 = release interrupt supported  
1 = look-ahead supported  
8:  
82  
7:  
6:  
5:  
1 = write cache supported  
4:  
Shall be cleared to zero to indicate that the PACKET Command feature set is  
not supported  
3:  
2:  
1:  
0:  
1 = mandatory Power Management feature set supported  
1 = Removable Media feature set supported  
1 = Security Mode feature set supported  
1 = SMART feature set supported  
Command sets supported.  
15:  
14:  
13:  
12:  
11:  
10:  
9:  
Shall be cleared to zero  
Shall be set to on  
1 = FLUSH CACHE EXT command supported  
1 = mandatory FLUSH CACHE command supported  
1 = Device Configuration Overlay feature set supported  
1 = 48-bit Address feature set supported  
1 = Automatic Acoustic Management feature set supported  
1 = SET MAX security extension supported  
83  
8:  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 5-9  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
Word  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
7:  
6:  
5:  
4:  
3:  
2:  
1:  
0:  
See Address Offset Reserved Area Boot, INCITS TR27:2001  
1 = SET FEATURES subcommand required to spinup after power-up  
1 = Power-Up In Standby feature set supported  
1 = Removable Media Status Notification feature set supported  
1 = Advanced Power Management feature set supported  
1 = CFA feature set supported  
83  
1 = READ/WRITE DMA QUEUED supported  
1 = DOWNLOAD MICROCODE command supported  
Command set/feature supported extension.  
15:  
14:  
13-8:  
7:  
Shall be cleared to zero  
Shall be set to one  
Reserved  
1 = WRITE DMA QUEUED FUA EXT command supported  
6:  
1 = WRITE DMA FUA EXT and WRITE MULTIPLE FUA EXT commands  
supported  
84  
5:  
4:  
3:  
2:  
1:  
0:  
1 = General Purpose Logging feature set supported  
1 = Streaming feature set supported  
1 = Media Card Pass Through Command feature set supported  
1 = Media serial number supported  
1 = SMART self-test supported  
1 = SMART error logging supported  
Command set/feature enabled.  
15:  
14:  
13:  
12:  
11:  
10:  
9:  
Obsolete  
1 = NOP command enabled  
1 = READ BUFFER command enabled  
1 = WRITE BUFFER command enabled  
Obsolete  
85  
1 = Host Protected Area feature set enabled  
1 = DEVICE RESET command enabled  
1 = SERVICE interrupt enabled  
8:  
5-10 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
Word  
7:  
6:  
5:  
4:  
1 = release interrupt enabled  
1 = look-ahead enabled  
1 = write cache enabled  
Shall be cleared to zero to indicate that the PACKET Command feature set is  
not supported.  
85  
3:  
2:  
1:  
0:  
1 = Power Management feature set enabled  
1 = Removable Media feature set enabled  
1 = Security Mode feature set enabled  
1 = SMART feature set enabled  
Command set/feature enabled.  
15-14: Reserved  
13:  
12:  
11:  
10:  
9:  
1 = FLUSH CACHE EXT command supported  
1 = FLUSH CACHE command supported  
1 = Device Configuration Overlay supported  
1 = 48-bit Address features set supported  
1 = Automatic Acoustic Management feature set enabled  
1 = SET MAX security extension enabled by SET MAX SET PASSWORD  
See Address Offset Reserved Area Boot, INCITS TR27:2001  
1 = SET FEATURES subcommand required to spin-up after power-up  
1 = Power-Up In Standby feature set enabled  
86  
8:  
7:  
6:  
5:  
4:  
1 = Removable Media Status Notification feature set enabled  
1 = Advanced Power Management feature set enabled  
1 = CFA feature set enabled  
3:  
2:  
1:  
1 = READ/WRITE DMA QUEUED command supported  
1 = DOWNLOAD MICROCODE command supported  
0:  
Command set/feature default.  
15:  
14:  
13-8:  
7:  
Shall be cleared to zero  
87  
Shall be set to one  
Reserved  
1 = WRITE DMA QUEUED FUA EXT command supported  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 5-11  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
Word  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
6:  
1 = WRITE DMA FUA EXT and WRITE MULTIPLE FUA EXT commands  
supported  
5:  
General Purpose Logging feature set supported  
4:  
1 = Valid CONFIGURE STREAM command has been executed  
1 = Media Card Pass Through Command feature set enabled  
1 = Media serial number is valid  
87  
3:  
2:  
1:  
1 = SMART self-test supported  
0:  
1 = SMART error logging supported  
15:  
14:  
13:  
12:  
11:  
10:  
9:  
Reserved  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 6 is selected. 0 = Ultra DMA mode 6 is not selected  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 5 is selected. 0 = Ultra DMA mode 5 is not selected  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 4 is selected. 0 = Ultra DMA mode 4 is not selected  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 3 is selected. 0 = Ultra DMA mode 3 is not selected  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 2 is selected. 0 = Ultra DMA mode 2 is not selected  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 1 is selected. 0 = Ultra DMA mode 1 is not selected  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 0 is selected. 0 = Ultra DMA mode 0 is not selected  
Reserved  
8:  
7:  
88  
6:  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 6 and below are supported  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 5 and below are supported  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 4 and below are supported  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 3 and below are supported  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 2 and below are supported  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 1 and below are supported  
1 = Ultra DMA mode 0 is supported  
5:  
4:  
3:  
2:  
1:  
0:  
89  
90  
91  
92  
Time required for security erase unit completion  
Time required for Enhanced security erase completion  
Current advanced power management value  
Master Password Revision Code  
5-12 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
Word  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
Hardware reset result. The contents of bits (12:0) of this word shall change only  
during the execution of a hardware reset  
15:  
14:  
13:  
Shall be cleared to zero.  
Shall be set to one.  
1 = device detected CBLID- above ViH. 0 = device detected CBLID- below  
ViL  
12-8:  
Device 1 hardware reset result. Device 0 shall clear these bits to zero.  
Device shall set these bits as follows:  
12:  
11:  
Reserved.  
0 = Device 1 did not assert PDIAG-.  
1 = Device 1 asserted PDIAG-.  
10-9: These bits indicate how Device 1 determined the device number:  
00 = Reserved.  
01 = a jumper was used.  
10 = the CSEL signal was used.  
11 = some other method was used or the method is unknown.  
93  
8:  
Shall be set to one.  
7-0:  
Device 0 hardware reset result. Device 1 shall clear these bits to zero.  
Device shall set these bits as follows:  
7:  
6:  
Reserved.  
0 = Device 0 does not respond when Device 1 is selected.  
1 = Device 0 responds when Device 1 is selected.  
5:  
0 = Device 0 did not detect the assertion of DASP-.  
1 = Device 0 detected the assertion of DASP-  
4:  
0 = Device 0 did not detect the assertion of PDIAG-.  
1 = Device 0 detected the assertion of PDIAG-.  
3:  
0 = Device 0 failed diagnostics.  
1 = Device 0 passed diagnostics.  
2-1:  
These bits indicate how Device 0 determined the device number:  
00 = Reserved.  
01 = a jumper was used.  
10 = the CSEL signal was used.  
11 = some other method was used or the method is unknown.  
Shall be set to one.  
0:  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 5-13  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
Word  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
94  
15-8:  
7-0:  
Vendor’s recommended acoustic management value.  
Current automatic acoustic management value  
95  
96  
Stream Minimum Request Size  
Stream Transfer Time - DMA  
Stream Access Latency - DMA  
Streaming Performance Granularity  
Maximum user LBA for 48-bit Address feature set.  
Stream Transfer Time – PIO  
97  
98-99  
100-103  
104  
105  
Stream Access Latency – PIO  
Physical sector size  
15:  
Shall be cleared to zero  
14:  
Shall be set to one  
106  
13:  
1 = Device has multiple logical sectors per physical sector.  
Reserved  
12-4:  
3-0:  
X
2 logical sectors per physical sector  
107  
Inter-seek delay for ISO-7779 acoustic testing in microseconds  
Reserved  
108-126  
Removable Media Status Notification feature set support  
15-2:  
1-0:  
Reserved  
127  
00 = Removable Media Status Notification feature set not supported  
01 = Removable Media Status Notification feature supported  
10 = Reserved  
11 = Reserved  
5-14 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
Table 5-2 Identify Drive Command Parameters  
CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
Word  
Security status  
15-9:  
8:  
Reserved  
Security level 0 = High, 1 = Maximum  
7-6:  
5:  
Reserved  
1 = Enhanced security erase supported  
1 = Security count expired  
1 = Security frozen  
128  
4:  
3:  
2:  
1 = Security locked  
1:  
1 = Security enabled  
1 = Security supported  
0:  
129-159  
160-254  
Vendor specific  
Reserved  
Integrity word  
255  
15-8:  
7-0:  
Checksum  
Signature  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 5-15  
SATA Bus Interface and ATA Commands  
5-16 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Service and Support  
Chapter 6  
SERVICE AND SUPPORT  
6.1  
GETTING HELP  
Before contacting Maxtor Support, use the Hard Disk Information feature in MaxBlast  
to view the model number and serial number of your drive. These numbers can be  
used to get help from Maxtor Support, register your drive, and look up information  
on the Maxtor website.  
Please visit www.maxtor.com to obtain comprehensive support information, such  
as:  
• Warranty Services  
~ Drive returns (RMS), Warranty Status, Limited Warranty Statement  
• Product Support  
~ Installation Tutorials, Specifications, Jumper Settings, Installation Guides,  
Product Manuals  
• Software Downloads  
~ Installation Software, Utilities, Diagnostics  
• Knowledge Base  
~ Troubleshooting information, FAQs, resolved problem database  
• Product Index  
~ Current and Legacy Maxtor product’s listing  
Click on Worldwide Support to access the Knowledge Base, download software  
updates, register your drive, and get assistance via e-mail.  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive 6-1  
   
Glossary  
BAD BLOCK – A block (usually the size of  
A
a sector) that cannot reliably hold data  
because of a media flaw or damaged format  
markings.  
ACCESS – (v) Read, write, or update  
information on some storage medium, such  
as a disk. (n) One of these operations.  
BAD TRACK TABLE – A label affixed to  
the casing of a hard disk drive that tells which  
tracks are flawed and cannot hold data. The  
listing is typed into the low-level formatting  
program when the drive is being installed.  
Because Maxtor disk drive’s  
defect-management scheme handles all such  
flaws automatically, there is no need to  
concern yourself with bad track tables.  
ACCESS TIME – The interval between the  
time a request for data is made by the system  
and the time the data is available from the  
drive. Access time includes the actual seek  
time, rotational latency, and command  
processing overhead time. See also seek,  
rotational latency, and overhead.  
ACTUATOR – Also known as the  
BIT – Abbreviation for binary digit. A binary  
digit may have one of two values—1 or 0.  
This contrasts with a decimal digit, which  
may have a value from 0 to 9. A bit is one of  
the logic 1or logic 0 binary settings that make  
up a byte of data. See also byte.  
positioner. The internal mechanism that  
moves the read/write head to the proper track.  
The Maxtor actuator consists of a rotary  
voice coil and the head mounting arms. One  
end of each head mounting arm attaches to  
the rotor with the read/write heads attached at  
the opposite end of each arm. As current is  
applied to the rotor, it rotates, positioning the  
heads over the desired cylinder on the media.  
BLOCK – A sector or group of sectors.  
BPI – Abbreviation for bits per inch. A  
measure of how densely information is  
packed on a storage medium. Flux changes  
per inch is also a term commonly used in  
describing storage density on a magnetic  
surface.  
ALLOCATION – The process of assigning  
particular areas of the disk to particular files.  
See also allocation unit.  
ALLOCATION UNIT – An allocation unit,  
also known as a cluster, is a group of sectors  
on the disk that can be reserved for the use of  
a particular file.  
BUFFER – An area of RAM reserved for  
temporary storage of data that is waiting to be  
sent to a device that is not yet ready to receive  
it. The data is usually on its way to or from  
the disk drive or some other peripheral  
device.  
AVERAGE SEEK TIME – The average  
time it takes for the read/write head to move  
to a specific location. To compute the average  
seek time, you divide the time it takes to  
complete a large number of random seeks all  
over the disk by the number of seeks  
performed.  
BUS – The part of a chip, circuit board, or  
interface designed to send and receive data.  
BYTE – The basic unit of computer memory,  
large enough to hold one character of  
alphanumeric data. Comprised of eight bits.  
See also bit.  
C
CACHE – Random-access memory used as a  
buffer between the CPU and a hard disk.  
Information more likely to be read or  
changed is placed in the cache, where it can  
be accessed more quickly to speed up general  
data flow.  
B
BACKUP – A copy of a file, directory, or  
volume on a separate storage device from the  
original, for the purpose of retrieval in case  
the original is accidentally erased, damaged,  
or destroyed.  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
G-1  
Glossary  
CAPACITY – The amount of information  
DEDICATED SERVO – A surface separate  
from the surface used for data that contains  
only disk timing and positioning information  
and contains no data.  
that can be stored on a disk drive. The data is  
stored in bytes, and capacity is usually  
expressed in megabytes.  
CDB – Command Descriptor Block. The  
SCSI structure used to communicate requests  
from an initiator (system) to a target (drive).  
DEFECT MANAGEMENT – A method  
that is implemented to ensure long term data  
integrity. Defect management eliminates the  
need for user defect maps. This is  
CLEAN ROOM – An environmentally  
controlled dust-free assembly or repair  
facility in which hard disk drives are  
assembled or can be opened for internal  
servicing.  
accomplished by scanning the disk drives at  
the factory for defective sectors. Defective  
sectors are deallocated prior to shipment. In  
addition, during regular use, the drive  
continues to scan and compensate for any  
new defective sectors on the disk.  
CLUSTER – A group of sectors on a disk  
drive that is addressed as one logical unit by  
the operating system.  
DISK – In general, any circular-shaped  
data-storage medium that stores data on the  
flat surface of the platter. The most common  
type of disk is the magnetic disk, which stores  
data as magnetic patterns in a metal or  
metal-oxide coating. Magnetic disks come in  
two forms: floppy and hard. Optical  
recording is a newer disk technology that  
gives higher capacity storage but at slower  
access times.  
CONTROLLER – Short form of disk  
controller. The chip or complete circuit that  
translates computer data and commands into  
CONTROLLER CARD – An adapter  
holding the control electronics for one or  
more hard disks, usually installed in a slot in  
the computer.  
CPU – Acronym for Central Processing  
Unit. The microprocessor chip that performs  
the bulk of data processing in a computer.  
DISK CONTROLLER – A plug-in board,  
or embedded circuitry on the drive, that  
passes information to and from the disk. The  
Maxtor disk drives all have controllers  
embedded on the drive printed-circuit board.  
CRC – Acronym for Cyclic Redundancy  
Check. An error detection code that is  
recorded within each sector and is used to see  
whether parts of a string of data are missing  
or erroneous.  
DISKWARE – The program instructions  
and data stored on the disk for use by a  
processor.  
CYLINDER – On a disk drive that has more  
than one recording surface and heads that  
move to various tracks, the group of all tracks  
located at a given head position. The number  
of cylinders times the number of heads equals  
the number of tracks per drive.  
DMA – Acronym for direct memory access.  
A process by which data moves directly  
between a disk drive (or other device) and  
system memory without passing through the  
CPU, thus allowing the system to continue  
processing other tasks while the new data is  
being retrieved.  
D
DRIVE – Short form of disk drive.  
DATA SEPARATOR – On a disk drive that  
stores data and timing information in an  
encoded form, the circuit that extracts the  
data from the combined data and clock signal.  
DRIVE GEOMETRY – The functional  
dimensions of a drive in terms of the number  
of heads, cylinders, and sectors per track. See  
also logical format.  
G-2 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Glossary  
FLUX DENSITY – The number of magnetic  
E
field patterns that can be stored in a given  
length of disk surface. The number is usually  
stated as flux changes per inch (FCI), with  
typical values in the thousands.  
ECC – Acronym for error correction code.  
The recording of extra verifying information  
encoded along with the disk data. The  
controller uses the extra information to check  
for data errors, and corrects the errors when  
possible.  
FLYING HEIGHT – The distance between  
the read/write head and the disk surface  
caused by a cushion of air that keeps the head  
from contacting the media. Smaller flying  
heights permit more dense storage of data,  
but require more precise mechanical designs.  
EMBEDDED SERVO – A timing or  
location signal placed on the disk’s surface  
on the tracks that also store data. These  
signals allow the actuator to fine-tune the  
position of the read/write heads.  
FORMAT – To write onto the disk surface a  
magnetic track pattern that specifies the  
locations of the tracks and sectors. This  
information must exist on a disk before it can  
store any user data. Formatting erases any  
previously stored data.  
ENCODING – The protocol by which  
particular data patterns are changed prior to  
being written on the disk surface as a pattern  
of On and Off or 1 and 0 signals.  
FORMATTED CAPACITY – The amount  
of room left to store data on the disk after the  
required space has been used to write sector  
headers, boundary definitions, and timing  
information generated by a format operation.  
All Maxtor drive capacities are expressed in  
formatted capacity.  
EXTERNAL DRIVE – A drive mounted in  
an enclosure separate from the PC or  
computer system enclosure, with its own  
power supply and fan, and connected to the  
system by a cable.  
F
FORM FACTOR – The physical outer  
dimensions of a device as defined by industry  
standard. For example, most Maxtor disk  
drives use a 3 1/2-inch form factor.  
FAT – Acronym for file allocation table. A  
data table stored on the outer edge of a disk  
that tells the operating system which sectors  
are allocated to each file and in what order.  
G
FCI – Acronym for flux changes per inch.  
See also BPI.  
GIGABYTE (GB) – One billion bytes (one  
thousand megabytes).  
GUIDE RAILS – Plastic strips attached to  
the sides of a disk drive mounted in an IBM  
AT and compatible computers so that the  
drive easily slides into place.  
FILE SERVER – A computer that provides  
network stations with controlled access to  
shareable resources. The network operating  
system is loaded on the file server, and most  
shareable devices (disk subsystems, printers)  
are attached to it. The file server controls  
system security and monitors  
H
station-to-station communications. A  
dedicated file server can be used only as a file  
server while it is on the network. A non  
dedicated file server can be used  
simultaneously as a file server and a  
workstation.  
HALF HEIGHT – Term used to describe a  
drive that occupies half the vertical space of  
the original full size 5 1/4-inch drive. 1.625  
inches high.  
HARD DISK – A type of storage medium  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
G-3  
Glossary  
that retains data as magnetic patterns on a  
disk controller and disk drive, that manages  
the exchange of data between the drive and  
computer.  
rigid disk, usually made of an iron oxide or  
alloy over a magnesium or aluminum platter.  
Because hard disks spin more rapidly than  
floppy disks, and the head flies closer to the  
disk, hard disks can transfer data faster and  
store more in the same volume.  
INTERLEAVE – The arrangement of  
sectors on a track. A 1:1 interleave arranges  
the sectors so that the next sector arrives at  
the read/write heads just as the computer is  
ready to access it. See also interleave factor.  
HARD ERROR – A repeatable error in disk  
data that persists when the disk is reread,  
usually caused by defects in the media  
surface.  
INTERLEAVE FACTOR – The number of  
sectors that pass beneath the read/write heads  
before the next numbered sector arrives.  
When the interleave factor is 3:1, a sector is  
read, two pass by, and then the next is read. It  
would take three revolutions of the disk to  
access a full track of data. Maxtor drives have  
an interleave of 1:1, so a full track of data can  
be accessed within one revolution of the disk,  
thus offering the highest data throughput  
possible.  
HEAD – The tiny electromagnetic coil and  
metal pole piece used to create and read back  
the magnetic patterns (write and read  
information) on the media.  
HIGH-CAPACITY DRIVE – By industry  
conventions typically a drive of 1 gigabytes  
or more.  
HIGH-LEVEL FORMATTING –  
Formatting performed by the operating  
system’s format program. Among other  
things, the formatting program creates the  
root directory and file allocation tables. See  
also low-level formatting.  
INTERNAL DRIVE – A drive mounted  
inside one of a computer’s drive bays (or a  
hard disk on a card, which is installed in one  
of the computer’s slots).  
HOME – Reference position track for  
re-calibration of the actuator, usually the  
outer track (track 0).  
K
KILOBYTE (Kb) – A unit of measure  
consisting of 1,024 (210) bytes.  
HOST ADAPTER – A plug-in board that  
forms the interface between a particular type  
of computer system bus and the disk drive.  
L
LANDING ZONE – A position inside the  
disk’s inner cylinder in a non data area  
reserved as a place to rest the heads during the  
time that power is off. Using this area  
prevents the heads from touching the surface  
in data areas upon power down, adding to the  
data integrity and reliability of the disk drive.  
I
LATENCY – The period of time during  
which the read/write heads are waiting for the  
data to rotate into position so that it can be  
accessed. Based on a disk rotation speed of  
3,662 rpm, the maximum latency time is 16.4  
milliseconds, and the average latency time is  
8.2 milliseconds.  
INITIALIZE – See low level formatting.  
INITIATOR – A SCSI device that requests  
another SCSI device to perform an operation.  
A common example of this is a system  
requesting data from a drive. The system is  
the initiator and the drive is the target.  
LOGICAL FORMAT – The logical drive  
geometry that appears to an AT system BIOS  
as defined by the drive tables and stored in  
INTERFACE – A hardware or software  
protocol, contained in the electronics of the  
G-4 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Glossary  
CMOS. With an installation program like  
Disk Manager, the drive can be redefined to  
any logical parameters necessary to adapt to  
the system drive tables.  
internal functions of the drive and to support  
the embedded controller.  
MICROSECOND (µs) – One millionth of a  
second (.000001 sec.).  
LOOK AHEAD – The technique of  
buffering data into cache RAM by reading  
subsequent blocks in advance to anticipate  
the next request for data. The look ahead  
technique speeds up disk access of sequential  
blocks of data.  
MILLISECOND (ms) – One thousandth of  
a second (.001 sec.).  
MTTF – A basic measure of reliability for  
non-repairable systems. It is the mean time  
expected until the first failure of a piece of  
equipment. MTTF is a statistical value and is  
meant to be the mean over a long period of  
time and large number of units. For constant  
failure rate systems, MTTF is the inverse of  
the failure rate. If failure rate is in  
LOW-LEVEL FORMATTING –  
Formatting that creates the sectors on the  
platter surfaces so the operating system can  
access the required areas for generating the  
file structure. Maxtor drives are shipped with  
the low-level formatting already done.  
failures/million hours, MTTF = 1,000,200 /  
Failure Rate for components with  
exponential distributions.  
LOW PROFILE – Describes drives built to  
the 3 1/2-inch form factor, which are only 1  
inch high.  
M
MB – See megabyte.  
MEDIA – The magnetic film that is  
deposited or coated on an aluminum substrate  
which is very flat and in the shape of a disk.  
The media is overcoated with a lubricant to  
prevent damage to the heads or media during  
head take off and landing. The media is  
where the data is stored inside the disk in the  
form of magnetic flux or polarity changes.  
MEGABYTE (Mb) – A unit of  
measurement equal to 1,024 kilobytes, or  
1,048,576 bytes except when referring to disk  
storage capacity.  
1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes when referring to  
disk storage capacity.  
See also kilobyte.  
MEGAHERTZ – A measurement of  
frequency in millions of cycles per second.  
MHz – See megahertz.  
MICROPROCESSOR – The integrated  
circuit chip that performs the bulk of data  
processing and controls the operation of all of  
the parts of the system. A disk drive also  
contains a microprocessor to handle all of the  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
G-5  
Glossary  
MTTR – Mean Time To Repair. The average  
PLATTER – An disk made of metal (or  
other rigid material) that is mounted inside a  
fixed disk drive. Most drives use more than  
one platter mounted on a single spindle  
(shaft) to provide more data storage surfaces  
in a small package. The platter is coated with  
a magnetic material that is used to store data  
as transitions of magnetic polarity.  
time it takes to repair a drive that has failed  
for some reason. This only takes into  
consideration the changing of the major  
sub-assemblies such as circuit board or sealed  
housing. Component level repair is not  
included in this number as this type of repair  
is not performed in the field.  
POH – Acronym for power on hours. The  
unit of measurement for Mean Time Between  
Failure as expressed in the number of hours  
that power is applied to the device regardless  
of the amount of actual data transfer usage.  
See MTBF.  
O
OVERHEAD – The processing time of a  
command by the controller, host adapter or  
drive prior to any actual disk accesses taking  
place.  
POSITIONER – See actuator.  
OVERWRITE – To write data on top of  
existing data, erasing it.  
R
OXIDE – A metal-oxygen compound. Most  
magnetic coatings are combinations of iron or  
other metal oxides, and the term has become  
a general one for the magnetic coating on tape  
or disk.  
RAM – Acronym for random access  
memory. An integrated circuit memory chip  
which allows information to be stored and  
retrieved by a microprocessor or controller.  
The information may be stored and retrieved  
in any order desired, and the address of one  
storage location is as readily accessible as  
any other.  
P
PARTITION – A portion of a hard disk  
devoted to a particular operating system and  
accessed as one logical volume by the  
system.  
RAM DISK – A “phantom disk drive” for  
which a section of system memory (RAM) is  
set aside to hold data, just as if it were a  
number of disk sectors. The access to this  
data is extremely fast but is lost when the  
system is reset or turned off.  
PERFORMANCE – A measure of the speed  
of the drive during normal operation. Factors  
affecting performance are seek times, transfer  
rate and command overhead.  
READ AFTER WRITE – A mode of  
operation that has the computer read back  
each sector on the disk, checking that the data  
read back is the same as recorded. This slows  
disk operations, but raises reliability.  
PERIPHERAL – A device added to a  
system as an enhancement to the basic CPU,  
such as a disk drive, tape drive or printer.  
PHYSICAL FORMAT – The actual  
physical layout of cylinders, tracks, and  
sectors on a disk drive.  
READ VERIFY – A disk mode where the  
disk reads in data to the controller, but the  
controller only checks for errors and does not  
pass the data on to the system.  
PLATED MEDIA – Disks that are covered  
with a hard metal alloy instead of an  
iron-oxide compound. Plated disks can store  
greater amounts of data in the same area as a  
coated disk.  
READ/WRITE HEAD – The tiny  
electromagnetic coil and metal pole piece  
used to create and read back the magnetic  
patterns (write or read information) on the  
disk. Each side of each platter has its own  
read/write head.  
G-6 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Glossary  
REMOVABLE DISK – Generally said of  
disk drives where the disk itself is meant to be  
removed, and in particular of hard disks using  
disks mounted in cartridges. Their advantage  
is that multiple disks can be used to increase  
the amount of stored material, and that once  
removed, the disk can be stored away to  
prevent unauthorized use.  
sector is preceded by ID data known as a  
header, which cannot be overwritten.  
SEEK – A movement of the disk read/write  
head in or out to a specific track.  
SERVO DATA – Magnetic markings  
written on the media that guide the read/write  
heads to the proper position.  
RLL – Run Length Limited. A method used  
on some hard disks to encode data into  
magnetic pulses. RLL requires more  
processing, but stores almost 50% more data  
per disk than the MFM method.  
SERVO SURFACE – A separate surface  
containing only positioning and disk timing  
information but no data.  
SETTLE TIME – The interval between  
when a track to track movement of the head  
stops, and when the residual vibration and  
movement dies down to a level sufficient for  
reliable reading or writing.  
ROM – Acronym for read only memory.  
Usually in the form of an ROM in the  
controller that contains programs that can be  
accessed and read but not modified by the  
system.  
SHOCK RATING – A rating (expressed in  
Gs) of how much shock a disk drive can  
sustain without damage.  
ROTARY ACTUATOR – The rotary  
actuator replaces the stepper motor used in  
the past by many hard disk manufacturers.  
The rotary actuator is perfectly balanced and  
rotates around a single pivot point. It allows  
closed-loop feedback positioning of the  
heads, which is more accurate than stepper  
motors.  
SOFT ERROR – An error in reading data  
from the disk that does not recur if the same  
data is reread. Often caused by power  
fluctuations or noise spikes.  
SOFT SECTORED – Disks that mark the  
beginning of each sector of data within a  
track by a magnetic pattern.  
ROTATIONAL LATENCY – The delay  
between when the controller starts looking  
for a specific block of data on a track and  
when that block rotates around to where it can  
be read by the read/write head. On the  
average, it is half of the time needed for a full  
rotation (about 8 ms.).  
SPINDLE – The center shaft of the disk upon  
which the drive’s platters are mounted.  
SPUTTER – A type of coating process used  
to apply the magnetic coating to some  
high-performance disks. In sputtering, the  
disks are placed in a vacuum chamber and the  
coating is vaporized and deposited on the  
disks. The resulting surface is hard, smooth,  
and capable of storing data at high density.  
Maxtor disk drives use sputtered thin film  
disks.  
S
SATA - Acronym for Serial ATA...  
SCSI – Acronym for Small Computer System  
Interface, an American National Standards  
Institute (ANSI) version of Shugart  
Associates' SASI interface between the  
computer and controller. SCSI has grown in  
popularity and is one of the most flexible and  
intelligent interfaces available.  
STEPPER – A type of motor that moves in  
discrete amounts for each input electrical  
pulse. Stepper motors used to be widely used  
for read/write head positioner, since they can  
be geared to move the head one track per step.  
Stepper motors are not as fast or reliable as  
the rotary voice coil actuators which Maxtor  
disk drives use.  
SECTOR – A section of space along a track  
on the disk, or the data that is stored in that  
section. Hard disks most often have sectors  
that are 512 data bytes long plus several bytes  
overhead for error correcting codes. Each  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
G-7  
Glossary  
SUBSTRATE – The material the disk platter  
U
is made of beneath the magnetic coating.  
Hard disks are generally made of aluminum  
or magnesium alloy (or glass, for optical  
disks) while the substrate of floppies is  
usually mylar.  
UNFORMATTED CAPACITY – The total  
number of bytes of data that could be fit onto  
a disk. Formatting the disk requires some of  
this space to record location, boundary  
definitions, and timing information. After  
formatting, user data can be stored on the  
remaining disk space, known as formatted  
capacity. The size of a Maxtor drive is  
expressed in formatted capacity.  
SURFACE – The top or bottom side of the  
platter which is coated with the magnetic  
material for recording data. On some drives  
one surface may be reserved for positioning  
information.  
V
T
VOICE COIL – A type of motor used to  
move the disk read/write head in and out to  
the right track. Voice-coil actuators work like  
loudspeakers with the force of a magnetic  
coil causing a proportionate movement of the  
head. Maxtor's actuator uses voice-coil  
technology, and thereby eliminates the high  
stress wearing parts found on stepper motor  
type actuators.  
THIN FILM – A type of coating, used for  
disk surfaces. Thin film surfaces allow more  
bits to be stored per disk.  
TPI – Acronym for tracks per inch. The  
number of tracks or cylinders that are written  
in each inch of travel across the surface of a  
disk.  
TRACK – One of the many concentric  
magnetic circle patterns written on a disk  
surface as a guide to where to store and read  
the data.  
W
WEDGE SERVO – The position on every  
track that contains data used by the closed  
loop positioning control. This information is  
used to fine tune the position of the read/write  
heads exactly over the track center.  
TRACK DENSITY – How closely the  
tracks are packed on a disk surface. The  
number is specified as tracks per inch (TPI).  
WINCHESTER DISKS – Hard disks that  
use a technology similar to an IBM model  
using Winchester as the code name. These  
disks use read/write heads that ride just above  
the magnetic surface, held up by the air flow  
created by the turning disk. When the disk  
stops turning, the heads land on the surface,  
which has a specially lubricated coating.  
Winchester disks must be sealed and have a  
filtration system since ordinary dust particles  
are large enough to catch between the head  
and the disk.  
TRACK TO TRACK SEEK TIME – The  
time required for the read/write heads to  
move to an adjacent track.  
TRANSFER RATE – The rate at which the  
disk sends and receives data from the  
controller. Drive specifications usually  
reference a high number that is the burst  
mode rate for transferring data across the  
interface from the disk buffer to system  
RAM. Sustained data transfer is at a much  
lower rate because of system processing  
overhead, head switches, and seeks.  
WRITE ONCE – In the context of optical  
disks, technologies that allow the drive to  
store data on a disk and read it back, but not  
to erase it.  
G-8 Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
Index  
A
M
abbreviations 1-1  
adapter board 2-4, 3-20  
maximum screw torque 3-18  
mechanical dimensions 3-1  
motherboard 3-20  
mounting 3-17  
C
mounting dimensions 3-17  
mounting holes 3-17  
mounting screw clearance 3-18  
mounting screws 3-18  
MS-DOS 3-26  
Cable Select 3-7  
cable select (CS) jumper 3-6  
clearance 3-19  
command descriptions 5-2  
connector, IDE 3-11, 3-16  
cooling fan requirements 3-19  
P
packing assembly 3-2  
packing materials 3-2  
D
power and AT bus connector 3-10  
power and bus interface cables 3-21  
power connector 3-9, 3-13  
daisy-chain 2-3  
daisy-chained 3-6  
drive select (DS) jumper 3-7  
S
F
shipping container 3-2  
faceplate 3-1  
floppy drive 3-20  
V
H
ventilation 3-19  
ventilation requirements 3-17  
hardware options 3-5  
I
IDE 2-4, 3-9, 3-12  
IDE-bus interface 5-1  
IDE-bus interface connector 3-11, 3-16  
input power connections 3-11, 3-14  
interface, IDE-bus 5-1  
J
jumper configurations 3-6  
jumper locations 3-5  
jumper options 3-6  
Maxtor QuickView 400/500GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive  
I-1  

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