WD Caviar AC31600 Quality Bulletin

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Western Digital has been monitoring a temporary increase of isolated failures with the WD Caviar AC31600 (3-platter, 1.6 GB). Western Digital has identified the source of the decrease in field quality for the AC31600 and has implemented multiple improvements in our manufacturing processes to ensure that this problem cannot happen again. All AC31600 products sent as replacements have been fully tested to ensure that they are unaffected. Western Digital's commitment to quality is also demonstrated by the industry- leading 3-year warranty that Western Digital firmly stands behind.

We acknowledge that our quality and reliability monitoring processes did not identify the severity of these issues earlier. All Western Digital products have benefited from the new manufacturing quality controls put in place last year. We have added additional quality checks to our standard diagnostic utility Data Lifeguard Tools that will allow you to monitor the performance of the AC31600.

If you suspect any problems with your WD Caviar AC31600, please contact Western Digital Technical Support for assistance.

We recommend that you always follow a regular backup schedule. You may access the company's technical support services, including the web site at www.wdc.com, to address your concerns with any Western Digital product.

Q1. How do I know if my drive may be potentially at risk?

A1. Please use the WDDIAG program to analyze your drive. You may download the Data Lifeguard Tools program here, or contact Western Digital Technical Support. In addition, the following symptoms may indicate an affected drive:

1. After a successful installation and a period of use without trouble, the drive cannot be found on the operating system.
2. When performing a drive scan using the operating system's scan utility, the utility stops and reports a hard drive error and cannot continue. This should not be confused with the normal file repair operations of the scan tools.
3. Upon powering up the system, the drive fails to be recognized by the operating system.

If you have experienced any of these conditions, please call Western Digital Technical Support for further assistance. We will replace your drive, if necessary.

Q2. How do I return a Western Digital hard drive?

A2. You may contact Western Digital Technical Support, or consult your drive manual for further information.

Q3. What is the chance of having an affected drive?

A3. The likelihood of having an affected hard drive is actually quite low. This type of failure may only show up after many hundreds of hours of use before an actual failure occurs. The WD Caviar AC31600 has been out of production since August 1996 and, to our knowledge, is no longer available for purchase anywhere.

Q4. What is Western Digital doing to prevent these failures from happening in the future?

A4. Western Digital has made significant improvements to its manufacturing process and monitoring systems and is constantly improving its quality programs.