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 Post subject: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 9th, 2019, 15:14 
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I have a drive with id ST500LM030 with a locked diagnostic. I would like to enter boot mode to dump the ROM, but there is no visible chip to short its pins. Any advice?


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 9th, 2019, 17:45 
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You can do this without shorting anything, if you have MRT , launch the seagate utility and on the top right corner is an option "Boot Code Mode" then launch the utility and it will read the ROM and save it automatically.


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 10th, 2019, 14:25 
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I don't have MRT. On earlier versions I either executed '/1e,f' to enter boot mode or shorted the pins. On this board there are no visible pins to short. How does MRT do it? (via ESLIP/SATA or some other method?)


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 10th, 2019, 14:51 
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MRT does it via Terminal Adaptor and reads the ROM via terminal.


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 10th, 2019, 17:02 
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I know it does it via terminal. I want to know how it forces the hdd into boot mode so I can do it manually. I've written my own tools for dumping/patching the ROM from boot mode. Can you sniff the terminal traffic to see which commands MRT is executing? Thanks!


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 10th, 2019, 17:22 
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Try invalidating the ROM by shorting its DO (data out) pin to ground during power-on. Alternatively, you could try grounding its Hold pin, but only if it is not hardwired to Vcc.

Would you care to make your tools publicly available?

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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 8:38 
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I would release the tools. They're basically finished - it has a slow mode using the boot mode commands and a fast mode that patches the ROM with a function to dump the memory quickly. I just have to polish them and test them out on other models (that's what I'm trying to do here.)

All of the visible chips are BGA and I don't know where to start. I don't see the ROM chip (some images on the web show a similar PCB with a rom chip but this one doesn't.

Image


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 14:55 
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All of the chips are BGA and there is no visible ROM chip. (Similar PCBs that I can find online have a ROM chip). I tried attaching an image of my PCB but it's awaiting approval - or maybe it didn't go through.

Regarding the tools, I'd be happy to release them after they're tested and polished - I had wanted to test them on this drive!


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 15:54 
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One of the BGA chips is a ROM.

http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=100&t=1577&p=18998&hilit=bga+serial+flash+memory#p18998

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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 17:56 
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I've tracked down this link https://forum.hddguru.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34804 that also asks about the rom. The image that is supposed to show the rom is dead unfortunately. Is it the tiny shiny silver thing next to the flash memory?

How/what would I short on it?


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 18:14 
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Here it is:

Attachment:
ROM.jpg
ROM.jpg [ 102.77 KiB | Viewed 17377 times ]


You would need to trace the circuit.

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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 18:32 
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Thanks for your help. I don't have any experience in tracing circuits... don't know where to start. Google doesn't give me results for the chips markings (3A6F S02) and without a datasheet how do I know what's what?


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 18:48 
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It's in my HDD Oracle database.

W25Q80BWBY, Winbond, 8M-bit serial flash memory, 1.8V, marking 3Axx, WLBGA-8:
https://www.macrogroup.ru/docs/1348

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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 19:02 
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What's the worst that can happen if I try shorting any of the connected vias during start up? (Also there's no marking for pin 1?!)


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 11th, 2019, 20:46 
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Seagate PCBs usually have a dot alongside pin #1. I can't see it in any of the poor photos I've examined, though.

I would start by measuring the voltages at the adjacent vias.

Edit:

Is that a dot to the right of the "M" in "ROM"?

Does the IC have an indent at one of its corners?

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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 14th, 2019, 17:32 
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you can get into boot mode by sending UU over terminal during powerup.
Ok, you are in boot mode, what to do next?
without tools?
without knowhow?

pepe

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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 14th, 2019, 18:57 
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@pepe Thanks!

I actually just discovered the 'UU' solution by disassembling the boot ROM. I have my own tools for dumping the ROM, and I hope to create a patch for unlocking Rosewood etc. drives.


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 15th, 2019, 8:41 
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yes, unlocking can be done of course, but tools ease our lives. There were no tools able to unlock sg drives at the time i started building a solution, so it was worth (it is still better than Pc3k unlock in that it supports more family, and that i can add a new family with relatively small effort usually).
But i still make use of other fw manipulation features of pc3k which do make life easier.

pepe

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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 22nd, 2019, 8:02 
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@pepe

Are your tools publicly available?


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 Post subject: Re: ST500LM030 - How to access boot mode
PostPosted: November 22nd, 2019, 13:05 
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Hello,

i hope not :)

pepe

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