Switch to full style
Everything related to MRT tools
Post a reply

Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Drives?

June 29th, 2018, 4:37

It may be necessary to short-circuit in the process of repairing a Seagate hard drive, aiming to make the disk has the access to enter T level, and this is the traditional way to repair Seagate hard drives. However, it is time-consuming along with low success rate, and when doing a short circuit, a wrong operation may even damage the hard disk directly.

What's more, when system area of a DM or LM series Seagate hard drive was formatted accidentally, is there no any way to repair it?

Now let me introduce a unique function named "Virtual Start" released by MRT Lab, which can solve the problems below:

(1)SA is formatted by mistake and the drive breaks down. You can use virtual start function and write firmware back. Now the virtual start is the only solution for this problem.

(2)Hard drive could not operate any commands nor enter T level. Users can use virtual start, when it was succesfully done, hard drive will be able to enter T level, tedious manual short circuit steps are no longer needed.

(3)Fake readiness. The drive seems ready but could not operate any commands, the capacity is shown as 3.86GB, and users could not get access to user data. If virtual start succeeds, the drive will be truly ready.

Here we'd like to demonstrate the virtual start of LM series, please refer to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imU8KDI8rYM

Brief operating steps are listed below, please follow the sequence:

1. Back up ROM, LDR, module 3D and other modules.

2. Load backuped ROM, create virtual boot and write virtual boot.

3. Power off and on, then exchange commands.

4. Load module 3D and try to patch one by one.

5. When disk is ready, load LDR.

6. Write the backup of modules and SA ABA.

7. When the write is done, the case is done.

Previously, we can support the the virtual start of DM series, refer to manuals of:
http://en.mrtlab.com/st-dm-series-virtu ... t-tutorial
http://en.mrtlab.com/supplementary-tuto ... tual-start

MRT Sales Consultant--Pink
Email: sales@mrtlab.com
Skype: live:sales_54921

Re: Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Driv

June 29th, 2018, 21:20

Spildit wrote:The "problem" that i see with this "procedure" is that if the drive was already SA formated, etc you will not be able to create the loader and read module 3D.

This might be very useful but you do need to make a backup of the drive resources first.



Yes, you are right; if patient drive's SA was formatted already, you need to use backup of resources from a same model donor drive.

If you need that, you can contact us, and if we have, absolutely we will share it to you :)

Re: Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Driv

June 30th, 2018, 5:28

I have ST31500341AS Brinks-2D drive fw CC4H that has locked terminal.
I have tried shorting read channel hundreds of times without success, can i unlock it with this method.
If yes, can you please send me LDR and module 3D?

Re: Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Driv

July 2nd, 2018, 2:40

michael chiklis wrote:I have ST31500341AS Brinks-2D drive fw CC4H that has locked terminal.
I have tried shorting read channel hundreds of times without success, can i unlock it with this method.
If yes, can you please send me LDR and module 3D?



ST31500341AS Brinks-2D drive is 11th generation HDD, no 3D module.
Virtual start is for solving problems after formating SA to make HDD can enter T level, the HDD is generally after-12th generation. Because the HDD before and including 12th generation can directly enter T level after formating SA.
We are not quite certain what's the details, you can contact our technical support to see is there anything we can help.

Email service@mrtlab.com
Skype live:service_5567
QQ 2693828612

Re: Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Driv

July 8th, 2018, 14:49

Hello!
I have a Bogart-4F ST2000DL003-9VT166-CC45 drive, and it has a formatted SA, and stays BSY.
I created the "Virtual Start" ROM, and uploaded by boot mode tool, and then....... the drive does not spins up.
Any solution?
Thank you!

Re: Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Driv

July 8th, 2018, 16:23

If you upload the original and virtual ROMs, I could check their integrity for you.

Re: Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Driv

July 9th, 2018, 2:27

Thanks Frank, here it is!

ST2000DL003-9VT166-CC45-5YD5TH47.rar
(332.95 KiB) Downloaded 560 times

Re: Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Driv

July 9th, 2018, 16:40

The ROM modifications are made to the BOOTFW segment (ID = 10h).

The "virtual" and original BOOTFW segments have a valid checksum (0x0000). However, ISTM that there is a problem with the way in which MRT parses this particular segement, or perhaps you have chosen an incorrect ROM type.

This appears to be the layout of the BOOTFW segment in the original ROM:

    interrupt vector table
    boot code
    compressed CPRS section
    data section
    FFh padding
    16-bit CRC

The "virtual" ROM hacks the CPRS section and then adds a second CPRS section immediately after the first. In so doing, it overwrites and corrupts the data section.

    interrupt vector table
    boot code
    first compressed CPRS section (hacked)
    second compressed CPRS section (added)
    partially overwritten data section
    FFh padding
    16-bit CRC

When I examine an ST2000DM001 ROM, its BOOTFW segment does not have a data section. Instead it looks like this:

    interrupt vector table
    boot code
    compressed CPRS section
    FFh padding
    16-bit CRC

ISTM that MRT incorrectly assumes that there is no valid data after the CPRS section, thereby resulting in a corrupt ROM.

Re: Are You Still Using Tweezers to Repair Seagate Hard Driv

July 10th, 2018, 2:42

So the conclusion is: Virtual start method is not usable with Bogart family drives.
Thanks fzabkar again!
Post a reply