What is a CMR hard drive?
A CMR hard drive uses conventional magnetic recording (CMR) technology to store data. CMR writes data to distinct tracks on a platter inside the hard drive. This makes it easier to find and access specific data when needed.
CMR hard drives have been the predominant hard drive technology for many years. They offer a good balance of capacity, performance, and cost. However, newer technologies like SMR and HAMR are starting to replace CMR in some markets.
Why would I need to find my CMR hard drive?
There are several reasons you may need to locate a specific CMR hard drive:
- Recovering lost data – If you have important files stored on an older CMR drive, you may need to find it to attempt data recovery.
- Troubleshooting – If you’re having system issues, identifying the CMR drive can help diagnose problems.
- Upgrade or replacement – When upgrading or replacing a CMR drive, you need to know which one it is.
- Warranty or RMA – For warranty claims or returns, you often need to provide the serial number from the specific CMR drive.
- Identification – If you have multiple drives in a system, determining the CMR drive lets you know exactly which one it is.
Knowing which physical hard drive is the CMR one allows you to properly manage it for performance, reliability, and data recovery needs.
How to identify a CMR hard drive
There are a few methods to determine whether a particular hard drive in your system is using CMR technology:
1. Model Number
Most hard drive manufacturers indicate CMR or other technologies directly in the model number printed on the drive label.
For example, Western Digital uses “CMR” in the model names of their conventional magnetic recording drives. So a “WD1001FYYS” drive would be a CMR model.
Seagate uses code names like “Barracuda” for many of their CMR drives. So a “ST1000DM010 Barracuda” would imply CMR technology.
Check for any references to CMR, conventional recording, or model family names associated with CMR from the manufacturer.
2. Manufacture Date
CMR technology has been used in hard drives for many years. Although SMR and other new technologies are now emerging, any relatively older hard drive is likely to be CMR.
As a rule of thumb, any desktop hard drive manufactured before 2016 is most likely a CMR model. For laptop hard drives, anything from 2014 or earlier will typically be CMR.
Checking the manufacture date code on the drive label can provide a good indication in many cases.
3. Interface
Newer drive interfaces like SATA 3.0 and M.2 are more commonly associated with newer drive technologies like SMR.
Conversely, older SATA 1.0 and PATA/IDE interfaces generally indicate CMR technology. Drives using these older interfaces are very likely to be CMR models.
4. Capacity
Higher capacity drives above 2TB generally use newer technologies like SMR or HAMR. Very high capacity drives above 10TB almost certainly use one of these newer technologies.
On the other hand, smaller capacity hard drives 1TB or below are traditionally CMR designs in most cases. This provides another clue to identifying CMR drives.
5. Form Factor
Smaller 2.5-inch notebook hard drives are more likely to use newer technologies compared to full size 3.5-inch desktop drives.
Look for standard, larger 3.5-inch form factors if trying to locate a CMR desktop drive. Smaller 2.5-inch drives have a higher probability of being a newer technology.
6. Drive Family
Most manufacturers maintain general CMR drive families, even as they introduce newer technologies.
For example, Seagate Barracuda and Western Digital Caviar drives are traditionally CMR drive families. Identifying a drive as belonging to a longstanding CMR product family can provide solid clues.
7. CMR Certification
Some hard drive manufacturers explicitly certify certain models as CMR drives.
Western Digital officially certifies a number of their drives as “CMR” to reduce confusion with SMR models. Checking for an official CMR certification logo on the drive or in marketing materials can provide definitive confirmation.
8. Physical Size
Higher capacity SMR and HAMR drives often use more platters inside, resulting in a physically thicker drive.
Visually inspecting the physical size can provide clues in some cases. Standard CMR hard drives are typically 7mm to 15mm thick for desktop models. Larger 20mm+ sizes likely indicate newer drive technologies.
How to locate a specific CMR hard drive
Once you’ve identified the model or characteristics of the CMR drive you need to find, here are some tips to physically locate it:
1. Record Keeping
Keep detailed records of your hardware inventory including make, model, serial numbers, and physical drive locations within systems. This makes retrieving any specific drive much easier.
2. Label Drives
Physically label drives with model numbers and serial identification. This lets you quickly eyeball drives to match to inventory records.
3. Eliminate Guesswork
Remove or isolate unused older drives so there is less ambiguity about which drive you need. This also avoids accidentally removing the wrong drive during upgrades.
4. Diagrams
Draw diagrams showing the physical drive slots and layout within your systems. This allows you to target the exact location of the needed CMR drive.
5. Drive Utilities
Use drive utilities within your operating system or BIOS to list disk models and serial numbers. This can help match physical drives to your inventory when searching.
6. Caddy and Bay Numbers
For drives in caddies or multi-bay enclosures, record the exact caddy or bay number for each drive. This provides a simple lookup to find drives later.
7. Color Coding
Use colored stickers or tape to color code drives. This provides an easy visual indicator for each drive type that can be seen without removing from the system.
What to do if the CMR drive is not detected or accessible
If you are unable to detect or access your target CMR hard drive, there are a few steps to take:
Verify connections and power
Make sure the drive is properly connected via its data and power cables. Loose connections can prevent detection.
Try a different SATA port / controller
Try moving the drive to a different SATA port or even a completely different controller if possible. This can rule out any problems with the motherboard interface or controller.
Eliminate conflicts
Remove other drives to eliminate any conflicts. Also disconnect any external drives, RAID cards, or complicating factors temporarily.
Check for physical damage
Carefully inspect the drive for any external physical damage, especially to the SATA connector. Physical damage can prevent proper connections.
Try drive recovery software
If the drive has failed, attempt data recovery using specialist drive recovery software like Ontrack EasyRecovery. This may be able to access drives with corruption or failed controllers.
Replace cabling
Swap out SATA cables with known good cables, in case of cable defects or damage. Use short cables for troubleshooting.
Update drivers
Update motherboard chipset, SATA controller, and hard drive drivers to the latest available versions. Outdated drivers can sometimes cause detection issues.
BIOS settings
Check that the SATA controller and drive ports are enabled in the system BIOS settings. Legacy IDE modes disabled can also cause trouble detecting some older SATA drives.
Try an external enclosure
As a last resort, remove the drive and mount it in an external USB hard drive enclosure or dock. This provides a simple way to access the drive from any other computer if the original system cannot detect it.
Conclusion
Identifying and finding a specific CMR hard drive requires using the model number, manufacture date, interface, capacity, form factor, drive family, physical size, or CMR certification to determine drive technology. Once the target CMR drive is identified, careful records, labeling, diagrams, utilities, and other disk management practices allow you to pinpoint the exact physical location of the needed drive. If the drive is still not accessible or detected, systematic troubleshooting of connections, controllers, enclosures, drivers, and hardware can help gain access in most scenarios. With the right information and troubleshooting approach, even old CMR drives can still be successfully located and accessed when required.