2013 981 PCM3.1 Hard Drive Failure?

[daz05]

1 hour ago, spook said:

Just a warning that the HDD replacement with SSD upgrade cannot be done in early 981s like my 2012 Boxster S.

Like most things in my life I found this out the hard way, when I removed and opened my PCM unit today with a view to doing the upgrade. I quickly saw that the interface on the OEM Toshiba HDD was completely incompatible with the Samsung SSD I intended to replace it with (for the techies on here, the Samsung SSD is SATA, the Toshiba is old-fashioned ATA). The label on the Toshiba stated it was 40GB, with a build date of 20 February 2012.

It therefore appears that only the later PCM 3.1 units with the 100GB HDD can be replaced with SSD, so those contemplating what is a very sensible preventative maintenance upgrade first need to check whether their PCM 3.1 has Jukebox. If it hasn't, it simply can't be done.

For me it's now just a case of waiting for my lovely old-fashioned Toshiba HDD to fail, as all mechanical HDDs eventually do. Then it's a full PCM replacement unit required. Lucky me 😬

Spook I'm sure I read a post by a Panamera owner MY 11 who took this on and managed to do it with some kind of adapter.

[spook]

24 minutes ago, daz05 said:

Spook I'm sure I read a post by a Panamera owner MY 11 who took this on and managed to do it with some kind of adapter.

Thanks for that Daz, I'm struggling to find the right adapter that would fit in the limited space available. As an alternative I'm looking into ATA interface SSDs but they are a bit pricey. Could you point me in the right direction for that post? 

[iborguk]

41 minutes ago, spook said:

Thanks for that Daz, I'm struggling to find the right adapter that would fit in the limited space available. As an alternative I'm looking into ATA interface SSDs but they are a bit pricey. Could you point me in the right direction for that post? 

Would a PATA to MSATA adapter work and then stick a MSATA drive in it  ? 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Docooler-mSATA-44pin-Adapter-Converter/dp/B07L89R2HK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=pata+to+msata&qid=1621959401&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=ARB3CU9HKOQJ8&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQkVJTUlMNlZLMzdDJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTMxMjY2MUkzQVhBQ1JaWTBIVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjc1OTg1MUo2Wk1ETFZTT0JHQSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingshark-Internal-Performance-Desktop-Laptop/dp/B07TP8GM78/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=msata+drive&qid=1621959563&sr=8-10

Edited May 25, 2021 by iborguk

[Menoporsche]

.

Edited May 25, 2021 by Menoporsche

[iborguk]

12 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

Sorry, no-one makes a ATA SSD, is that it?

Yup, not many around, tend to be small capacity < =64GB or industrial applications costing £££'s.

Edited May 25, 2021 by iborguk

[iborguk]

Other's talking re same issue.

https://rennlist.com/forums/audio-and-video-forum/1166469-upgraded-pcm-3-1-hard-drive-to-ssd-3.html

 

 

No idea if any good

32GB

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402473384471?hash=item5db5487a17:g:OoMAAOSwsKlfeEnX

64GB

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353390575523?hash=item5247b83fa3:g:7TwAAOSws09gLOZf

 

Transcend (at least I recognise the make on that one)

32GB

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/170302910?iid=182984262521

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by iborguk

[iborguk]

PATA (IDE/ATA) to SATA Adapter.....this may be the win

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cablecc-Female-Converter-Adapter-Laptop/dp/B07Y9BCNZK/ref=sr_1_39_sspa?adgrpid=117287476946&dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwLKFBhDPARIsAPzPi-JGRKmiEhA0BI5BxMawFjTNMQerJeXyiLMqVHztp52NDP3FWrlqcSwaArd9EALw_wcB&hvadid=498299379075&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006528&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5035091387981595299&hvtargid=kwd-698515928312&hydadcr=26773_1914684&keywords=ide+to+m2&qid=1621961222&sr=8-39-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNTJCV05ITzIxSThKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjM5NDQwMU9aVlJUWUtBRjVaTCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTQwNDUxMTZTUloxUU9DWkg0SCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX210ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[spook]

2 hours ago, iborguk said:

PATA (IDE/ATA) to SATA Adapter.....this may be the win

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cablecc-Female-Converter-Adapter-Laptop/dp/B07Y9BCNZK/ref=sr_1_39_sspa?adgrpid=117287476946&dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwLKFBhDPARIsAPzPi-JGRKmiEhA0BI5BxMawFjTNMQerJeXyiLMqVHztp52NDP3FWrlqcSwaArd9EALw_wcB&hvadid=498299379075&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006528&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5035091387981595299&hvtargid=kwd-698515928312&hydadcr=26773_1914684&keywords=ide+to+m2&qid=1621961222&sr=8-39-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNTJCV05ITzIxSThKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjM5NDQwMU9aVlJUWUtBRjVaTCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTQwNDUxMTZTUloxUU9DWkg0SCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX210ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

That one's for converting IDE (ATA) to SATA - needs to be the other way round to make a SATA drive fit 

[daz05]

3 hours ago, spook said:

Thanks for that Daz, I'm struggling to find the right adapter that would fit in the limited space available. As an alternative I'm looking into ATA interface SSDs but they are a bit pricey. Could you point me in the right direction for that post? 

https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-958-2011-2018/1206481-958-1-diy-pcm-hard-drive-upgrade.html

[iborguk]

37 minutes ago, spook said:

That one's for converting IDE (ATA) to SATA - needs to be the other way round to make a SATA drive fit 

Oh yeah , sorry 🙃

How about this ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363054628133?hash=item5487bdfd25:g:fDsAAOSwjZRfGAH-

 

[spook]

OK, quick scan of the Rennlist thread (thanks iborguk and daz05) suggests that you have to be VERY specific about what hardware you use to replace the OEM ATA/IDE HDD or you will be wasting your time and money. The recommended replacement IDE SSD is a Zheino 64GB (other makes don't seem to work due to incompatibility between the PCM and the memory chips used in the SSD) but these are now unavailable, so you have to use an mSATA to IDE adapter - as per the definitive answer in foodbiker's recent post on Rennlist as follows:

"The key detail is that if you have an IDE drive (mine was out of a 2013 Boxster), DO NOT PASS GO. Just order one of the ~$35 Ableconn mSATA to IDE adapters (I used a Transcend mSATA like one of the earlier users did…64GB) and be done with it. Mine looked used and prepackaged (bent pins), but whatever. Remove the jumper on the IDE pins as you won't need it.

The answer is definitively that the Ableconn adapter uses an old-school controller that the PCM can recognize, specifically a Marvell 88SA8052 chipset. The one that I tried was a ~$15 “CY” brand controller, which used a JMicron JM20330 SATA bridge chip controller which the PCM didn’t like. This seems like the only viable option these days, given that the Zheino SSDs have not been available for quite some time."

Hope this helps anyone else facing this problem. Thank God for forums and thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion. I'm now going to have a lie down 🤪

[70north]

On 5/25/2021 at 9:17 PM, spook said:

OK, quick scan of the Rennlist thread (thanks iborguk and daz05) suggests that you have to be VERY specific about what hardware you use to replace the OEM ATA/IDE HDD or you will be wasting your time and money. The recommended replacement IDE SSD is a Zheino 64GB (other makes don't seem to work due to incompatibility between the PCM and the memory chips used in the SSD) but these are now unavailable, so you have to use an mSATA to IDE adapter - as per the definitive answer in foodbiker's recent post on Rennlist as follows:

"The key detail is that if you have an IDE drive (mine was out of a 2013 Boxster), DO NOT PASS GO. Just order one of the ~$35 Ableconn mSATA to IDE adapters (I used a Transcend mSATA like one of the earlier users did…64GB) and be done with it. Mine looked used and prepackaged (bent pins), but whatever. Remove the jumper on the IDE pins as you won't need it.

The answer is definitively that the Ableconn adapter uses an old-school controller that the PCM can recognize, specifically a Marvell 88SA8052 chipset. The one that I tried was a ~$15 “CY” brand controller, which used a JMicron JM20330 SATA bridge chip controller which the PCM didn’t like. This seems like the only viable option these days, given that the Zheino SSDs have not been available for quite some time."

Hope this helps anyone else facing this problem. Thank God for forums and thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion. I'm now going to have a lie down 🤪

Evening all.

I've just got a 2012 981 Boxster with the old pre-jukebox PCM.  It has the navi but no jukebox.

I'm about to do an SSD swap and retrofit one of the carplay/android auto units and happy to share my experiences.

I've been in computing for a good while so anticpate the issues with fussy IDE/PATA drive compatibility - there were often issues with the IDE->USB adapters.  I did a swap of an IDE hard drive to an SSD with adapter about 10 years ago and had endless fun with that.

I've ordered one of the Ableconn msata->IDE adapters from Amazon USA.  Was about £38 delivered with the express delivery option (took less than 48 hours order to delivery). These (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Delock-converter-mSATA-build-height/dp/B00ELC8GFO) appear to be the same adapter (not a surprise as they are white label and sold under lots of brands including Lindy). Amazon UK proper had then for £36 when I first looked but then they'd sold out.  Ordered from the US in the end because this listing is German so I though I might as well get the Ableconn for a pound or two more.

The logic boards between the two PCMs are likely quite different - IDE and SATA are completely different protocols.  The software version differences 3.x vs 4.x pretty much confirms this.

I'd not originally planned to do this swap, but reading the stories about sudden failure prompted me.  Once the old drive is out you can take a perfect image of it onto a USB stick/onedrive etc and always rewrite a new msata SSD if the one in the swap fails.  OP's experience here of a fail after a few months of being off is common in old hard drives.

[spook]

On 5/25/2021 at 9:17 PM, spook said:

OK, quick scan of the Rennlist thread (thanks iborguk and daz05) suggests that you have to be VERY specific about what hardware you use to replace the OEM ATA/IDE HDD or you will be wasting your time and money. The recommended replacement IDE SSD is a Zheino 64GB (other makes don't seem to work due to incompatibility between the PCM and the memory chips used in the SSD) but these are now unavailable, so you have to use an mSATA to IDE adapter - as per the definitive answer in foodbiker's recent post on Rennlist as follows:

"The key detail is that if you have an IDE drive (mine was out of a 2013 Boxster), DO NOT PASS GO. Just order one of the ~$35 Ableconn mSATA to IDE adapters (I used a Transcend mSATA like one of the earlier users did…64GB) and be done with it. Mine looked used and prepackaged (bent pins), but whatever. Remove the jumper on the IDE pins as you won't need it.

The answer is definitively that the Ableconn adapter uses an old-school controller that the PCM can recognize, specifically a Marvell 88SA8052 chipset. The one that I tried was a ~$15 “CY” brand controller, which used a JMicron JM20330 SATA bridge chip controller which the PCM didn’t like. This seems like the only viable option these days, given that the Zheino SSDs have not been available for quite some time."

Hope this helps anyone else facing this problem. Thank God for forums and thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion. I'm now going to have a lie down 🤪

Quick update. I followed the above advice and bought the Ableconn mSATA to IDE converter caddy plus a 64GB mSATA card to put in it. Removed the OEM IDE/ATA HDD from the PCM and cloned it to an image file on my Windows computer hard drive using AOMEI Backupper. Restored the image file to the Ableconn, installed it to the PCM. Worked first time. Total cost around £75, including the cost of the Inateck external IDE HDD reader that I also needed. 

Highly recommended preventative maintenance project and probably not a moment too soon, as while cloning the PCM's OEM HDD I noticed that it was starting to get a bit clicky ...

[70north]

4 hours ago, spook said:

Quick update. I followed the above advice and bought the Ableconn mSATA to IDE converter caddy plus a 64GB mSATA card to put in it. Removed the OEM IDE/ATA HDD from the PCM and cloned it to an image file on my Windows computer hard drive using AOMEI Backupper. Restored the image file to the Ableconn, installed it to the PCM. Worked first time. Total cost around £75, including the cost of the Inateck external IDE HDD reader that I also needed. 

Highly recommended preventative maintenance project and probably not a moment too soon, as while cloning the PCM's OEM HDD I noticed that it was starting to get a bit clicky ...

Good to hear.  Should get round to doing mine tomorrow, been waiting on retrofit of the ISOfix mountings and airbag switch before I started pulling things apart.

[Ringmaster999]

4 hours ago, spook said:

Quick update. I followed the above advice and bought the Ableconn mSATA to IDE converter caddy plus a 64GB mSATA card to put in it. Removed the OEM IDE/ATA HDD from the PCM and cloned it to an image file on my Windows computer hard drive using AOMEI Backupper. Restored the image file to the Ableconn, installed it to the PCM. Worked first time. Total cost around £75, including the cost of the Inateck external IDE HDD reader that I also needed. 

Highly recommended preventative maintenance project and probably not a moment too soon, as while cloning the PCM's OEM HDD I noticed that it was starting to get a bit clicky ...

I really wish I new what all this means but there you go. I blame my age 😂😂😂👍

Glad it worked out for you what ever it means 👍

[spook]

3 hours ago, Ringmaster999 said:

I really wish I new what all this means but there you go. I blame my age 😂😂😂👍

Glad it worked out for you what ever it means 👍

Old age is a distinct advantage here as you're dealing with 30 year old disk drive technology in the PCM of early 981s...

Edited June 4, 2021 by spook

[70north]

Disk swapped and Android Auto kit fitted (thanks @daz05 yours was one of the videos I watched to get up to speed).  Seems to have gone as smoothly as Spook, I used an older 256GB drive I had lying around as they tend to be more forgivving of lots of writes.

I did the disk swap first, just pulling the headunit out enough to access the cage for the disk.  Checked it was all okay before proceeding with the more major AA surgery.  One odd thing I did notice after the disk swaped, the menu of software versions showed SWID_PCM31FDC as invalid.  I reset the PCM (hold info for 10s) and all is good now.

If you're doing the disk swap, you'll need a T8 torx screwdriver for the cage screws and for the caddy, T25 for the head unit screws.

[daz05]

Nice one @70north glad it helped.  Did you recreate my work or decide on another mounting location for the box?

[Menoporsche]

14 hours ago, 70north said:

I used an older 256GB drive I had lying around as they tend to be more forgivving of lots of writes.

Is this SSD? So it’s possible to have larger than 64GB above? Or you just replaced the HDD?

[70north]

1 hour ago, Menoporsche said:

Is this SSD? So it’s possible to have larger than 64GB above? Or you just replaced the HDD?

Yes, a 256GB SSD.  The hard drive was 40GB - used for the maps and some other bits.  The later PCM 3.1 units (software 4.x) had a jukebox function and larger SATA drives (80GB, 100GB), though i'm not sure if that meant that more was usable by the jukebox.  From all i've read the jukebox was pretty hopeless for 2013, terrible now so not sure there's much point expanding the storage.  If you did fit a bigger drive, you'd need something to expand the final partition (that presumably has the maps/jukebox) and probably do a full system reset, possibly even a re-install.  Right now that 256GB drive is being used as a 40GB one.

I used the bigger drive because it should last longer (the spare space for replacing failed parts of the storage increases with size).. but having said that there should be hardly anything being written, so it should last forever.  I have kept the original drive, an image of it in 2 different formats (AOMEI and Clonezilla) and another 64GB drive written with it.  Paranoia/overkill but it's done now.

If you are thinking more space for music/maps, the Carplay kits are probably a better bet.

[70north]

15 hours ago, daz05 said:

Nice one @70north glad it helped.  Did you recreate my work or decide on another mounting location for the box?

I watched about 20 videos in the end, had to wait a couple of weeks to fit it to make sure there was now PIWIS issues when they did the coding for the airbag switch.   I've put it to the left of the steering column for now, mostly because there was more space to feed cables out from behind the unit.  I'm still working out where to put the USB lead.. I'm now thinking running it under the trim to come out just behind the driver seat so it's out of the way.  Main problem currently is the microphone is terrible, so about to find a replacement.

[tcs17_tim]

Hi all, I'm new to Porsche having just got a 2014 Boxster and decided to clone my HDD to SSD as a precaution but I am having trouble. The sat nav was all working fine when I took the disk out. It's a Toshiba 100GB disk.

My Clonezilla live usb stick throws loads of errors and when it eventually gets going it stops with an error.

Error: /dev/SDB: Unrecognised disk label

"ocs-live-general" finished with error! See log for more details.

 

Any ideas?

[iborguk]

11 minutes ago, tcs17_tim said:

Hi all, I'm new to Porsche having just got a 2014 Boxster and decided to clone my HDD to SSD as a precaution but I am having trouble. The sat nav was all working fine when I took the disk out. It's a Toshiba 100GB disk.

My Clonezilla live usb stick throws loads of errors and when it eventually gets going it stops with an error.

Error: /dev/SDB: Unrecognised disk label

"ocs-live-general" finished with error! See log for more details.

 

Any ideas?

Hi and welcome.

What's the exact model of the Toshiba drive and the target SSD (and it's capacity) ?

What version of Clonezilla Live are you using ?

 

[tcs17_tim]

Hi, the original disk is a Toshiba MK1060GSC HDD2G32100GB

The SSD is a PNY CS900 120GB

Clonezilla live was the latest stable version as of yesterday, there were 3 versions for different types of PC,I tried all 3.

I found a reference somewhere to HDClone X.3 and have tried the free version, it seems better, at least it can see the diss and is currently cloning happily. I haven't tried the copy in the car yet.

[iborguk]

36 minutes ago, tcs17_tim said:

Hi, the original disk is a Toshiba MK1060GSC HDD2G32100GB

The SSD is a PNY CS900 120GB

Clonezilla live was the latest stable version as of yesterday, there were 3 versions for different types of PC,I tried all 3.

I found a reference somewhere to HDClone X.3 and have tried the free version, it seems better, at least it can see the diss and is currently cloning happily. I haven't tried the copy in the car yet.

Interesting, sounds like Clonezilla was barfing re the partition table.

Good you've got a way forward re the clone bit, be good to know if the SSD content actually works when if/when you do a swap.

If you still have issues please post a link to the cloning output log, it may help make sense of what's going on.