[gentoo-user] Re: External HDD: sector size incorrectly detected on first connect

[Hans <linux@interworld.net.au>]

On 10/03/15 19:45, Marc Joliet wrote:
> Hi
>
> while I haven't had a chance to try the external HDD on my brother's
> Windows computer yet, I did notice one thing:  when I turn the HDD off (i.e.,
> unplug its AC) for several hours and turn it back on (with my PC still running
> the entire time) the problem does *not* show up.
>
> I would think that this points to a driver problem, but then again, the problem
> also fails to show up when I reboot my computer while the drive stays on.
>
> The only time when the problem consistently shows up is when I turn my computer
> off for a longer period of time (with or without turning off the power strip
> the PC and HDD are attached to).  For example, after turning the PC off for the
> night, the problem always occurs after I turn it back on in the morning.
>
> I wonder if it has anything to do with my USB3 PCI card.
>
> (This is, incidentally, why I haven't been able to try it with my brother's PC
> yet: the only condition where I know the that the problem will show up is after
> leaving my computer off for the night or while I'm gone during the day.  So I
> would have to try it with my brother in the morning or evening, but that has
> not been possible yet.)
>
> One more thing I'll try: not having the HDD plugged into the USB3 slot when my
> computer boots up.
>
> Greetings
>
Have a very similar problem with a USB drive. Resolved it by installing 
a toggle switch into the DC power line and switched the drive on when I 
did a backup. I.e. power up the PC, login, power up the USB drive.