Comment 333 for bug 59695

maor:

Yes my computer came with an OEM install (it's an ASUS F3Sc with a preinstalled Windows Vista Home Premium, which I deleted now, so I will not be able to test it anymore). I cannot exclude your suggestion (namely that ASUS could have used a special tweak).
I used smartctl both under Gutsy and Windows to check the load/unload cycles, and additionaly to apply the workaround under Gutsy.

Luca Cerutti:
I did not test each case for 1 hour, but rather over periods of 10 minutes. I tried the same cases : idle/load, battery/AC, gutsy/windows. Additionally, in each case I dumped the raw "IDENTIFY" data from the harddisk, which includes the APM parameters. There was just one difference : Windows enables the so-called "device initiated interface power management", while gutsy does not, but the APM parameters were the same. This seems interesting, but this only concerns the SATA interface itself, not the disk's heads, so it is not really linked to the problem.
My observation was very simple : under windows,the load/unload cycle counter is not moving and there is no clicking sound, be it with or without load, while it is raising rapidly under gutsy. For information, the harddisk is a ST9160821AS, with firmware 3.ALC.