Learning how to use MHDD to repair 3 IBM Deathstars....

[LeaUK]

Hi all

Last Sunday morning I experienced a rather unfortunate situation where I lost three IBM DeathStars (not all plugged into one machine) and so llike many others am slowely Googling and researching low-level disk repair utilites to assist - can't afford the expense of a data recovery outfit, and want to learn how this can be acheived.

Therefore I'm greatfull to find this forum and main url which hosts the only low-level HDD tool I can find (Apart from PC-3000).

Before recking my disks, have you guys any recomendations regards using MHDD for the first time? I'm quite prepared to sit down a learn a little.

I should ask this question first - can MHDD be used to repair ATA disks which are not recognised in the BIOS - I suspect yes?

But my IBM IC35L080AVA07-0 isn't shown in the files section - is recovery still possible? I have a second identical drive but its MLC code is different..

I swapped PCBs - now both drive fail in the same mannor!!!

Any advice much appreciated.
Lea

[clickclickclick]

First things first when the drives are powered do you hear any abnormal noise? Deathstar have a lovely knack of being able to strip all the media from the platters and turn your data, quite literally, into dust.

[vi]

Well, well, well...

Look like "destroy your data yourself" idea become very popular

I should ask this question first - can MHDD be used to repair ATA disks which are not recognised in the BIOS - I suspect yes?

No, you are wrong. MHDD is _free_ software, so it's not for repair. The program is intended for fast diagnostics and _minor_ repair (false softbad mostly )

Of course it have some powerful features, like scripting engine and if you the skilled repairman knowing vendor commands you can fix something, but as regular user you most likely destroy all completely

But my IBM IC35L080AVA07-0 isn't shown in the files section - is recovery still possible? I have a second identical drive but its MLC code is different..

Maybe, it depends on that in what condition was hdd and as far as you have worsened this condition...

I swapped PCBs - now both drive fail in the same mannor!!!

Well, keep trying, did you think what destroy several working hdd will be cheaper and more quick, then working with professionals?

PS skilled repairman already destroy his 100-th or more drives before taking drive for data recovery, did you need this way?

[cenahum]

Hehehehehehehe, so you are ready to sitt and to waste some hours of you time to give us the oportunity to teatch you some things that took from us only some years of our lifes ?. Ok
Be my guest........

[LeaUK]

I didn't ask for sarcasm just pointers - I won't waste anymore of your time.

[LeaUK]

In the week I tried reflowing the majority of the SMT components - a long shot. Still no BIOS.

I waited one week, (HDD in room corner all alone) and tried using the drive again - I have no idea why - it was suddenely reconised in the BIOS and recovery of Data was possible for 10 minutes. Then it failed again. I changed the orientation by 180deg and it is still working 3 hours latter - WHY??

How can a drive simply start working again. I have done nothing to it. In fact, 2 out of 3 dead drives are working again!!??

This HDD repair world is bizarre..

Lea

[BGman]

Hi Lea,

The most of the guys in this forum know the reason for such a strange behaviour from your drives - bad contacts between the PCBA and contact pins on the HDA. All you needed to do was to reflow the contact pads and to tighten the nearest two screws. Very simple! The question is why nobody told you that? Just moking....

[pepe]

Hi,

this behaviour can be caused by several things, amongst theese is the one U mentioned.
Lea said he swapped the PCBs of the 2 hDDs and after that the good one was gone too. I had similar cases, when the NVRAM became corrupt when the good pcb was started with a non-native HDA.
For that I had to read and write (and correct of course) NVRAM which is a trivial operation if U have proper tools. This one doesn't get repaired by just leaving the drive on the shelf.

but there might have been failing sectors in the SA that finally could be read in and so on.
So it is not so easy to tell the source of the problem.

That's why I told Lea in PM I could diagnose and repair his drives if he sent it to me.
So it isn't nobody who answered

regards,
pepe
[/list]

[LeaUK]

Pepe

My apologise for not replying to your PM and I thank you sincerely for your offer, however the data isn't life critical and during an intermittent operation of the drive I'd managed to backup the critical data.

I'm the learning type and would have liked to have carried out the procedure myself, so maybe I can now start investigating this procedure

BGman

As an Electronics Eng and one with SMT capability, (after the PCB swap) I naturally cleaned all suspicious HDA contacts including the PCB, reflowed the majority of devices and checked for functionality immediately after. Drive still wasn't recognised in the BIOS

Following this, I simply sat the drive down for 4 days, not powered. Last Sunday I re-checked and it magically appeared in the BIOS, but I couldn't extract the data as it was the only drive connected.

I switched the PC off, connected a second HDD (running W2K), rebooted - BIOS showed scrambled data.

I flipped the HDD over by 180deg and voila, BIOS recognised HDD. Then I preceded to copy the rest of the data off without failure - several hours worth.

STRANGE eh?

but there might have been failing sectors in the SA that finally could be read in and so on.
So it is not so easy to tell the source of the problem.

Several instances of position change (of one particular drive) caused it to randomly function so I suspect this is the answer.

Where can I learn about the HDD parameters: SA, Maintenance Area, Firmware, NVRAM - ATA specs?

[LeaUK]

I found some very interesting white papers over at ActionFront's forums - now I understand the HDA, P-List and G-List a little more....