HDS 4.3 Freezing My Computer

[DrRon]

I have been running HDS on my XP machine for a couple of years and really love it.
I've had 2 internal SATA HD's, one internal IDE HD and an external eSATA HD.
I recently decided to replace the internal IDE HD with a larger (2TB) SATA HD and needed another SATA port so I bought a Rosewill RC-212 VIA PCI controller card.
The card uses the VIA VT 6421 chipset and I am using it in the non-RAID mode.
At this point I have 4 HD's using my NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller, 1 HD (2TB) using the VIA VT 6421 chipset controller and a new SATA DVD R/W drive using the VIA controller.

When I launch HDS it runs normally and I see everything monitored just as before.
I can maximize the window and browse all the data screens fine.
I can minimize the window and watch the HD temps in my taskbar.

However, after a period of time my computer becomes unresponsive to cursor or keyboard commands.
I can't launch applications, maximize the HDS window or command a restart.
The only option available is a hard power off.

I do not start HDS with Windows and if I don't launch it the computer runs normally.
I have completely uninstalled and re-installed HDS with no success.
With the array of HD's I'm running I really need HDS functioning for me.
Please help...
Ron

[hdsentinel]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for your message and excuse me for the issue.
I can confirm the problem is not really related to Hard Disk Sentinel - but the actual driver of the VIA SATA controller.
That may have a bug which causes that the driver stops working correctly (and may even stops the computer) when Hard Disk Sentinel is trying to access the status of the hard disk.

I'd recommend to check Support -> Driver Zone section for a recommended driver for the VIA SATA RAID controller (or use this direct link: http://www.hdsentinel.com/driver/via_v- ... _v5.80.zip ).
After installation and restart, hopefully there will be no more problems.

You may use Report -> Send test report to developer now and after the update (and restart) in Hard Disk Sentinel, so it is possible to check the driver version and the change.

Excuse me again for the problematic driver(s) of some hardware ....

[DrRon]

First, let me say I have never, in my many years working with computers, seen such fast, competent support response from anyone! Thanks.

Secondly, I am downloading the software from your direct link now, but need to clarify something.
On your Driver Zone list, the driver you reference is shown as RAID mode.
As I said above I am not using the controller in the RAID mode.
Will that matter, and is the direct link software the same?

Thanks again,
Ron

[hdsentinel]

Thanks for your kind words - I try to help in all possible ways

Sorry for the confusion. The "RAID mode" means that the driver works (and Hard Disk Sentinel detects full information) even if RAID array(s) defined.

The suggested driver works correctly regardless of the actual configuration of drives, so works if the drives are confgured as standalone (non-RAID) or into RAID array(s).

(only the JMicron JMB36X has a separate driver for eSATA version - but it is not the case now).

[DrRon]

Great. Thanks.

Another question please?
As I browse the Read Me file of the download I see references to several different controllers but nothing references my VT6421.
If I just launch the setup.exe file will I see directions for my XP system and be safe to proceed with the installation from there?

Thanks again.

[hdsentinel]

That is a generic package for all controllers of VIA, including add-on cards and integrated controllers with their chips.

Yes, the installer should display directions and update the current driver (if it will find the controller properly) and may ask for a restart.

The mentioned Report -> Send test report to developer option in Hard Disk Sentinel would 100% confirm as then it is possible to verify the controller and its current driver.

[DrRon]

Got it. Very good.

Again, thank you so much even at this late time of day for you...

[DrRon]

Final (?) question, please.

Sorry for the delay, we have had family here for Easter.

I see my VIA VT 6421 chipset controller on your list of compatible hardware.
I just wonder why I am having this problem with the card I installed.

Thanks again.

[hdsentinel]

Yes, the VIA controller is compatible - with the recommended driver available from the Support -> Driver Zone.
It means that according the tests, if that driver is installed, there should be no troubles. But with other driver versions, there can be compatibility issue, as you can see.

Did you have success with the driver installation?
Can you please use Report -> Send test report to developer option in Hard Disk Sentinel? This would help to investigate the situation.

[DrRon]

I am currently working hard on my income taxes and would prefer to wait until I'm done to install the new driver.
Although I am comfortable with many aspects of working on my computer, this is one I've never done yet, so I'm somewhat tentative.
I plan to do an image backup of my C partition before I start, although I do see the Read Me instructions showing a Control Panel option to uninstall the new driver if there are any problems.

I will send you the report with the current driver as soon as possible.

Again, I am really grateful for your help. Thanks.

[DrRon]

Here is the report text for the 2 drives running on the VIA RAID card:

-- Physical Disk Information - Disk: #4: ASUS DRW-24B1ST c --

Hard Disk Summary
-------------------
Hard Disk Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 4
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID #4/0 [15]
Disk Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA VT6421 RAID Controller (RAID)
Disk Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Bus Number 0, Target ID 2, LUN 0
Hard Disk Model ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ASUS DRW-24B1ST c
Firmware Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 1.05
Hard Disk Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . : CCD0CL016946
Total Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 715402 MB
Power State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Active
Logical Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : F: [My Archives] K: [Et Cetera]
Current Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ?
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? (Unknown)
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? (Unknown)

S.M.A.R.T.
------------
No. Attribute Thre.. Value Worst Data Status Flags

Transfer Rate Information
---------------------------
Total Data Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 MB, 0 MB since installation (4/17/2012)
Total Data Write . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 MB, 0 MB since installation
Average Reads Per Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.00 MB
Average Writes Per Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.00 MB
Current Transfer Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Maximum Transfer Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 6 KB/s
Current Read Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Current Write Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Current Disk Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 %



-- Physical Disk Information - Disk: #5: WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 --

Hard Disk Summary
-------------------
Hard Disk Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 5
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID #4/2 [15]
Disk Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA VT6421 RAID Controller (RAID)
Disk Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Bus Number 0, Target ID 2, LUN 0
Hard Disk Model ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0
Firmware Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 05.00K05
Hard Disk Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . : WD-WMAU00013757
Total Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 715402 MB
Power State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Active
Logical Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : F: [My Archives] K: [Et Cetera]
Current Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 35 °C
Maximum Temperature (Ever Measured) . . . . . . : 35 °C, 3/26/2013 3:28:23 PM
Minimum Temperature (Ever Measured) . . . . . . : 35 °C, 3/26/2013 3:28:23 PM
Maximum Temperature (During Entire Lifespan) . . : 41 °C
Power On Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 70 days, 7 hours
Estimated Remaining Lifetime . . . . . . . . . . : more than 1000 days
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : #################### 100 % (Excellent)
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : #################### 100 % (Excellent)

The hard disk status is PERFECT. Problematic or weak sectors were not found and there are no spin up or data transfer errors.
No actions needed.

Disk Information
------------------
Disk Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Caviar Black
Form Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 3.5"
Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 750 GB (750 x 1,000,000,000 bytes)
Number Of Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 2
Number Of Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 3
Rotational Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 7200 RPM
Rotation Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 8.33 ms
Average Rotational Latency . . . . . . . . . . . : 4.17 ms
Disk Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Serial-ATA/300
Buffer-Host Max. Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 300 MB/seconds
Buffer Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 32768 KB
Drive Ready Time (Typical) . . . . . . . . . . . : 11 seconds
Average Seek Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? ms
Track To Track Seek Time . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? ms
Full Stroke Seek Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? ms
Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 101.6 mm (4.0 inch)
Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 147.0 mm (5.8 inch)
Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 25.4 mm (1.0 inch)
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 690 grams (1.5 pounds)
Acoustic (Idle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 2.4 Bel
Acoustic (Min Performance And Volume) . . . . . : 2.9 Bel
Acoustic (Max Performance And Volume) . . . . . : 3.3 Bel
Required Power For Spinup . . . . . . . . . . . : 2,075 mA
Power Required (Seek) . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 8.4 W
Power Required (Idle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 7.8 W
Power Required (Standby) . . . . . . . . . . . . : 1.0 W
Manufacturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Western Digital Corporation
Manufacturer Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products


As you can see the first is an optical drive and I wonder why the report shows the 2 logical drives from the second, which is a WD HD.

I can see the reference to the VI VT6421 RAID card for each but no indication of the driver version.

[hdsentinel]

Hi,

Thanks for the report and the information.

Yes, I can confirm this is the bug of the current driver: even Hard Disk Sentinel wants to access the hard disks, it provides some kind of memory garbage (which seems related to the optical drive).

According the report I got, your current driver is really old:
version 5.1.2600.310 date: 5-12-2004 and this is causing the troubles. You do not see this in the report, but you can check in Windows Device Manager, if you locate the VIA RAID controller device and inspect its current driver version.

I can confirm that if this will be updated from the VIA RAID package available on the Support -> Driver Zone section at www.hdsentinel.com (direct download URL: http://www.hdsentinel.com/driver/via_v- ... _v5.80.zip ), the driver will be 5.1.6000.581 and there should be no problems.

[DrRon]

Well, I've run the driver update and confirmed the version has changed to the one you have referenced.
I have sent you the new report.
Again, here's the section dealing with the 2 devices connected to the VIA RAID card:

Physical Disk Information - Disk: #4: ASUS DRW-24B1ST c --

Hard Disk Summary
-------------------
Hard Disk Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 4
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID #4/0 [15]
Disk Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID Controller - 3249 (RAID)
Disk Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Bus Number 0, Target ID 2, LUN 0
Hard Disk Model ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ASUS DRW-24B1ST c
Firmware Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 1.05
Hard Disk Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . : CCD0CL016946
Total Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 715402 MB
Power State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Active
Logical Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : F: [My Archives] K: [Et Cetera]
Current Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ?
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? (Unknown)
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? (Unknown)

S.M.A.R.T.
------------
No. Attribute Thre.. Value Worst Data Status Flags

Transfer Rate Information
---------------------------
Total Data Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 MB, 0 MB since installation (4/17/2012)
Total Data Write . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 MB, 0 MB since installation
Average Reads Per Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.00 MB
Average Writes Per Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.00 MB
Current Transfer Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Maximum Transfer Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Current Read Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Current Write Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Current Disk Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 %



-- Physical Disk Information - Disk: #5: WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 --

Hard Disk Summary
-------------------
Hard Disk Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 5
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID #4/2 [15]
Disk Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID Controller - 3249 (RAID)
Disk Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Bus Number 0, Target ID 2, LUN 0
Hard Disk Model ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0
Firmware Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 05.00K05
Hard Disk Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . : WD-WMAU00013757
Total Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 715402 MB
Logical Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : F: [My Archives] K: [Et Cetera]
Current Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 38 °C
Maximum Temperature (Ever Measured) . . . . . . : 38 °C, 4/4/2013 7:09:16 PM
Minimum Temperature (Ever Measured) . . . . . . : 35 °C, 3/26/2013 3:28:23 PM
Maximum Temperature (During Entire Lifespan) . . : 42 °C
Power On Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 82 days, 0 hours
Estimated Remaining Lifetime . . . . . . . . . . : more than 1000 days
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : #################### 100 % (Excellent)
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : #################### 100 % (Excellent)

The hard disk status is PERFECT. Problematic or weak sectors were not found and there are no spin up or data transfer errors.
No actions needed.

S.M.A.R.T. Details
--------------------
Last Short Self-test Result . . . . . . . . . . : Never Started
Last Short Self-test Date . . . . . . . . . . . : Never Started
Last Extended Self-test Result . . . . . . . . . : Never Started
Last Extended Self-test Date . . . . . . . . . . : Never Started
Last Conveyance Self-test Result . . . . . . . . : Never Started
Last Conveyance Self-test Date . . . . . . . . . : Never Started

Disk Information
------------------
Disk Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Caviar Black
Form Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 3.5"
Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 750 GB (750 x 1,000,000,000 bytes)
Number Of Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 2
Number Of Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 3
Rotational Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 7200 RPM
Rotation Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 8.33 ms
Average Rotational Latency . . . . . . . . . . . : 4.17 ms
Disk Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Serial-ATA/300
Buffer-Host Max. Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 300 MB/seconds
Buffer Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 32768 KB
Drive Ready Time (Typical) . . . . . . . . . . . : 11 seconds
Average Seek Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? ms
Track To Track Seek Time . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? ms
Full Stroke Seek Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ? ms
Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 101.6 mm (4.0 inch)
Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 147.0 mm (5.8 inch)
Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 25.4 mm (1.0 inch)
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 690 grams (1.5 pounds)
Acoustic (Idle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 2.4 Bel
Acoustic (Min Performance And Volume) . . . . . : 2.9 Bel
Acoustic (Max Performance And Volume) . . . . . : 3.3 Bel
Required Power For Spinup . . . . . . . . . . . : 2,075 mA
Power Required (Seek) . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 8.4 W
Power Required (Idle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 7.8 W
Power Required (Standby) . . . . . . . . . . . . : 1.0 W
Manufacturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Western Digital Corporation
Manufacturer Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products

S.M.A.R.T.
------------
No. Attribute Thre.. Value Worst Data Status Flags
1 Raw Read Error Rate 51 200 200 000000000000 OK Self Preserving, Error-Rate, Performance, Statistica..
3 Spin Up Time 21 253 253 000000001848 OK Self Preserving, Performance, Statistical, Critical
4 Start/Stop Count 0 100 100 0000000000A7 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
5 Reallocated Sectors Co.. 140 200 200 000000000000 OK Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical, Critical
7 Seek Error Rate 51 200 200 000000000000 OK Self Preserving, Error-Rate, Performance, Statistical
9 Power On Time Count 0 98 98 0000000007B0 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
10 Spin Retry Count 51 100 100 000000000000 OK Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
11 Drive Calibration Retr.. 51 100 100 000000000000 OK Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
12 Drive Power Cycle Count 0 100 100 000000000097 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
192 Power off Retract Cycl.. 0 200 200 000000000090 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
193 Load/Unload Cycle Count 0 200 200 0000000000A7 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
194 Disk Temperature 0 112 108 000000000026 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Statistical
196 Reallocation Event Count 0 200 200 000000000000 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
197 Current Pending Sector.. 0 200 200 000000000000 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
198 Off-Line Uncorrectable.. 0 200 200 000000000000 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count
199 Ultra ATA CRC Error Co.. 0 200 200 000000000000 OK (Always passing) Self Preserving, Event Count, Statistical
200 Write Error Rate 51 200 200 000000000000 OK Error-Rate

Transfer Rate Information
---------------------------
Total Data Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 MB, 0 MB since installation (4/17/2012)
Total Data Write . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 MB, 0 MB since installation
Average Reads Per Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.00 MB
Average Writes Per Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.00 MB
Current Transfer Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Maximum Transfer Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Current Read Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Current Write Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 KB/s
Current Disk Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0 %



-- Partition Information --

Logical Drive Total Space Free Space Free Space Used Space
C: Main HD 25G (Disk: #0) 38.1 GB 13.2 GB 35 % #############-------
E: Disk Archive (Disk: #2) 146.3 GB 26.5 GB 18 % ################----
F: My Archives (Disk: #4-5) 648.6 GB 158.3 GB 24 % ###############-----
G: PIX Archive (Disk: #2) 552.4 GB 161.5 GB 29 % ##############------
J: Seagate EXT (Disk: #3) 1863.0 GB 1372.4 GB 74 % #####---------------
K: Et Cetera (Disk: #4-5) 50.0 GB 43.7 GB 87 % ##------------------
T: MYDOCUMENTS (Disk: #0) 110.9 GB 2.9 GB 3 % (Low) ###################-
W: Disk Backup (Disk: #1) 146.4 GB 41.6 GB 28 % ##############------
Y: Pics Backup (Disk: #1) 552.3 GB 161.6 GB 29 % ##############------

We still seem to have reference to the logical drives from the HD to the optical drive.

I will leave HDS running and see how the machine behaves tonight.

Thanks again...

[DrRon]

Looking at my new Seagate 2TB HD running on an eSATA bridge after updating the VI driver, does this Raw Error Rate trace make sense?

None of the other drives show any Raw Error Rate values at all.

Seagate 2TB eSATA Raw Error Rate

ST2000DM001 Raw Error Rate.jpg (368.47 KiB) Viewed 39212 times

[DrRon]

Finally (perhaps) here is the temperature trace for one of my WD HD's after updating the VIA RAID card driver.

This HD is running on the MB SATA controller.
There has been no significant computer process activity except for launching HDS.
Does this dramatic rise make sense simple from starting up HDS again?

WDC HD Temp post-HDS Startup

WDC Backup Temp post HDS startup.jpg (328.8 KiB) Viewed 39212 times

[hdsentinel]

Thanks for the report and the information !
It confirms that the driver is updated and things should be fine.

However, I also still see the ASUS optical drive, instead of the status of the hard disk.
This seems interesting.

It is possible that connecting the optical drive (next to the drives configured as RAID) can cause some confusion in the functionality of the VIA RAID controller, so if possible, I'd recommend to remove the optical drive from this controller - so leave just the hard disks on it.

Can you please tell me the actual configuration of the devices connected to the VIA controller? Do you have 4 SATA ports and now 3 used (two for the hard disks and one for the optical drive)?
This way it is possible to reproduce the situation and investigate with more details.

> I will leave HDS running and see how the machine behaves tonight.

Please let me know the results and experiences, hopefully (even if the optical drive may cause confusion) the updated driver may work better.

[hdsentinel]

I can confirm this is 100% normal, it is NOT the count of errors but the total number of operations.
The other drives (WD) are working differently, they do not count/report this kind of value there.

This is a common question, already discussed in this forum, for example: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=735

[hdsentinel]

HDSentinel does not rise the temperature of the hard disk of course, just reads the detected value of the sensor built-in the hard disk.

If the temperature of a drive seems higher than the others, it may be caused by an environmental issue, for example a FAN or other heat source (VGA card, physical memory) may "heat" up the hard disk with some degrees. It is also possible that the computer case (or the cables inside...) may prevent proper airflow and causes minor increase in temperature.

Also it is possible that the temperature sensor of the hard disk is not 100% accurate. Exactly for this purpose, Hard Disk Sentinel offers a function called "Temperature calibration" to verify the actual temperature by a different sensor (eg. infrared sensor or by simply comparing the very first value reported with the room/office temperature) and specify the difference to correct the temperature level reported.
Please check Help -> Appendix -> Temperature calibration for more details.

[DrRon]

HDSentinel does not rise the temperature of the hard disk of course, just reads the detected value of the sensor built-in the hard disk.

If the temperature of a drive seems higher than the others, it may be caused by an environmental issue, for example a FAN or other heat source (VGA card, physical memory) may "heat" up the hard disk with some degrees. It is also possible that the computer case (or the cables inside...) may prevent proper airflow and causes minor increase in temperature.

Also it is possible that the temperature sensor of the hard disk is not 100% accurate. Exactly for this purpose, Hard Disk Sentinel offers a function called "Temperature calibration" to verify the actual temperature by a different sensor (eg. infrared sensor or by simply comparing the very first value reported with the room/office temperature) and specify the difference to correct the temperature level reported.
Please check Help -> Appendix -> Temperature calibration for more details.

Please notice the report information for the WDC HD running on the VIA RAID card before and after the driver update.
Here is the info before the driver update:

-- Physical Disk Information - Disk: #5: WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 --

Hard Disk Summary
-------------------
Hard Disk Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 5
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID #4/2 [15]
Disk Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA VT6421 RAID Controller (RAID)
Disk Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Bus Number 0, Target ID 2, LUN 0
Hard Disk Model ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0
Firmware Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 05.00K05
Hard Disk Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . : WD-WMAU00013757
Total Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 715402 MB
Power State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Active
Logical Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : F: [My Archives] K: [Et Cetera]
Current Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 35 °C
Maximum Temperature (Ever Measured) . . . . . . : 35 °C, 3/26/2013 3:28:23 PM
Minimum Temperature (Ever Measured) . . . . . . : 35 °C, 3/26/2013 3:28:23 PM
Maximum Temperature (During Entire Lifespan) . . : 41 °C
Power On Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 70 days, 7 hours
Estimated Remaining Lifetime . . . . . . . . . . : more than 1000 days
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : #################### 100 % (Excellent)
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : #################### 100 % (Excellent)

Here is the info after the driver update:

-- Physical Disk Information - Disk: #5: WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 --

Hard Disk Summary
-------------------
Hard Disk Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 5
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID #4/2 [15]
Disk Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA RAID Controller - 3249 (RAID)
Disk Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Bus Number 0, Target ID 2, LUN 0
Hard Disk Model ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0
Firmware Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 05.00K05
Hard Disk Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . : WD-WMAU00013757
Total Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 715402 MB
Logical Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : F: [My Archives] K: [Et Cetera]
Current Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 38 °C
Maximum Temperature (Ever Measured) . . . . . . : 38 °C, 4/4/2013 7:09:16 PM
Minimum Temperature (Ever Measured) . . . . . . : 35 °C, 3/26/2013 3:28:23 PM
Maximum Temperature (During Entire Lifespan) . . : 42 °C
Power On Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 82 days, 0 hours
Estimated Remaining Lifetime . . . . . . . . . . : more than 1000 days
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : #################### 100 % (Excellent)
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : #################### 100 % (Excellent)

Please note that the computer has been running 24/7 and the new driver seems to be reporting a disk temperature 4 to 5 degrees higher than the previous temperature.
The HD temperature trace coninued to rise after the new driver report, to a stable 41 degrees.
There have been no hardware changes.
The HDS trace of average disk temperature is also 4 to 5 degrees higher than before.
This behaviour in average disk temperature is not apparent in the HD's running on my SATA controller.

I also notive that the VIA RAID card does not report the complete set of information on the WDC HD like the others.
There is no ATA information, for example.
This is apparent on both the old and new driver so I conclude it is a matter of the RAID card itself, right?

[DrRon]

Thanks for the report and the information !
It confirms that the driver is updated and things should be fine.

However, I also still see the ASUS optical drive, instead of the status of the hard disk.
This seems interesting.

It is possible that connecting the optical drive (next to the drives configured as RAID) can cause some confusion in the functionality of the VIA RAID controller, so if possible, I'd recommend to remove the optical drive from this controller - so leave just the hard disks on it.

Can you please tell me the actual configuration of the devices connected to the VIA controller? Do you have 4 SATA ports and now 3 used (two for the hard disks and one for the optical drive)?
This way it is possible to reproduce the situation and investigate with more details.

> I will leave HDS running and see how the machine behaves tonight.

Please let me know the results and experiences, hopefully (even if the optical drive may cause confusion) the updated driver may work better.

So far so good. There have been no "seizures" with the new driver.

My MOBO has 4 SATA connectors, which are running 3 internal HDs and the eSATA bridge external HD (the new Seagate 2TB).
I previously had an additional HD and DVD RW running on the IDE controller.
I wanted to replace them both with a faster connection so I bought the VIA RAID card (which provides 2 additional SATA connections) and a new SATA DVD RW optical drive.
I replaced the IDE HD with a SATA HD that was previously running in my external enclosure.
That external enclosure is actively cooled and does a great job of keeping its HD cool, as you can see with the new Seagate.
So I have no historical temperature data for the WDC HD that is now inside the case, running on the VIA RAID card.

Bottom line, I have that HD and the DVD RW running on the RAID SATA ports and the 4 MOBO connections running the other 4 HDs.
I could swap the DVD RW cable with one of the other HDs and see what happens, I guess.
The data transfer rates at the VIA RAID card are lower than the MOBO SATA connections since it is running on the PCI bus, but still better than the old IDE rates.

Sorry to make this into a large project here, but I am so impressed with the capability of HDS to let me look into the heart of my drives and keep watch over them.
As you can see, I have a number of HDs with lots of data on them and just need to know if anything starts to fail.
Your program is really great and your technical support is excellent.
I have highly recommended it to my friends.