My USB hard disk started to make some beep type of sound and then stopped working.
I have to replug the hard disk to make it work again. After some time same sound is heard and again it stops working.
My USB Hard disk is Transcend StoreJet.
Is my USB hard disk dying? I am not sure so I added the syslog output file below.
Btw I am using Ubuntu 12.04 Beta 2. Is it because of the beta version of Ubuntu affecting?
Mar 31 22:25:48 talk kernel: [13337.448109] usb 2-3: new high-speed USB device number 8 using ehci_hcd
Mar 31 22:25:48 talk kernel: [13337.582406] usb-storage 2-3:1.0: Quirks match for vid 152d pid 2329: 8020
Mar 31 22:25:48 talk kernel: [13337.582473] scsi7 : usb-storage 2-3:1.0
Mar 31 22:25:48 talk mtp-probe: checking bus 2, device 8: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb2/2-3"
Mar 31 22:25:48 talk mtp-probe: bus: 2, device: 8 was not an MTP device
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.622683] scsi 7:0:0:0: Direct-Access StoreJet Transcend PQ: 0 ANSI: 2 CCS
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.624995] sd 7:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.627119] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] 976773168 512-byte logical blocks: (500 GB/465 GiB)
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.629874] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.629885] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 28 00 00 00
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.630727] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page present
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.630738] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.633992] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page present
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.634002] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.656453] sdb: sdb1 sdb2
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.659225] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page present
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.659232] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 31 22:25:49 talk kernel: [13338.659238] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI disk
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.935136] usb 2-3: USB disconnect, device number 8
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939147] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Unhandled error code
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939153] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Result: hostbyte=DID_ERROR driverbyte=DRIVER_OK
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939160] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 1d 1d 4b 3d 00 00 6f 00
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939177] end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 488459069
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939320] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Unhandled error code
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939324] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] Result: hostbyte=DID_NO_CONNECT driverbyte=DRIVER_OK
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939329] sd 7:0:0:0: [sdb] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 1d 1d 4b ac 00 00 5f 00
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939344] end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 488459180
Mar 31 22:26:06 talk kernel: [13354.939470] FAT-fs (sdb2): FAT read failed (blocknr 72482)
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.240101] ieee80211 phy0: wlan0: No probe response from AP 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 after 500ms, disconnecting.
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk wpa_supplicant[960]: CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 reason=4
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.300676] cfg80211: All devices are disconnected, going to restore regulatory settings
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.300687] cfg80211: Restoring regulatory settings
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.300698] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk NetworkManager[860]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: completed -> disconnected
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.309382] cfg80211: Ignoring regulatory request Set by core since the driver uses its own custom regulatory domain
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.309390] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.309393] cfg80211: (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), (max_antenna_gain, max_eirp)
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.309399] cfg80211: (2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.309403] cfg80211: (2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.309407] cfg80211: (2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.309411] cfg80211: (5170000 KHz - 5250000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk kernel: [13408.309416] cfg80211: (5735000 KHz - 5835000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
Mar 31 22:26:59 talk NetworkManager[860]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: disconnected -> scanning
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk wpa_supplicant[960]: Trying to authenticate with 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 (SSID='SitecomAD0DE8' freq=2462 MHz)
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk kernel: [13409.598576] wlan0: authenticate with 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 (try 1)
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk wpa_supplicant[960]: Trying to associate with 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 (SSID='SitecomAD0DE8' freq=2462 MHz)
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk NetworkManager[860]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: scanning -> associating
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk kernel: [13409.600886] wlan0: authenticated
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk kernel: [13409.601164] wlan0: associate with 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 (try 1)
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk kernel: [13409.605796] wlan0: RX ReassocResp from 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 (capab=0x431 status=0 aid=1)
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk kernel: [13409.605803] wlan0: associated
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk wpa_supplicant[960]: Associated with 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk NetworkManager[860]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: associating -> 4-way handshake
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk wpa_supplicant[960]: WPA: Key negotiation completed with 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 [PTK=CCMP GTK=CCMP]
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk wpa_supplicant[960]: CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED - Connection to 00:0c:f6:ad:0d:e8 completed (reauth) [id=0 id_str=]
Mar 31 22:27:00 talk NetworkManager[860]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: 4-way handshake -> completed
Mar 31 22:27:16 talk kernel: [13425.516140] usb 2-3: new high-speed USB device number 9 using ehci_hcd
Mar 31 22:27:16 talk kernel: [13425.667791] usb-storage 2-3:1.0: Quirks match for vid 152d pid 2329: 8020
Mar 31 22:27:16 talk kernel: [13425.667849] scsi8 : usb-storage 2-3:1.0
Mar 31 22:27:16 talk mtp-probe: checking bus 2, device 9: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb2/2-3"
Mar 31 22:27:16 talk mtp-probe: bus: 2, device: 9 was not an MTP device
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.710254] scsi 8:0:0:0: Direct-Access StoreJet Transcend PQ: 0 ANSI: 2 CCS
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.711635] sd 8:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.716360] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] 976773168 512-byte logical blocks: (500 GB/465 GiB)
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.717212] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.717219] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 28 00 00 00
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.717965] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page present
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.717973] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.720716] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page present
Mar 31 22:27:17 talk kernel: [13426.720723] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Best Answer
It's very doubtful that Ubuntu's beta status has anything to do with your drive issues.
Your drive is having difficulties, but there's no way to know for sure if the problems are fatal based on your log output. These are the relevant lines indicating trouble:
If these errors are due to reads, the physical disk sectors may be salvageable by simply overwriting them. Sectors can be written with bad checksums due to power failures. Subsequent reads of these sectors will produce I/O errors because the checksums don't match the data. Overwriting such sectors will fix the checksums and the reading the sector will work again. I've fixed several drives this way.
But it may be that the physical blocks have indeed failed and your drive has run out spare blocks to replace them. In this case, the drive should be scrapped.
What you should do now is buy a replacement drive and copy the data off the drive that's having problems. Once that is done, you can experiment with overwriting the bad sectors and see if the I/O errors go away.