Forged Maxtor HDDs turn up in Japan

Not ours, manufacturer confirms

By Tony Smith • Get more from this author

Posted in Storage, 7th March 2005 10:30 GMT

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Fake 320GB Maxtor hard drives have surfaced in Japanese retail channels, the storage company confirmed this weekend.

The dodgy drives were spotted on sale in Tokyo's Akihabara district, offered as Maxtor MaXLine II product. The units purport to be model number SA320J0, a 5400rpm, 3.5in product aimed at OEMs rather than retail channels, but a close examination of the drives' markings made by Japanese-language site PC Watch revealed some major differences between the purchased drive and the real thing.

According to the site, Maxtor has confirmed the purchased drive is a forgery. While some such products are actually legitimately-made units that have failed to pass QA tests and have been appropriated before they are due to be destroyed, Maxtor said that the MaXLine II forgeries were not made in any of its factories.

The manufacturer said it was continuing its investigation into the source of the mis-labelled drives.

Indications that the purchased drive might not have been the Real McCoy included an incorrect font on the label and the use of a lower-case 'X' in the drive's family name. The drive also gives BIOS information inconsistent with its external branding and model number. ®