seagate ST3500320NS recognized as ST_M13FQBL

[_TK_]

Victor, Dizi,

your discs have obviously a mismatch in the firmware area. It is impossible to solve those problems with normal PC programs!

You need
- an RS-232 adapter
- a little knowledge about the Seagate-internal commands
- good micro probes, e.g. Hirschmann Microprobe http://mt.rsdelivers.com/product/hirsch ... 75726.aspx
- and a little experience.

Again: please look here: http://www.msfn.org/board/unlocking-ter ... 29551.html

Good luck!

Thomas

[Dizidago357]

Thomas,

Please verify - my drive is not an ES.2 model. I saw your link you posted quite some time ago, but was under the impression that the instructions applied to ES.2 only (and not 7200.11), hence I did not try this. Are you sure this will work? More importantly, are you sure this will not further damage my drive? No one on that posted site seems to be trying this for 7200.11 drives - they seem to all be ES.2. The only person I could find with a 7200.11 was user "Rousie", and no one ever responds to his request of which two pins to short (nor does he ever respond that it was successful for him). The last thing I need is to blow a resistor and have yet another thing wrong with the drive.

Dizi

[_TK_]

Hi Dizim

sorry, after 2 beer I can write now faster, but my brain is blocked...
Resetting the translator will not damage your drive, it is a function like "chkdsk". Samsung drives generate a new translator after every power-on.
The problem is most probably caused by a misplaced pointer, and you must reset / regenerate it. Only this..
Please try fist the "standard" procedure for 7200.11 drives:

- use a RS-232 adapter to talk with the disc:
- type "m0,2,2,,,,,22" to reset translator. Power off, and on. Check disc ID.

If that won't help:
- disconnect motor (release screws, put a business card between PCB and motor contacts)
- type "^z", "/2" "/Z" (case sensitive!) to stop spindle motor
- remove business card, tighten screws
- "U" to spin up motor
- "/1" "/N1" to reset S.M.A.R.T., power off / on
- type "m0,2,2,,,,,22" to reset translator. Or try "m0,6,2,,,,,22", or "m0,6,3,,,,,22".
maybe you have to wait here several minutes! My worst disc was busy for ca. 15 minutes...

If that all doesn't help, let us know.

Thomas

[Dizidago357]

Thomas,

I did try the "m0,2,...etc" command several months back many times, both with the PCB connected and with it split off from the HDD. However, I did not try the "m0,6,2..." or "m0,6,3..." commands, as I was not aware of them. Can you tell me please, what is the difference between those two and the first command? I do not have the drive on me today, but I will make an effort to attempt this tomorrow or the day after.

I know that resetting the translator does not damage the drive, my concern was with shorting the two leads - are you saying that's just a physical and forced reset of the translator?

Dizi

[_TK_]

Can you tell me please, what is the difference between those two and the first command?
I know that resetting the translator does not damage the drive, my concern was with shorting the two leads - are you saying that's just a physical and forced reset of the translator?

Dizi

Hi Dizi,

just try. I don't know the difference, but you cannot damage something. (Means, I did not damage drives by using these commands..)

Shorting read channel by ES.2 drives prevents of loading faulty firmware parts. That's the same like isolating motor on 7200.11 discs, only another way, because of different construction.

You have to find out now, where the failure ist located: Translator, S.M.A.R.T., defect lists, ...
To study this, a PC-3000 or similar system, and enough experience is helpful. Of course this failure is tricky, and not a normal firmware mismatch.

[Dizidago357]

Thomas,

Of course this failure is tricky, and not a normal firmware mismatch.

This is very true. My PC3K skills are a bit lacking, as I am a SD man personally. But I will attempt what you suggested and check into some options on PC3K as well. Thank you for the advice, I will update soon.

Dizi

[_TK_]

Good luck!

In this case it makes no difference, which tool you use. A simple serial adapter is enough.
My opinion is: SDs HD doctor is a set of toys, compared to PC-3000. But it is good to check basic things; I use SD at my home office PC.

For FLASH data recovery PC-3000 FLASH ist still not so brilliant, there Soft Center has more experience.

...good night!

Thomas

[_TK_]

(wrote a lot of strange things yesterday evening... sorry.)

After typing commands, typically spindle motor turns off. This can take up to 15 minutes - you have to wait, until motor goes on again, and you can see "F>" in terminal.

[_TK_]

I got several PMs, obviously it's tricky, right?

With the left hand you have to type "^z" as fast as you can. Like a machine gun.. Prepare the probes befor (right hand), you must be very quick.
In this moment, when "F>" comes up on terminal, you have a window of approx. 1 second to block firmware reading from disc by shorting read channel. You can also remove PCB from disc (release screws before, and lift up the PCB corner in the right moment), if you're fast enough. I prefer the micro probes, because they have springs inside - you can put the first probe on the whole, and the second one 1 mm over the other. If "F>" comes, just push both probes down - voilá! Wait 10 seconds.
If you can type then commands, release the probes. You must not sit there 15 minutes!

[Hicky]

Hi gents,

I have 2 discs here with an identic problem:
- ST3750330NS, S/N: 9QK1LSX4, FW: SN05
- ST31000340NS, S/N: 9QJ21BF8, FW: SN05

At least one of them was damaged by an external voltage drop.
Both are klicking after spin-up, and will not get ready. Only PCB connected, I can see the following data (on BOTH discs!) in PC3K:

Model: ST_M13FQBL
S/N: QNR_BFW
FW: 1204F3C8
capacity: LBA 8089950 (3.86 GB)

Does anybody have a helpful idea, how to solve that problem? For me it looks like defective ROM-Data, caused by the outcome of external voltage drop.
I tried shorting the read channel, but for typing "/2" + "Z" my fingers are a little bit too slow.

Thanks in advance!

Thomas

Hi all..
I'm new to this board, as you sure notices..
Pretty old this topic now so I'll bump it up
To make along story short as possible...
I have 2 Seagate 7200.11 ES2 disks, ST3750330NS HPG1 FW, and ST31000340NS SN03 FW..
I replaced PSU couple of months ago and accidentely plugged Sata power cable to the 750GB disk into wrong modular connector and fried pcb.
Got a replacement pcb off ebay, swapped rom chip, now disk spins up clicks 11 times and spins down, BIOS detects it as ST_M13FQBL 3.86GB size, both with pcb on hdd and not.
The 1TB disk wasn't connected and didn't suffer from this stupid mistake, and has worked perfectly since...
I have now purchased a CA-42 cable, haven't got so far to split it up and make it connectable with Hyperterminal yet.
But, since I knew that the 1TB board works well I thought that as a last test to check wether the 750 board I purchased is defect, I swapped boards and rom chips from 750GB to 1TB and vice versa, they have same board number so a rom swap should make them compatible..
Now the 1TB disk has also developed the same behaviour with pcb from 750 disk , spins up click 11 times spins down, but at least BIOS detects it correctly as ST31000340NS and SN03FW, but thats all, not visible in windows and for SeaTools ..
750GB is in the same state, detected as ST_M13 etc spins up 11 clicks spins down...
This testing tells me that either is the ebay purchased pcb defect, or maybe the rom chip as well..
But why the 750 disk doesnt work with a 100% working pcb, I don't know why, maybe the preamplifier was fried as well???
I'm banging my head to the wall here...My last hope is the CA-42 and method linked to and used by TK...
All advices are very welcomed...

[northwind]

maybe the preamplifier was fried as well???

[Hicky]

An update from me...Today I swapped boards/rom chips back to the hd it belonged to..
The 1TB disk who was working well before my experiment spins up clicks 11x spins down, with its original pcb/rom chip...
Weird, I'm beginning to suspect that these ES2 drives have a very strang behaviour when getting an alien pcb on them, who maybe can screw up fw on platters, even with a rom chip swap..

Next for me now, hook them up with the ca 42 cable and try to sort it this way..