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Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 13:06:58 -0500
From: Mark Lord <lkml@rtr.ca>
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To: Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@linux01.gwdg.de>
Cc: Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@hmh.eng.br>, Pavel Machek <pavel@ucw.cz>,
       Jeff Garzik <jeff@garzik.org>, Andi Kleen <ak@suse.de>,
       John Fremlin <not@just.any.name>,
       kernel list <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>, htejun@gmail.com,
       jim.kardach@intel.com
Subject: Re: HD head unloads
References: <87k639u55l.fsf-genuine-vii@john.fremlin.org> <20061113142219.GA2703@elf.ucw.cz> <45589008.1080001@garzik.org> <200611131637.56737.ak@suse.de> <455893E5.4010001@garzik.org> <4558B232.8080600@rtr.ca> <20061113220127.GA1704@elf.ucw.cz> <20061114034355.GB5810@khazad-dum.debian.net> <Pine.LNX.4.61.0611141021040.29913@yvahk01.tjqt.qr>
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Jan Engelhardt wrote:
>
> Let me jump in here. Short info: Toshiba MK2003GAH 1.8" 20GB 
> PATA harddisk, in a Sony Vaio U3 (x86, gray-blue PhoenixBIOS).
> If idle for more than 5 secs, unloads. Even when not inside any OS, 
> which really sets me off.
>     So I wrote a quick workaround hack for Linux, http://tinyurl.com/y3qs6g
> It reads a predefined amount of bytes (just as much to not cause 
> slowdown yet still cause it to not unload) from the disk at fixed 
> intervals.

Thanks for the info.
Jan, in your specific case, can you not "fix it" properly with:

    hdparm -B255 /dev/?d?

(fill in your drive device there).

???