The Solution for Seagate 7200.11 HDDs

[smandurlo]

@smandurlo

It is so RARE an occasion to be able to disagree with BOTH of you that I cannot miss it .

Indeed u could miss it... I just said "it happens if u both power down or not". Was it different from what you said? Yes, my sentence was just shorter...

(jaclaz, davvero, mi ci è voluta una flebo per arrivare a metà e poi ho gettato la spugna. Alla fine il succo è che spegnerlo o meno cambia nulla)

[BlouBul]

It is so RARE an occasion to be able to disagree with BOTH of you that I cannot miss it .

I actually agree with you (except for the part where you are saying that you are disagreeing with me)

What I meant (maybe it did not quite came out that way) was:

It can take up to a couple of hours (or forever) if you do not do that

meaning it is not necessarily a problem, but when it is a problem, then it is usually when someone did not power down (probably due to the rheumatic fever case (BTW good explanation), where I think it is needed.).

[jaclaz]

Well, as I see it we miss a "core" requisite in computing, which is "repeatability".

We have *any* number of different people that use (very often for the first time in their life) *different* or *slightly different* sets of instructions to do some *magic* on different disks (different serial/models, different period of manufacture, different factory, different firmwares, different PCB's versions and much more than that possibly different "root" issues) and that normally report (WHEN they report some details) only partially the info about the recovery they succeeded with, and in many cases this info is missing alltogether or plainly wrong.

Now if there was a repeatable way for a same experimenter to "intentionally" brick a number of *same* disks (same model, same period of manufacture, same factory, same firmware, same PCB version) in EXACTLY the same manner, and the results of these tests were confirmed by another independent experimenter, then we would have some certainties.

As a matter of fact we are currently (at least I feel like being) much more near to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_medicine

than to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine

Not completely unlike a tribal wizard or sorcerer, we provide our experience on similar cases, not really knowing what the heck happens when we apply the "cure" nor what has happened before (the cause or origin of the illness), only knowing that in some, similar cases with similar symptoms this particular spell has produced a positive effect .

The disagreement was only related to the fact that both of you presented your opinions or (educated ) guesses, as "only and undeniable truth", while they are - at the most - the (diverging) results of your experience and/or observations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_that_I_know_nothing

jaclaz

[JuergenD]

After finally establishing a connection with my ST3500620AS HP24 via a cloned CA-42 cable (it took forever to find a driver), I wound up with the following output:

F3 T>m0,2,2,,,,,22

Max Wr Retries = 00, Max Rd Retries = 00, Max ECC T-Level = 14, Max Certify Rewr

ite Retries = 00C8

User Partition Format Successful - Elapsed Time 0 mins 00 secs

F3 T>

Note, the elapsed time is 0, 00 and at least one line seems to be misssing. The drive is still not recognized by a SATA to USB Hard Drive Dock. What am I missing?

Juergen

Edited July 21, 2012 by JuergenD

[BlouBul]

Can you see it in BIOS (and is it working) if you connect it directly to your computer via SATA?

[JuergenD]

Can you see it in BIOS (and is it working) if you connect it directly to your computer via SATA?

Thanks. I suppose I should have tried that first. All is well, the BIOS sees it and I can even boot the computer from it. Now I've got to figure out why the SATA -to-USB dock did not see it, but that is a project for another day...

Juergen

[BlouBul]

Thanks. I suppose I should have tried that first. All is well, the BIOS sees it and I can even boot the computer from it. Now I've got to figure out why the SATA -to-USB dock did not see it, but that is a project for another day...

Juergen

You are welcome . Sometimes we do try to complicate things for ourselves unnecessary...

Anyway, glad you can access your drive again.

[lir3]

Hi,

I just joined the forum now. Thanks for the opportunity.

I am trying to rescue data from a Seagate Barracuda 7200.11, 1.5TB with CC1H firmware.

The problem started after a thunderstorm causing power blackout over last weekend.

The drive would not be able to read sector #0. I swapped the controller card from a similar drive (everything matches including the Date and Site Codes, except for serial number) and then swapped the ROM chip.

After that the drive is not seen at BIOS level (it does not seem to spin-up anymore).

I am trying the serial port access by using the rs232 shifter SMD PRT-00449 and using power from the orange pin that also goes to the hard drive, so it feeds 3.3v.

I read in the README 1st that this shifter requires 3v. But I get response from the drive and keyboard commands are taken.

However, the response from the drive is like this:

Notet Boot ROM 4.2

Copyright Seagate 2008

Serial FLASH boot code checksum failure!

Boot Cmds:

DS

AP <addr>

WT <data>

RD

GO

TE

BR <divisor>

BT

?

RET

>

If I enter CtrlZ it responds:

Bad command: 0x1A0D

>

I basically cannot find a way to get into the F3 T mode.

Can you please tell me if I am missing something?

Note: I get the expected behavior (The F3 T> prompt from pressing CtrlZ) using the same setup and a good Seagate drive.

Thanks.

Edited July 26, 2012 by lir3

[jaclaz]

The drive would not be able to read sector #0. I swapped the controller card from a similar drive (everything matches including the Date and Site Codes, except for serial number)

WHY?

and then swapped the ROM chip.

HOW?

This means (more or less) :

Serial FLASH boot code checksum failure!

that somethig went wrong with the "ROM chip" (please read as "container of the FLASH boot code") .

jaclaz

[smandurlo]

Can you please tell me if I am missing something?

you made a real mess.

First of all, why did you change the pcb? If it was not fried there was not a reason to change it.

Second, why do you want to perform the solution for something else completly different from you problem? It sounds like you have fever and you get a pill for diarrhoea.

Third, if your drive doesn't spin up, there is something wrong with the new pcb and/or the way you solder the rom chip. It happens if you make an awful welding with a possible burning of the rom chip... that means to say good bye to you data.

Edited July 26, 2012 by smandurlo

[lir3]

Thanks for your comments.

I wanted to take the risk and try another board, because the failure was during a storm. There was a slight chance that the damage was there even if nothing appeared as burned.

You are right in that I did not detect the exact symptom, which now looks more like stuck heads.

Anyway, I got back to corner 0 as I have restored the original ROM chip and board to the drive and it is not showing the flash boot checksum error and boot prompt anymore, just as it was before.

The motor spins up and the drive makes like 12 kick noises and then the motor stops, but there is no output to the serial terminal and it does not respond to Ctrl-Z.

That was the original symptom.

I notice that if I isolate the hda and or motor pins, even the good drives with Firmware CC1H and CC1J do not work, do not respond to Ctrl-Z or anything.

Do you know if this method of entering Diagnostic mode has been modified on recent firmware versions?

I have read many of the pages in this forum now and it looks like for my drive, apart from sending it to DR places, which would cost a lot for having messed with the ROM, I will only have the crude freezing or tapping methods.

Do you have a way to search within the topics or the forum?

Thanks again.

Edited July 27, 2012 by lir3

[jaclaz]

Anyway, I got back to corner 0 as I have restored the original ROM chip and board to the drive and it is not showing the flash boot checksum error and boot prompt anymore, just as it was before.

This is good .

The motor spins up and the drive makes like 12 kick noises and then the motor stops, but there is no output to the serial terminal and it does not respond to Ctrl-Z.

That was the original symptom.

Which could possibly be NOT "stuck heads" as you are now guessing.

I mean, if the heads are actually stuck, the arm should not move (nor the motor spinning at all).

I notice that if I isolate the hda and or motor pins, even the good drives with Firmware CC1H and CC1J do not work, do not respond to Ctrl-Z or anything.

Do you know if this method of entering Diagnostic mode has been modified on recent firmware versions?

No, your is the first report of such behaviour on a 7200.11 that I can remember, BUT is quite normal on 7200.11 ES2 and on other models, like the 7200.12 and possibly the "green" ones..

For these latter ones two pins must be shorted to access terminal, but you should anyway get something through the TTL connection, you simply cannot get to the terminal prompt without the quick short of the "read channel".

I have read many of the pages in this forum now and it looks like for my drive, apart from sending it to DR places, which would cost a lot for having messed with the ROM, I will only have the crude freezing or tapping methods.

Yes, that is just a matter of the value you attribute to your (lost ) data.

Do you have a way to search within the topics or the forum?

Check my signature....

jaclaz

[opiuman]

Hello all, wow all I have to say is what a thread... mine just failed last night with BSY I believe since nothing in BIOS and the OS seems to hang for quite awhile booting up and logging on. Nothing like that when I remove the problem drive. Just ordered my parts from the first post and read at least most of the stuff in the other topics. Doesn't seem too complicated except for the picture in the first post shows the - of the 3v battery connected to the GND of the adapter when it should ALSO be connected to GND of the HD too right according to #7 of the Read Me First sticky right?

Other than that it looks pretty simple battery + side to the adapter VCC, RX to TX and vice versa, - and HD GND to adapter GND and of course the RS232 into the computer, am I missing anything? Will post again when the parts arrive.

EDIT: Speaking of which Seagate totally told me my drive wasn't affected even though it was! It's the Maxtor version but still it clearly has the corresponding Seagate version in the affected list :|

Edited August 1, 2012 by opiuman

[BlouBul]

Hello all, wow all I have to say is what a thread... mine just failed last night with BSY I believe since nothing in BIOS and the OS seems to hang for quite awhile booting up and logging on. Nothing like that when I remove the problem drive. Just ordered my parts from the first post and read at least most of the stuff in the other topics. Doesn't seem too complicated except for the picture in the first post shows the - of the 3v battery connected to the GND of the adapter when it should ALSO be connected to GND of the HD too right according to #7 of the Read Me First sticky right?

Other than that it looks pretty simple battery + side to the adapter VCC, RX to TX and vice versa, - and HD GND to adapter GND and of course the RS232 into the computer, am I missing anything? Will post again when the parts arrive.

It is better to order from the recommended guide, but seems that you got the hang of it

http://www.mapleleafmountain.com/seagatebrick.html

EDIT: Speaking of which Seagate totally told me my drive wasn't affected even though it was! It's the Maxtor version but still it clearly has the corresponding Seagate version in the affected list :|

That would be FGA #2 http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/147532-fga-for-the-seagate-720011-drives/

[opiuman]

Hello all, wow all I have to say is what a thread... mine just failed last night with BSY I believe since nothing in BIOS and the OS seems to hang for quite awhile booting up and logging on. Nothing like that when I remove the problem drive. Just ordered my parts from the first post and read at least most of the stuff in the other topics. Doesn't seem too complicated except for the picture in the first post shows the - of the 3v battery connected to the GND of the adapter when it should ALSO be connected to GND of the HD too right according to #7 of the Read Me First sticky right?

Other than that it looks pretty simple battery + side to the adapter VCC, RX to TX and vice versa, - and HD GND to adapter GND and of course the RS232 into the computer, am I missing anything? Will post again when the parts arrive.

It is better to order from the recommended guide, but seems that you got the hang of it

http://www.mapleleafmountain.com/seagatebrick.html

I saw that guide but didn't want to go too crazy with using the 4 pin fan power for the adapter and decided to opt for the simpler battery instead. Gonna follow the original pretty closely except for connecting the - terminal of battery to the HD GND as well. I ordered a few other parts to come later in case the first try doesn't work. Gonna just solder the headers into the slots so i can just use jumpers with all of them.

EDIT: Speaking of which Seagate totally told me my drive wasn't affected even though it was! It's the Maxtor version but still it clearly has the corresponding Seagate version in the affected list :|

That would be FGA #2 http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/147532-fga-for-the-seagate-720011-drives/

Oh yea I knew that, I guess its just still surprises me that it's such a terrible response from Seagate.