Hello all, I am new at this, i have been scowling the forums and the net for weeks and haven't found anything or anyone that can help with my problem.
The problem is this. i recovered a partition to get my files off after i accidentally did something to the drive.(cant remember what), this worked great i could access everything. and the drive ran great. i rebooted a day later to start getting the files off and the hard drive was so slow i couldn't even watch a movie but my data is there. after many attempt at recovery the drive now hangs my system on start up for hours on end. there is no clicking or grinding. i bought a donor drive for the controller board i got as close as i could find to the same model, but i cant initialize the disk after swapping control boards over, how can i make this work? please i am new and dont have much experience in this particular field so please be patient and explain as i want to understand what your going to say.

Thank you.

Old drive:

WD30EZRX
S/N:WMC1T1793240
MDL:00DC0B0

New Drive (BOARD DONOR):
WD30EZRX
S/N: WMC4N1605277
MDL: 00D8PB0

windows 7 x64

EDIT** forgot to mention that when i click initialize disk it throws me an "Incorrect Function" error.
This happens for both GPT and MBR options.

Hi,
do not swap the boards over.
are you in Adelaide? PM me. Much better to get help than keep trying things, especially when your system is being affected.
If you are in Perth or NSW, I also have some places that could help. I think you see the result of trying different things without the experience of whats going on.

Your data should come before your ego, your desire to learn, your financial status or anything else... Once it is gone, that's it. I really hate seeing people lose data, especially how hard it is for the average Joe these days to know how to fix something or do preventative maintenance(backup).

Notice I did not suggest any fixes, that is because I cant see or hear your drive, I don't know what you have already tried etc...

If you get help sooner before anything else goes wrong, it may just be a matter of proper setup before a file copy, inbstead of a full blown data recovery job.

BTW, I had a 2TB HDD and a Flash Drive today, both were very simple mount and copies.. and saved customers a LOT.

wish you the best.

@Gh0s7, it doesn't sound like a PCB fault.

However, if you insist on swapping the PCB, then be aware that each PCB has unique, drive specific, "adaptive" data in flash memory (aka "ROM"). These data must be transferred from patient to donor. Some PCB suppliers include this as a free service. If there is an 8-pin chip at location U12, then the transfer is relatively easy.

BTW, the R/N numbers on the drive labels would suggest that the PCBs are different, ie 2060-771824 versus 2060-771945. It may be that they are compatible, though. In fact the Marvell MCU part numbers are different, FWIW.

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-44463692235217/771824-4.gif
http://www.onepcbsolution.com/771824.html
http://www.hdd-parts.com/12105047.html
http://www.hdd-parts.com/14060201.html
http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-144375849714 ... d-fw-3.gif
http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-144375849714 ... 1p12-5.gif

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

"fzabkar" is right, it's not a PCB fault.
You shouldn't swap PCB because problem is not on PCB.

The problem is more serious (inside the drive), if you are lucky maybe there is just an issue on Re-Lo list module on SA firmware, if you are not lucky then can be bad sectors or even weak heads.
However it's not a DIY job!

Send the drive to a pro before is too late, price to recover data would get higher if you mess with it (or worse, no data recovery at all).

_________________
My firmware database:
https://mega.nz/folder/O01DkBRI#MxP2J6ZNqXDcrX40I8MoQQ

Thank you so much for your reply's, I cant afford to be paying huge dollars to get my data back or that's what i would have done. I'm not computer illiterate and i learn very fast, i have reasonable skills with Linux and windows, but no skills in this area, where would i go to learn how to get the data off or learn about the hard disks them selves so that i may get the data off at a later date. fzabkar is an extremely knowledgeable person, i have read hundreds of your posts. where did you learn your skills with hard drives and recovery?
Im not in any mad rush to get the data back but it is how ever important data so i do need it back. i will learn what ever i need to to make this happen, can you point me into the right direction?
i have attached photos of the drives boards for you to view.

Thanks so much guys.

Thank you for the links you sent in your first post.

Gh0s7,
You have an incompatible donor from another family
Diablo3D vs Diablo3S

99,99% control boards not guilty.

Simple question but not simple answer. You have NO knowledge and tools for that.
You have many useful info in HaQue's, fzabkar's, michael chiklis and Tomset's posts.
Unfortunately, for you it's dead end.

@ nesa, I believe that to be a very silly thing to say.1 that was not helpful in anyway, 2. I am not stupid and I am capable of learning complicated subjects. 3. The matter at hand is that I am asking to be shown where to get the knowledge, skills and tools for the job and a possible direction to the solution to the problem. To say that it is a dead end for me is to litterally say"go home stupid you can't learn in our back yard" and I for one refuse to believe that. I have read hundreds of posts and at lease a good majority where some one has learnt something new about the problem and how to fix it. You were not born with the knowledge you learnt it from somewhere... I posted the pictures for fzabkar to see that both drives have that 8pin chip in the board for the ROM. If you solemnly believe it is not the board, what other path should I undertake. Have I over looked a program or a set up? Should I build a machine for recovery? If so what gear would you suggest and operating system? Safecopy? Gparted? Or other? Thanks.

The thing is, your best scenario is to not have problems with your hard disks. Many users go years with no problems. If your end goal is to have a career in DR, then by all means learn. But your main focus should be to get the data back and system running again. To learn about whats actually going on could take an investment of time and resources(on other peoples part as well equal to what you spend) and this is one single issue which may never come up again. You would probably need 10 - 50 different issues, and go through the steps to understand them and fix them to get a handle on any significant DR understanding..

For example, if your water pump on your car "goes" do you start investigating chemical breakdown of water/coolant and the structure of the metal and temperature factors to understand why it failed a few years earlier than it should, or just replace it or get a mechanic to replace it... You don't go and build a mechanic workshop to do it and buy a whole new set of tools... and any case you may start stripping threads, breaking bolts because you are new to mechanics.

my offer stands

cheers

Gh0s7,
Order as follows:

First of all the technological tools needed.
such as PC3000, WDMarvel, SeDIV WD, WDR, DFI ...
All paid for support Diablo.
Older free utility does not make sense to use.
But not for the fact that any of these utilities will work correctly with your Diablo
At Diablo many rare configurations.
Therefore there is no reason to start training with new families for DR.
It will be very difficult.
First you need to work out on the old family studies

If the engine is stopped.
Disabling the head, leaving one by one.
If the engine does not stop:
Shift regions.
Access to SA. Edit bad modules.

DIY: What's the big deal?
by Dmitry Postrigan

viewtopic.php?t=12671

It will sort itself out in the end.

The amount of material and time and finances you spend learning what needs to be learned (+ the experience) is going to outweigh the savings of DIY. All at the same time putting your information at great risk of further damage.

Don't believe me? Go ahead and try it first hand. You might get lucky too.

In the meantime, begin learning and gaining hands-on experience by purchasing some drives, take them apart in a clean room, re-assemble. Then get some known defective disks and recover those.

The car mechanic analogy is a good one. You don't spend a few years in school and get nice toolsets and set up a shop to do one single water pump replacement. And yet that is what's required to do the job correctly and efficiently. Instead you hire out a mechanic and rent his shop, tools, parts, expertise, and materials for a couple of hours.

Keep reading this forum. Pay attention to posts. Watch some youtube videos. Get the equipment and practice. Build the experience that lets you take a solid approach to a problem and narrow it down. Ask specific questions.

And after a a year or so, you'll gain the knowhow to do your own recovery operation.

Ohh there are many variations on what I said. But it gives you an idea of what you're getting into.

_________________
On a clear disk you can seek forever.

One more thing, I've been playing with HDD (and computers) since the 70's and early 80's, and I'm still learning something new every week! And there are drives I still can't recover!

_________________
On a clear disk you can seek forever.

One thing that isn't totally clear or spoken about is that some people that come here saying they want to get into DR.. actually do.. and will. The advice we give to consult a pro is not because we want work, we are condescending, we think that someone is "dumb" or lacks common sense or whatever(though these may be things that any given poster may actually think, I doubt it is common).

The advice is given because anyone seriously wanting to get into DR in any tangible capacity is going to need tools. Probably expensive ones. The tools are useless without knowing how to use them - That takes experience and/or training - That takes time. Logically, this endeavour is not going to help your current situation with your failed HDD, unless it is fine to sit in the cupboard for a few months.

Also, keenness to learn is in no way related to how much you are going to learn or how "good" you get, or how fast. Going back to the mechanic analogy, I used to do a lot of work on my own cars, rebuilt a number of engines in my spare bedrooms, did pretty much anything you can do to cars. My ex-brother-in-law was VERY keen to help, always said to call him to help, always was annoyed when I worked on something and didn't call. He LOVES working on cars, but just doesn't have it.. after years he would start pulling things to bits without labelling or taking notice of how they go back together.. ordered wrong parts, stripped threads, etc etc.

So if you were "my brother-in-law" and even if we gave the exact advice needed to fix your drive.. how do we know you are applying it correctly? We still see people saying "I tried the 0 LBA fix" and then find out it is a 7200.12 drive.

People say they have read all the forums for their issue, and ask how to learn DR etc, and the same old posts get written about DIY. I have been there and discovered that I will never probably work on HDDs in a lab, just not enough time in the day, and after hanging around here since xmas 2012, still have no idea what most of the HDD firmware or tool talk is about. I get the general gist of it, but without working with it daily, just has no context.

If you want to get into DR, great, but you are going to have to get down and dirty with drives, and then see if you can afford the time and energy to continue.

For the DIYers, by all means describe your issue. If there looks to be any chance of a fix, I am sure someone will say, but if the only answers you get are that your drive needs a pro - then maybe that is because it does

Agree. I have observed that many people all of a sudden "want" to learn all about DR when a disaster strikes. No you don't. Otherwise you'd already be versed in the field. You may be a green novice, but your motivations will be one of inherent curiosity and not forced. You would already be studying regardless if you had a disk failure or not. If there was no disk failure and no data loss you would not be anywhere near this forum.

The type of learning instigated by the above predicament doesn't always lead to success. Not in a field this complex. Learning out of desperation isn't a good thing. Too many nuances will be glossed over.

Someone that wants to genuinely learn DR principles and practices will be approaching this forum (or any forum) in a completely different manner. Their motivations are entire different. they may have tools or intent to get them, they have interest in the work required. They may have dibbled and dabbled with disks before. Taken them apart. Experimented with recovery.

When someone is having a heart attack for example, they don't all of a sudden read up on prevention and treatment. And they certainly don't do self-bypass. The correct thing to do is get on the horn and call EMS.

Because of the unpleasant experience they may take up an interest in cardiac procedures and medications and rehab and all that. But that does not qualify them to be a surgeon or M.D.

Now.. It is important to recognize HDD's have no hidden evil intent. It is impossible. They just up and up and fail for whatever reason. They are mechanical machines built by non-perfect organic beings. Lots of room for slack tolerances and mistakes and all that. They tend to fail in known and specific ways. And a DR pro is going to be familiar with those modes of failure. And they'll also know to test and determine what failure is what.

My advice to you is simple, get it looked at by a mechanic. It won't cost much, if anything, for an opinion. And if you decide to fix it, it will be done correctly, with the correct tools and correct knowledge. Along the way precautions will be taken and no further damage accrued.

_________________
On a clear disk you can seek forever.

Years and years ago. I had an Apple II (I still have the same one). And I had a 10MB HDD to go with it. It cost me a whopping $699.95 in 1980's dollars. I had two of them.

I was a kid. I did something, overlooked something, whatever. But one day the HDD didn't work anymore. I kept getting I/O errors when I wanted to view a CATALOG of a volume on the disk. Well. I took the disk apart. Out came the power supply, the main controller board, and then finally the disk pack itself. It was a 4-platter 5.25 XEBEC pack with a speed of 3100 RPM. It had a stepper motor and band mechanism to position the head.

I took apart the disk pack, in my bedroom and carefully placed the parts on a bath towel. I removed the heads and set them aside. I unscrewed the spindle and spacers and put each platter right beside the other parts.

I'm now looking at this pile of parts trying to imagine what could be bad. I didn't see anything obvious. But then to a 10-yr old everything looked good and I couldn't imagine the disk not working if I put it together carefully.

I washed all the dirt off the platters with dish soap. I put them back on the spindle, in some random arbitrary order. I slid the heads back into position (somehow) with a screwdriver and tweezers and re-tensioned the flexible metal spring/bar. While they didn't look like they were factory aligned anymore that's ok. The stepper motor would haul them into the right position. No worries.

I bolted up the pack, connected the controller card and power supply and stuffed everything (with great force) back into the main housing.

I connected it back up to the computer and powered up everything.

There was a slightly different whine. But not too different. I figured things had to break-in and settle down. So I let it run. It didn't, so I just assumed it was ok. I tried to access the disk again and got the same I/O error.

Needless to say this disk never worked again. And soon I gave up. I had my parents send it back into the company for warranty repair. The company called my mom and said it would be an out of warranty repair and that a cost of $200.00 would be the order of the day. So I got a barrage of questions posed to me about what I had done to the drive and did I take it apart and all that.

Eventually my parents paid the fee and they put in a new disk pack and I had my 10MB disk back in 3 weeks. Minus all the stuff on it. No big deal, it was just BBS material and games that I already had on floppy. A sort of crude backup if you will.

During the course of waiting for the disk to come back I put away all my BBS stuff and disks I used to work with the HDD, utilities and all. I just played games and read porn and stuff.

Finally the disk arrived back and I powered it up and to my utter confusion I got another I/O error! I'm like this isn't right.. WTF? And I noticed the floppy I booted DOS from was not patched for recognizing the HDD. I was too lazy to write out a label to ID the disks, and the correct disk was sitting across the room on the bookcase. The dumbest of dumb mistakes had just occurred.

Even in those days, you could either boot the system from floppy disk, or from the HDD. I had the HDD in the lower number expansion slot, and therefore the system would boot from floppy first. A normal and accepted practice. When you do this, you must have a modified DOS on the floppy that can recognize the HDD. I did not. Not this time, or the first time when the disk "failed". I mixed up the boot floppies and just assumed the one I was using had the patched and modified DOS!

Imagine all that hustle and bustle fuss for absolutely nothing. There was no problem with the disk ever. Had I been less hasty I might have typed PR#5 to try booting from the HDD directly. And it would have done so. And I might have discovered my "boot-disk-mistake". Ughh.. I lost nearly a week's time as I had to reload all the games back onto the drive. Not to mention I had to run my BBS off of two 140K floppies.

Great times!!

_________________
On a clear disk you can seek forever.

That is a really good story and great advice!!. i enjoyed reading this immensely. I realize you have no incite into my life and don't know my learning capabilities etc. Ill give you a little bit of background, As i know you say that i "am only interested in DR because of a failure (this isn't entirely the case). I run a small IT repair business that deals mainly of Linux computers and businesses. I do a lot of work with Networking and hardware for customers. Always wanted to learn about the inner working of hard drives and i have pulled many dead ones apart and had a look and browsed around on the internet as to what things are. Due to time restrictions i haven't been able to dedicate time to discover what hard drives actually are, but due to medical illnesses i have more time as i cant work as much. I take computer courses after courses after courses just because i am board and IT is some thing that i am incredibly passionate about. my "keenness" to learn is just a small part of what i am about. i greatly appreciate all your input, please don't get me wrong. and i certainly don't think of any of you as rude or condescending or any of this kind of nature, In fact i have had a great response and a more than a generous offer from HaQue. He has been fantastic and provided me with some very valuable incite as to what i will need to do to learn0. I tend to agree with you that most people should not attempt a DIY solution as there are to many variables at play. the advantages i have is that i have the time, and the initiative to learn what i have to so that in the future i have a strong understanding of what is actually happening to my gear or my customers gear. even if it never eventuates into a direct DR career i will still have satisfied my thirst for the knowledge. Thank you all for your knowledge and support

Absolutely. All is well and fair.

Having a good understanding of DR is really indeed valuable as an IT pro. You can quickly determine a course of action instead of playing trial & error with utilities that are go nowhere.

I've been more or less getting away from DR and into prevention. Backups, user education, that sort of thing. With SSD becoming more dense their designs are inversely reliable and your data is in a more precarious situation than with mechanical HDD. Especially with TLC and QLC (16 voltage levels!). I feel they are more apt to fail suddenly - and backups are your best bet.

For example, after less than 6-months of moderate/light home usage, one of Samsung's SSD begins consuming its spare blocks at a steady rate. Far far more than a mechanical SSD replaces grown defects. 100x? 1000x? It's up there.

I've been more or le

_________________
On a clear disk you can seek forever.