WD Essential stopped working after firmware upgrade

[hehaaj]

Hey,

I have WD My Passport Essential 500 Gb
WD5000BMVV
LBA:976773168

The drive was working perfectly alright, but recently i've unfortunately upgraded the firmware, apparently it went well and completed but after that the drive stopped appearing in My computer, Disk Management and device manager.

This was backup drive and i had loads of archive data stored in it with no other copy.

I've been trying to contact WD but they are all stupid idiots being of no help at all. Moreover the drive is not a simple IDE/Sata and has no standard connectivity other then USB. there are 12 pin male connectors, but can't find a cable to connect them.

Contacting local technician the only way i figured out was to change the circuit board with old firm ware and the data will be accessible.
Now i dont have any idea where to buy a circuit board for the model, i'm a student and cant afford much for the data recovery companies. can you kindly suggest me how to solve the issue.

I would highly appreciate your time in replaying me, and helping me get my data back.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Attachments

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[einstein9]

well i suggest that you read here first

wd10tmvv-t16204.html

and maybe within a week i will post the details about this

[BlackST]

Contacting local technician the only way i figured out was to change the circuit board with old firm ware and the data will be accessible.

Problem : part of the firmware is recorded into the platters and it is not accessible to end user unless you have extremely expensive equipment.
This part must coincide on what "expected" from PCB otherwise the drive won't work. Both parts are updated usually (dpending on the FW update) . If something went wrong , one part or both are damaged and both are needed. This can be.

RMA is not an option as the drive was opened...

Get the drive analyzed by a pro, and/or spare ca$h for data recovery.


@einstein : if something went wrong with overlays or rom update, at 1st turn off/on or soft reset the drive stopped responding. Don't think it's interface.

[einstein9]

the interface is the beginning in addition to the proper tools/equipment
and ur right about that
just wanted to give him a brief idea of whats going on

[fzabkar]

I have WD My Passport Essential 500 Gb
WD5000BMVV

The drive was working perfectly alright, but recently i've unfortunately upgraded the firmware, apparently it went well and completed but after that the drive stopped appearing in My computer, Disk Management and device manager.

Can you see the drive or its USB-SATA bridge chip with Microsoft's UVCView utility?
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/USB_ID ... ew.x86.exe

Does it still spin up?

[hehaaj]

I have WD My Passport Essential 500 Gb
WD5000BMVV

The drive was working perfectly alright, but recently i've unfortunately upgraded the firmware, apparently it went well and completed but after that the drive stopped appearing in My computer, Disk Management and device manager.

Can you see the drive or its USB-SATA bridge chip with Microsoft's UVCView utility?
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/USB_ID ... ew.x86.exe

Does it still spin up?

Please find attached image of the USB Device that appears when drive plugged in.

The drive is working and spinning perfectly, i could feel it spinning upon touching and more over the indicator light is blinking, as normal.

The only problem is, the way i can access the drive is corupted, the drive is perfect and hopefully the data in drive is in perfect condition. Just wondering isn't there any way at all to access the drive data other then this USB connection? I wonder what those 12 pins are ment for anyway?

Attachments

[hehaaj]

well i suggest that you read here first

wd10tmvv-t16204.html

and maybe within a week i will post the details about this

Hey mate, thanks a lot for the replay, and i've gone through the entire reference post, it was really helpfull, but i have two questions;

1- I have firmware problem for sure, so connecting a sata connector will give me access to drive data?
If yes,

then definitely i would ask for for a big favour to PM me the password for the file. I owe you a big time ....

[Clusterox]

Most probably, your drive would not be powering up after this (if you have somehow managed to update and subsequently, corrupt the ROM). In this case, a PCB replacement is necessary but that is also far from end user's capability, as it's not just straight forward.

In some cases, where the original ROM of a WD has been damaged, you may need to regenerate the ROM from the SA, with proper tools of course.

[hehaaj]

Then what do you suggest me to do? Please advice, as i'm really getting fraustrated now, my projects are drawing near and i have every thing required is on that hard :'(

i'm about to cry now

[BlackST]

Do yourself a favor and stop panic : seek pro intervention. The nearest reputable pro I would trust 100 percent is pcimage from this forum. Won't be for free but you'll be in safe hands.

[DR-Kiev]

All WD Essential has smartware encrypting system.
It means that all your data was encrypted by Initio-chip.
When you updated firmware, you something changed.

On WD site clearly written:

IMPORTANT: The following precautions should be taken before installing the firmware update.
Before updating the firmware on your My Book or My Passport drive, make sure you have an additional copy of your important information.

[fzabkar]

The fact that you're seeing the Initio Default Controller suggests to me that the 8-pin serial EEPROM chip attached to the Initio INIC-1607E USB-SATA bridge may be corrupted, rather than the drive's firmware. Other people who have had similar problems with external WD drives have simply removed the SATA drive from its enclosure and attached it directly to a motherboard.

Unfortunately, in your case the bridge chip is part of the drive. Worse still, it handles the encryption.

BTW, there are many reports of failed firmware updates at WD's forums. ISTM that something may be amiss with WD's update procedure.

[BlackST]

My ar*e. Data was flowing even during the FW update, only something MOST PROBABLY went wrong in the middle (NO I won't explain here) so the drive stops working, while the interface works , useless like a tit on a bull as NOW each request, encrypted or not on-the-fly, goes nowhere. Seeing it often nowadays. It is possible also that the interface part is bad and the rest is OK , it can be pinpointed in less than a minute with the right equipment - in any case there's a solution for everything. The problem can be relatively simple (for a pro) to solve, but there's a 20/25% possibility of being much more complicated , that is not quite few % .

Summing up, as the OP probably wants data back not excuses explanations or theory, and there's no free or EASY way for this, the only wise solution is to ask for a pro intervention.

P.S. don't ask for ways to solve it on-your-own at home for free : there aren't.

[hehaaj]

Summing up, as the OP probably wants data back not excuses explanations or theory, and there's no free or EASY way for this, the only wise solution is to ask for a pro intervention.

P.S. don't ask for ways to solve it on-your-own at home for free : there aren't.

You may be 100% right that such cases has to be handled by a pro, and not a beginner's game. But unfortunately in my case as part time working student i've to put my 1 month earning just on the data recovery. So in that case going to a pro is certainly not feasible and i'll learn and try what ever I can to get the data by myself, because unfortunately i cant afford the first ideal option.

To be honest i am on forum to learn and i believe forums are for solving individuals problems. so i request you once again that aid me up a little in fixing this up for myself.

BTW, there are many reports of failed firmware updates at WD's forums. ISTM that something may be amiss with WD's update procedure.

Yes i've been looking for same problem and there are A LOT of cases with same exact issue, which followed the instruction and for this un-accessible drive there definitely is something wrong with the upgrade or i dont know

[BlackST]

You may be 100% right that such cases has to be handled by a pro, and not a beginner's game. But unfortunately in my case as part time working student i've to put my 1 month earning just on the data recovery. So in that case going to a pro is certainly not feasible and i'll learn and try what ever I can to get the data by myself, because unfortunately i cant afford the first ideal option.

Spare money and do it when you can afford it.

To be honest i am on forum to learn and i believe forums are for solving individuals problems. so i request you once again that aid me up a little in fixing this up for myself.

My individual problem for example is, right now, a discrete amount of things to pay, will this forum solve my "individual" problem ? NO. (Sorry, this is life).
If you can't afford the recovery of data (not an arm and a leg, trust me) how can you afford the several thousand £ for the equipment to work with firmware if it has been damaged (and who do you expect will guide you through the process ?) and interfacement ?
Finally, take a look at other forums and tell me if you can find - there - a fraction of what's in this one. Sorry if you expected a solution at a snap of the fingers, and it didn't come.

[hehaaj]

Sorry to say but you cant be more RUDE then this...

[BlackST]

Sorry to say but you didn't understand.

1) The ADVICE "spare money and do it when you can afford it" it's the WISEST thing you can do : data is safe and sound INSIDE the drive, and if data consist in digital memories (invaluable) , you can recover it LATER. If you wrap the drive in a safe envelope and keep it safe, data will be safe and sound till the moment it will be recovered. See also 2).
If we are talking about downloaded / replaceable stuff, consider the loss and download / replace it again.
Needless to say that FW update is a CRITICAL operation (even if "they" make it appear simple and safe , but consider for example a power loss during update...) and data , especially CRITICAL data, must be always backed up.

2) This forum is not an help desk : you have contacted someone else, and YOU SAID : (look at very first post, it wasn't me writing

"I've been trying to contact WD but they are all stupid idiots being of no help at all....."

If I was rude, how do you call this? We have a colourful expression in Italy ... All the rest is confirmed : you were lucky to have at least an answer, what you hadn't on other forum so at least say "thank you".
Bear in mind that data recovery and running an enterprise is not a game , and nobody here OWE nothing to anybody. You want to do "Mc Gyver style" repair of a disk that require, to diagnose and gain access to internal FW, 10'000 (TEN THOUSAND) EURO worth of equipment and know how that can't be bought but is result of reverse engineering, study and time (BTW you claim you are a student : you should know how much is the cost of LEARNING).
So what was said was a truth that hurts, but it is THE TRUTH, like it or not.
Finally, "last but not least", you can impersonate everyone you want over the net - albeit I trust you being a student, doesn't change a single bit - so who knows where in depth technical info will go ?
In a nutshell, if you ASK, you can't AVOID the answers even if you don't like them .
Side note : almost all pros are under strict NDAs (NON Disclosure Agreements) or simply won't/can't give any info that can bite them back later or jeopardize their bread and butter.
You'll understand probably better when you will finish your studies and you will hopefully work .

PERIOD.

[fzabkar]

Sorry to say but you cant be more RUDE then this...

Believe me, he can be. I've actually been abused by him for helping him.

[BlackST]

Must be a different definition of "abuse" we have. One of these days/years I'll ask the board admin

[jono-ats]

Heehaj PM'ed me and I took the time to give him a fairly comprehensive, helpful answer.

Apparently he's not pleased with the answers he's getting from me or anyone else.

Maybe fzabkar, who always has the answers, and who is unfailingly generous, can take heehaj under his wing and help him out, since we (collectively) aren't getting the job done?