I have a 500GB ST3500320AS drive, 7200.11, SD15 firmware. Without any warning, it died two days ago. I could hear it working, but it wasn't even being detected in the BIOS. A lot of internet searching about this has led me here, so I could add my experience. The first ST3500320AS drive I got was DOA. I had the replacement 6 months before it died on me on Friday. The company I got it from (I'm based in the UK) said they would send me a replacement. They said that they only considered "other options" when at least three drives had died. I feel like I am working with a time bomb. When I read that Seagate had some kind of firmware fix for this, it eased the annoyance and frustration a bit, but trying to contact them to ask about the firmware patch was a nightmare. I have got to the point where I am expecting a replacement HDD, but am leery about using it - in fact, I *want* it to die on me so I can get something completely different.