Slooooww (and maybe dying??) LS-X3.0TL

[cherns]

When one of my original LS-XH2.0TL died, I bought a LS-X3.0TL and put my backups there.  Now I have an LS-V2.0TL that's biting the dust (which I will address in another post), and I'm copying everything from it to the LS-X3.0TL.  All LinkStations are plugged into my ActionTec V1000H VDSL Gigabit modem/router through a Gigabit switch.

Now, when I first installed the Buffalo units, I found them quite slow--it would take maybe 12 hours to copy a large backup folder from one to the other.  But, now, as I'm copying from my dying drive to the LS-X3.0TL, it's getting really slow--going from double-digit megabytes/s to double-digit bytes/s.  Just using Windows Explorer on the LS-X3.0TL, an 8 GB folder took almost 3 days just to delete (and, because I neglected to uncheck the "Recycle" options, I guess that it'll take that long again to remove the deleted folders from the trashbox).  Sometime I can display folders on the drive and sometime not.  The light (in a little slit, nowhere as visible as on the LS-XH2.0TLs) remains solid blue.

A couple of times the LS-X3.0TL has disappeared from NAS Navigator (so far it's come back after some Refreshing), and a number of times Windows Explorer has reported that it's lost communication with the drive (which I've mapped as M:), although so far it's been able to find it with "Try Again" a few times  Also, although I've set it up in a manner similar to the the LS-XH2.0TL it replaces, I can't get to it via buffaloNAS.com.  Going to the drive directly (through its IP address or through NASNavigator -> Settings) sometimes works and sometimes not (i.e., I just get the signon-page whirligig)..

Obviously, this is intolerable, and obviously, there's something wrong.  But I have no idea what.  Firmware is 1.62, which I believe is the latest.  Is the whole unit dying?--it's only a few months old!  Have I lost by backup's backup?  Would it help to turn it off for a while, or would it then not turn on again?  I gotta say, with two bricks and one snail, I'm kinda losing faith in Buffalotech.  Any help or advice very much appreciated.

[davo]

Test it on a direct gigabit connection to the PC using either a good CAT5e or CAT6 cable with both devices on a static IP is see what transfer rates you are getting then.

[cherns]

What a difference a cable makes!

I tried a different cat 5e cable direct from the LS to the router (still via DHCP) and there was a tremendous difference--still not lightning-quick as if it were a local hard drive, but quick enough.  Then moved the cable from the router to the switch, and it worked just as well.  I guess that the problem was the Buffalo-supplied flat Ethernet cable.

I will be exploring the issue further--static addresses, different cables, etc.--but for now things are satisfactory (except for my two Buffalotech bricks).  Many thanks for your suggestion.  Cheers, --Howard