Problem Statement:
On 31 JAN 13, 2000hrs, Operator THo attempted to transfer several files and folders from his Windows 8 PC Desktop to his external HDD. During the process, the transfer stalled and was unable to complete. This occurred repeatedly subsequently even after numerous remounting, reboot and shutdowns.
RCA:
Man -
Operator has years of experience in operating the Windows OS since 1996.
He is well verse in basic functions and features of the OS.
Man is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Materials -
The files that were meant to be transferred were checked for integrity and all files passed CHECKSUM and were fully playable.
Material is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Measurement -
To rule out the possibility of a graphical representation error, a small file was transferred from the PC to the HDD. This file theoretically will take only 10 seconds to be transferred at a rate of 25 MB/s. However, the transfer process stalled and the file was not transferred successfully even after waiting for 15 minutes.
Measurement is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Method -
The method employed was the basic Windows 8 function of COPY, CUT & PASTE. Operator had executed the method with deadly precision and flawless accuracy.
Method is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Mother Nature -
To rule out Mother Nature, the following were accessed as shown below...
Was the PC or HDD in an environment that is too hot?
No. Operation was carried out at night.
Was there sufficient power supplied to the HDD?
Yes. HDD was connected to different USB ports. HDD was connected to different power supplies. All redundant power hungry devices were disconnected. Problem still occurs.
Was the cable of the HDD faulty?
No. Cables are new.
Mother Nature is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Machine -
PC: From online data monitoring, hardware was performing perfectly during the transfer process.
HDD: There is still 0.9 TB of space left from the 3 TB capacity.
Software: All updates were applied.
To further the investigation, the operator attempted to replicate the event with the following variables:
- Transfer a file to a different directory of the same HDD
- Transfer a file to a different identical HDD
- Transfer a file to a flashdrive
- Repeat the above using another PC
While executing the first action, it was found that the file managed to transfer successful into a different directory of the same HDD.
It was found that the directory in which the event manifested is filled with 1074 files and folders.
Having too many items in a single directory is the likely root cause of the event.
Effectiveness Check:
To confirm the root cause, 100GB of files was transferred from the PC to the same HDD into a different directory. Transfer was successful at a constant pace of 25 MB/s.
OPEN CAPA:
To prevent future occurrences, the Digital Archival Project is targeted to be completed by 01 JAN 14.
This will ensure all the 1074 files and folders will be properly sorted and archived.
End of Report.
