SATA card messed up WD2500JS HDD - Help needed with recovery

[gugucom]

I made the unfortunate decision to buy a Highpoint RocketRaid 2642 controller for my Apple Mac Pro (2006 model). The controller ran under OS X and I partitioned my 2006 stock drive (WD2500JS-41SGB0).
Drive Parameters:
LBA 488397168
250,0 GB

I'm returning the controller because it isn't working properly with the firmware of the Mac. I have tried to run the WD HDD from SATA ports of my Mac and of a Shuttle PC but the drive does not get recognized by Mac or Vista disk utility or disk management. Somebody suggested the Highpoint controller blew the LBA0 (Protected MBR0).

On the Shuttle the drive can be found by the Western Digital DOS utility and zeroes can be written to the first and last million of sectors. That procedure did not recover the capacity of the HDD.

I have tried to run HDDGURU low level formatting on the drive but it reported errors and stalled sometime after 10 hours.

Good advise is needed. Please help.

[dobrevjetser]

If you want your data, then i think its too late; low level formatting erases all data. Perhaps a small chance to recover some files since the tool stalled after some hours, but chances are minimal.
If data is not important, bin the drive and buy a new one.

Best regards,

Dobre

[harddrivespecialist]

There is a good chance of recovery after single low level format. Probably 95%-99%

[dobrevjetser]

Can you do miracles, harddrivespecialist ? A low level format just means overwriting all data!
Or do you have a special CIA tool to scan with a magnetic force microscope

Dobre

[beto]

well, its possible by the "remaining theory" but u need like more than million of dollars + lot of mathematical computing+ a lot of knowlegment .. and this are only theories....

when a low level its did all sectors filled with a pattern like " FF" ´s what happend ? the "flux on magnetic fields are changed their original values ..." <---- a logic "1" to ----> a logic "0" or viceversa, the theory said, we are working with mechanicall instruments where they dont put a "1" logic they put 1.000x or 0.00x so that remaining its possible to use it compute it and get original value, but for our time actually im think its practically impossible ...or maybe u are helping by " Criss angel"" to return fields to the orginal values.




Regards

[learner]

There is a good chance of recovery after single low level format. Probably 95%-99%

Miracle seems to be very simple word. right words are - next to impossible , unless harddrivespecialist gives scientifically proven answer. Otherwise Proprietory software / hardware funda does not work as usual.

[harddrivespecialist]

Can you do miracles, harddrivespecialist ? A low level format just means overwriting all data!


Dobre

If data is overwritten, then it is near to impossible, but what I meant in this case is that he used MHDD (HDDGURU) to wipe off data from his drive. In this case, its very recoverable.

I don't do miracles.

[dobrevjetser]

OK, time to do some experiments with mhdd

Dobre

[gugucom]

Sorry if I'm misunderstood. I do not want to recover any data. I just want to recover the drive. The SATA card has made it useless for any other controller. It shows 512 Byte of capacity!!!!!

Is there any way I can recover the drive so it is recognized by a disk utility?

[BlackST]

I have read the thread twice and came to this conclusion :

1) the drive , like WD usually seem to do, died suddenly. The controller malfunction was only a coincidence.
2) due to some bogus or unpredictable commands sent by controller due to malfunction, the drive entered a state of "limbo" and now need to be serviced.

I would try to connect the drive to another plain machine and diagnose the status i.e. HPA set, security set, SMART status, etc.
After that, with proper diagnostic tools and knowledge of the WD firmware, the problem can be solved. If the drive is malfunctioning , there is no user option.

[gugucom]

I have posted that the HDD is perfectly ok when it is hooked back to the controller that messed it up. It is obviously a case of the RR2642 controller formatting the drives for special use.