WD Sadle G6-BK head map confirmation

[deftrue]

Hello guys,

Please can anybody confirm the headmap and family of the following drive? I'm confused seeing different family denominations for same family codes, and I'm a little stuck.

The drive is, as for the label:
- WD10EARS
- 00MVWB0
- DOM: 14 MAY 2011
- DCM: HHNNHTJMHB
- Thailand

Physically, it has 3 platters on normal positions starting from the bottom, and 6 physical heads (well, 6 sliders, but the top head r/w element is gone - I believe this is the problem but the surface is not scratched).

Now, PC3K reports:

- ROM Ver. & FW ver: 00250012
- Heads map: 0,2,5,6,7
- I read ID ok (correct size, and S/N)
- Sadle G6

No user data access. Important modules OK (at least, header + checksum). I don't know where this drive has been - maybe this is all fine, or maybe they are hiding some information.

A very very similar drive (same MDL WD10EARS 00MVWB0) is shown as a Sadle BK and has a HM = 2,3,4,5,6,7.

What is going on here? Is this headmap normal for this drive?

Cheers

[w.simon]

Hello

Does your HDD is a recertified / Refirbished one ?

[deftrue]

Hello

Does your HDD is a recertified / Refirbished one ?

Apparently, not. Nothing strange on label...

[hhddrec]

Hi DefTue;

I got this Drive correctly working:

WDC WD10EARS-00MVWB0
WD-WCAZA7859793

and asl log says: Heads map............................... : 0,2,5,6,7


I atach PC3K log.
_______________
Techno mode key
Techno mode key......................... : Ok

RAM:
HDD Info reading........................ : Ok
Heads number............................ : 5
Cyl Count............................... : 256

Zone allocation table................... : Ok
SA SPT.................................. : 1980

ROM:
ROM reading............................. : Ok
ROM Data size........................... : 256 Kb
ROM version............................. : 22.00E
ROM generation.......................... : 22.01E
Link table version...................... : 0B.36.
Consolidated ROM version................ : 00220000

ROM Modules:
Flash ROM dir reading................... : Ok
Flash ROM dir (ext) reading............. : Ok (Active)
Modules directory address............... : 377 654 (24)
SA regions address...................... : by default

SA Translator loading................... : Ok

Heads configuration..................... : by map
Heads number............................ : 6
Heads number in use..................... : 5
Switched off heads...................... : Yes
Heads map............................... : 0,2,5,6,7
ROM Firmware version.................... : 00220000

Service area:
SA dir reading (ID)..................... : Ok
SA Access............................... : Copy 0,Copy 1

Configuration reading................... : Ok
Master Password......................... : has not been set
User Password........................... : has not been set

[northwind]

There are two variants of **MVW**, one with head map for example 2,3,4,5,6,7 and one with 0,1,2,5,6,7 (or with some heads missing).
WD*0EARS doesn't mean anything at all.

So what you're seeing is correct.

[jono-ats]

Northwind is right. One is Sadle G6 and the other is DragFly, usually. The heads are not cross-compatible.

[deftrue]

OK Thank you guys. So this one's Sadle G6 (the other one is a Sadle BK instead of a DragFly), and the headmap is 0,2,5,6,7 despite the physical setup being a regular 0,1,2,3,4,5 setup.

Now, DR time! This one's got me, I'm trying some partial recovery before going hardcore, but I can't initialize the drive with its regular map (blocking SA access, etc.). I'll try a few more things...

Cheers

[BGman]

Hello

Does your HDD is a recertified / Refirbished one ?

Apparently, not. Nothing strange on label...

One head didn't past the initial tests. They just format the drive as 1TB and sell it.
I was able to reformat such a drive as 1.5TB and it works just fine.