HDD Unavailable

[d_aero]

Hi, have new MY15 XC70. First big trip out and half way through trip nav crashed and now just get "HDD Unavailable". USB music won,t load anymore and just keep getting a clicking noise where hdd keeps trying to initialise.

Took it to nearest dealer (was away) but they say it needs dismantling.

Anybody else had this? Is there anyway to reload the software other than at dealer?

Thanks in advance.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by d_aero

Hi, have new MY15 XC70. First big trip out and half way through trip nav crashed and now just get "HDD Unavailable". USB music won,t load anymore and just keep getting a clicking noise where hdd keeps trying to initialise.

Took it to nearest dealer (was away) but they say it needs dismantling.

Anybody else had this? Is there anyway to reload the software other than at dealer?

Thanks in advance.

It sounds like the Hard disk is faulty , this is the sound it makes on a PC when the hard disk fails . A new IAM will be required under warranty of course if this is the case . A dealer will pre order one of these before you go in so it can be fixed the same day ... If it is the Hard disk you will have been very unlucky as these failing is very rare even on computers . You only need to worry about failing after 10,000 hours normaly .

[d_aero]

Thanks for reply. Thats what i thought. Wondered if data cable had come off the drive as it sounds similar to when you just have the power to a hdd.

Cant believe they aren,t using SSDs.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by d_aero

Thanks for reply. Thats what i thought. Wondered if data cable had come off the drive as it sounds similar to when you just have the power to a hdd.

Cant believe they aren,t using SSDs.

It is down to cost cutting , This system was probably designed a couple of years ago when SDD were quite expensive .. also the HDD are cheap and with the small amount of use they get in a car they SHOULD last forever .

[d_aero]

Convinced dealer to order in part before I deliver to them as I suggested the symptoms were quite specific. They wanted to take it in and perform the same diagnostics that the Aberdeen dealer did before doing anything else. Said Volvo force them to re-perform any diagnostics another dealer may have done including Volvo Assistance (who apparently have VIDAS and all the diagnostic kit).

For the record symptoms are:

Press Nav - get "HDD Unavailable" message
Fails to load music from USB.
Locks up when select Internet settings from My Car.
Can't access Online Manual.
Can hear hard disk repeatedly clicking as it tries to initialise, continues for a while, gives up then starts clicking process all over again. Hear it as soon you unlock the car and it continues until actually lock the car and everything is powered off.

Fortunately for my sanity the Radio and Bluetooth music still worked as I had a six hour return journey.

Will let you know what gets changed if I can.

[BigBadRob]

Originally Posted by d_aero

Cant believe they aren,t using SSDs.

I know from experience that whilst SSD's might be the brightest shining star in the hard disk sky, they still don't have the longevity and levels of reliability of a HDD.

I have heard many horror stories (as well as my own) from friends and colleagues who have lost work or had business interrupted due to failing SSD drives and a lot of the time, the drive is not recoverable. It happened to one of our engineers offshore last year and he lost 3 weeks of project documentation (as well as all of his movies) because he couldn't connect and backup like he would in the office as the corporate network wouldn't let him through their firewall.

This would be especially problematic for an OEM like Volvo if they were to invest in them and then discover that they faced more issues than they could reasonably cope with across the model range. Especially under warranty. It would be extremely financially prohibitive, on top of the extra outlay in the first place for purchasing them.

Also, regards the 10000 hours line, at work we specify 10 years constant running time requirement for any HDD used on systems for our Airport & Oil/Gas clients and this isn't an unusual request. 10000 hours seems a pretty low MTBF figure in all honesty.

[d_aero]

I know SSDs are not as heavy use as a hdd but they shouldn,t be susceptible to head crashes through the movement. I was on a winding bit of B road when it died. Also can,t imagine the hard drive is being written to much so again an SSD in this instance should be quite reliable.

No doubt I was just unlucky. Hopefully new unit when fixed will be reliable.