[alexmaxtor]

Hello all.. Hello jaclaz..

I had a topic regarding the same hard drive, but different issue a few days back, but my drive failed, and it took me a a few days to get a new one and find the website (I mean THIS website, not to make jaclaz upset)

My previous topic was about the possibility of resting the reallocation SMART parameter.. but while researching the subject, I found that the drive's firmware update is "urgent" (i believe that is the word the Seagate website used to describe the update) and there goes my sad story..

I have a Maxtor DiamndMax23 (STM31000528AS) hard drive.. I wanted to update its firmware, I tried The Firmware Update Utility that runs within Windows, but when the the system rebooted (and got to the black screen), I had nothing like what the instructions said, but everything went fast, and I ended up with a column of letters between brackets, and it stayed like that for long time.
So I restarted.. The hard drive had no problem, but the firmware was not updated. So I tried the Bootable CD for updating, again the software was different than the instructions, but the difference was mere.. I started the download of the firmware and I got a message saying "please wait while files being copied to memory" and a few seconds later another message underneath it saying "Model ***** SN ***** FW **** On generic PCI ATA Bus 0 Device 0"
I'm not sure when exactly, but around these two messages (probably after the second one) I heard the drive powering off.. and nothing more.. everything stayed like this for a long time more than 30 minutes.. I thought that it's just like when I tried the windows update utility.. the software is just defected.. so I rested the computer, and I found the drive is not detected.. it powers on, but the PC can't recognize it.

Okay.. Any ideas?.. the drive of course is out of warranty, and sending it to the nearest place that can repair it will cost almost like a new drive.

I don't expect a full explanation or even something near that.. I just want to be put in the right direction.

Thanks in advance

[jaclaz]

So, if I get it right, you have your DiamondMax23 (please read as Seagate 7200.12) in BSY state?

And it became so during a firmware upgrade performed when booted from CD?

And before that the "running in Windows" utility failed?
Are we talking of these?:
http://knowledge.sea...US/FAQ/213911en
http://knowledge.sea...US/FAQ/210091en

jaclaz

[alexmaxtor]

All these not-so smiley faces!!... something tells me be worried

I'm not a %100 what BSY state is, but from what I read online just now, Yes.. But just to be sure regarding this, the PC doesn't recognize the drive at all, like it's not connected.. but when I first start the PC (the couple of seconds where the system detect memory and storage devices, before you can enter BIOS, or UEFI in my case) these couple of seconds take a bit more than usual.

And yes, this is the utilities I used.. although they look nothing like the description on Seagate website

By the way, I dont care for the data on the drive.. nothing important.. I just want to salvage a 1TB of storage.

This post has been edited by alexmaxtor: 10 October 2012 - 01:01 PM

[jaclaz]

alexmaxtor, on 10 October 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

By the way, I dont care for the data on the drive.. nothing important.. I just want to salvage a 1TB of storage.

No. (wrong reason)

In the best case, IF a recovery procedure succeeds, what you have in your hands is a half-@§§edly repaired disk, "fixed" along an undocumented procedure that contains, besides a lot of guessing, some (white) magic.
The only use of such a disk drive (besides it's utility as a door holder) is - once it has passed both short and long test from Seagate (and if it passes them) as a secundary or tertiary backup media or for experiments, you can't call it "storage" as it's reliability is "unknown" (in the sense of "even more unknown" then that of a new, working hard disk).
In order to save some 80 bucks you are going to spend (possibly) some 20 bucks for the tools and spend several hours (most of them in a state of utter frustration).
If you declare that you do it "for fun" and/or "for the sake of experimenting" and to learn something new, then it's OK .

However, yes , if there is a delay when booting and then the disk is not seen by BIOS it is very likely a BSY state.

In practice the BIOS "calls" the device on the end of the SATA cable with the intention of starting a conversation of the type "Hi, sorry if I am bothering you, I think we haven't met before, I am the BIOS of the PC, who are you? A sata disk? Yes? Which make? Which model?" (BIOSes tend to be friendly but nosy ) but the disk has forgotten the handset/earpiece off the hook and what the BIOS gets is a busy tone .

We don't have a "tested procedure", only partial reports and a couple links.
You should read ATTENTIVELY the Read Me First for the 7200.11 (as some "general ideas" are in common:
http://www.msfn.org/...-read-me-first/
then the CarterinCanada's guide (again aimed at the 7200.11):
http://www.mapleleaf...agatebrick.html
and finally this thread (and links in it):
http://www.msfn.org/...12-1tb-no-bios/

jaclaz

This post has been edited by jaclaz: 11 October 2012 - 02:42 AM

[alexmaxtor]

Thank you jaclaz.. I give them a good read.. I'm not going to rush this.

I'm actually not keeping my hops up, but I'm not going down without a fight..

So are you saying that the best case scenario, you'd get a normal drive, but you can not count on it as it may fail any time? or that it's not going to act like a normal drive even in the best case?

[jaclaz]

alexmaxtor, on 11 October 2012 - 06:21 AM, said:

Thank you jaclaz.. I give them a good read.. I'm not going to rush this.

I'm actually not keeping my hops up, but I'm not going down without a fight..

So are you saying that the best case scenario, you'd get a normal drive, but you can not count on it as it may fail any time? or that it's not going to act like a normal drive even in the best case?

The idea of the original "fix" guide was that a given (very minor) issue in the firmware made a drive data unreadable.
What happened is detailed and documented, basically the firmware entered in a kind of "loop" without exit.
So you have a perfectly "sound" disk drive which firmware has entered a loop.
A way was devised (or actually somehow was "leaked" from the pro's) that allows to exit this loop.
Since a later firmware has been corrected and avoids the entering in that loop, it is a simple equation:

Quote

good drive (but with bad firmware) + good firmware = good drive with good firmware (actually as good a drive as those with the good firmware)

if before the firmware update, the drive bricked itself you have this new equation:

Quote

good drive (but with bad firmware AND bricked)+ unbricking procedure + good firmware = good drive with good firmware (actually as good a drive as those with the good firmware)

Once every possible existing on earth drive (with the initial "bad" firmware) was either "recovered/fixed" or sent back to seagate for replacement or thrown away in despair, people started to try the same fix on *any* drive showing the same symptoms, and in some cases the fix worked (but we have NO idea on what caused the issue and if the "reset" actually fixed it or simply allowed to "tempirarily hide" the symptoms).
Compare with Aspirin :
http://www.msfn.org/...48#entry1004448
http://www.msfn.org/...254#entry985254
http://www.msfn.org/...840#entry945840

jaclaz

This post has been edited by jaclaz: 11 October 2012 - 06:38 AM

[alexmaxtor]

I believe most people initially think of it just like they do when dealing with PC's software problems .. What's the worst that could happen? system is down and can't be restored? Quick format and install a new copy, and you're back in business,

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a minor headache hoping that the Aspirin works..

I wanted to ask (actually to make sure) that the tools used for the 7200.11 are the same for my Maxtor 7200.12.. some people use a Nokia Cable instead of the RS232 to TTL adapter. is this recommended?

[jaclaz]

alexmaxtor, on 12 October 2012 - 05:22 AM, said:

I wanted to ask (actually to make sure) that the tools used for the 7200.11 are the same for my Maxtor 7200.12.. some people use a Nokia Cable instead of the RS232 to TTL adapter. is this recommended?

No.
It is actually DEPRECATED (by me).
Which you would have already learned had you READ the "Read-me-first":
http://www.msfn.org/...-read-me-first/
particularly point #10

AND the FGA's:
http://www.msfn.org/...-720011-drives/
particularly #6

BTW the whole idea of the above threads is to :

Quote

.... hopefully clear the nth SAME question about topics already asked and replied to on the massive "main" thread:

Quote

If you have been pointed to this, it means that you failed to read here before posting there yet another time one of those SAME questions/problems.

jaclaz

[alexmaxtor]

There are a lot of info here, and believe me, what I haven't read yet, I intend to read. but if you have noticed my first question

Quote

I wanted to ask (actually to make sure) that the tools used for the 7200.11 are the same for my Maxtor 7200.12

, my hard drive is 7200.12 while all of these topics are entitled 7200.11.. therefore my main concern at this point is to figure out what tools suitable for my drive in case I'd have to buy them online, I'd need to order them as soon as possible because of the LONG shipping time.
And believe me, I'm not setting around waiting.. I'm searching the web trying to find topics about the same drive, or 7200.12 drive.

[jaclaz]

alexmaxtor, on 12 October 2012 - 09:54 AM, said:

There are a lot of info here, and believe me, what I haven't read yet, I intend to read. but if you have noticed my first question

Quote

I wanted to ask (actually to make sure) that the tools used for the 7200.11 are the same for my Maxtor 7200.12

, my hard drive is 7200.12 while all of these topics are entitled 7200.11.. therefore my main concern at this point is to figure out what tools suitable for my drive in case I'd have to buy them online, I'd need to order them as soon as possible because of the LONG shipping time.
And believe me, I'm not setting around waiting.. I'm searching the web trying to find topics about the same drive, or 7200.12 drive.

The same tools.
Here we have a (actually the ONLY one) report of success wiith a 7200.12 that actually started the whole procedure thinking he had a 7200.11...:
http://www.msfn.org/...ate-720012-fix/

jaclaz