Hitachi - HDS721616PLA320 NVRAM Issue [ Need Help ]

[Amarbir[CDR-Labs]]

Hello ,
Got This Case Today From a Customer Today .The Drive Spinsup Fine Registers Shows DRD DSC .But as soon as i run the Hitachi " Not ARM Family Utility in MRT " i get a Error in the register .Looks To Me Like a Corrupt NVRAM Case .I searched for this HDD Here on HDDGURU So i Could Have a Compatiable NVRAM To Adapt To This HDD .I could not find Any NVRAM or For That Matter Firmware For HDS721616PLA320 .Can Anyone Please Gimme This .The NVRAM Version Is P2C6EBGA .I have a Similiar HDD With Me With NVRAM Version P2C6YBGA .I Do not think i Can Use This But As Far As i Can Remember In SalvationDATA Hitachi Tool The Few Times I Had Adapted Currupt NVRAM i Did Not Bother Of This .Also The NVRAM Adaptation Part Seems Alien To Me In MRT PRO .Might Be a Reading Of PC 3000 Hitachi Manual Would Help Me Solve This .Any Advise Or Help Very Much Appreciated .If i Cannot Solve This With MRT PRO I Plan To Use Salvation DATA Hitachi Tool .

Photo of The Case With Assumed Corrupt NVRAM



Photo Of The Case With The MRT PRO NVram Adaption Screen

[Amarbir[CDR-Labs]]

@ All,
I Wanted To Try Out With Salvation DATA Hitachi Tool I Had With Me .First i Am Excited To See This -> http://www.salvationdata.com/plate/serv ... &binbh=237 .Seems Like Version 7.1 Updated on 14-5-2015.But this Process Has Not Yeilded Any Results .Might Be Its a Bug In The Tool Or Might Be This Family is Not Supported .

1 : As i Have a Similiar HDD " Fully Working " With Both Sticker Lines As OA29695 And BA2292 .I Extracted The NVRAM FRom This As a Donor To My Non Working Drive

2 : Connecting The Patient To The Tool And Selecting PLA3 Series Makes The Tool Load Its Resources " Though No Access To SA And DATA Area As Usual "

3 : The Problem Is That Once We Are On NVRAM Section And We Try Adding The Saved Donor NVRAM .It Just Does Not Do It .If It Will Not Add This How Can We Proceed Further .I Saw Few People Like Shahi Etc Having The Same Issue .

PS : Might Be It Worked Fine In Ver 5.0 Can Someone Share It .

[Amarbir[CDR-Labs]]

What is the initial problem with the drive and why do you think the NVRAM is bad ?

Well,
I have explained the same in my first post .If there is anything else needed to know let me know

[Amarbir[CDR-Labs]]

Hi ,
The MRT Pro Tool Does Not Work Properly For The Same .I will Add The Details With Pictures Same .I Will Have To Use a Different Strategy To Solve This

[data-medics]

Have you tried ruling out the simple stupid stuff like writing the NVRAM to another PCB first? I'd doubt that it's a corrupted NVRAM if you can read it and see the version number like that. I think the NVRAM search feature is more intended for drives with lost PCB.

I'd take 5 to 1 odds, that the problem ultimately turns out to be bad heads and it's just not able to read the G-List.

[Suitsof]

The Drive Spinsup Fine Registers Shows DRD DSC .But as soon as i run the Hitachi " Not ARM Family Utility in MRT " i get a Error in the register .Looks To Me Like a Corrupt NVRAM Case

It shows errors because ATA passport is not present (drive couldn't apply it's configuration). Try to send tech key and check SA.
And, as it was told by Spildit and Data-medics why are think that is problem with NV-RAM? I don't think so, if refer to statistics

[Amarbir[CDR-Labs]]

What is the initial problem with the drive and why do you think the NVRAM is bad ?

Well Spildit And Others ,
Was Not To Well But Tommorow i Will Post in greater details about the initial problem and diagnostics using MRT Pro

[Amarbir[CDR-Labs]]

Have you tried ruling out the simple stupid stuff like writing the NVRAM to another PCB first? I'd doubt that it's a corrupted NVRAM if you can read it and see the version number like that. I think the NVRAM search feature is more intended for drives with lost PCB.

I'd take 5 to 1 odds, that the problem ultimately turns out to be bad heads and it's just not able to read the G-List.

Agree !

The "strange" thing is that he can't read modules with MRT (assuming he is using MRT correctly).

I've done this one with MRT and was BAD HEAD :

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31026

But on this one i COULD READ modules and it was ARM based.

On IBM-Hitachi classic you are supposed to be able to READ MODULES and WRITE TO THEM as long as you have working PCB with NVRAM. It's not like WD that you will need to use loader/overlay. According to my HRT Hitachi manual as long as PCB is working properly with correct nvram you should be able to gain access to modules, as the "road map" would be in NVRAM (despite that there is a "copy" on platter - USAG). With HRT you can read by PBA and do a full firmware check, but i couldn't find an option on MRT fopr doing so.

This is my research on IBM-Hitachi on classic drives (not ARM) like yours :

http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=1236

This is the thread where i proposed MRT people to add an option on the tool to read/write by PBA on those drives (as i have on HRT) :

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31091

"- Something like a P list and G list editor. It would pop up a box with the defects on the list to edit them out or to change them. That way if there are bad entries there they could be corrected by hand.

- Option to read firmware tracks by PBA."

Reply: Good point. We're also doing research into these two features. They will be added in the future if there are new findings.

Well,
What Makes You Think Its a ARM Family Its Not a ARM Family .Well And i Do Know MRT Pro Now Much Better Then Hundreds of Other People Now . Please Wait For My Detailed Post Regarding The Initial Problem And My Ongoing Work In It With Details [ And Success But Not To The Extent Of Cracking The Case ] . Chatting With MRT Pro Tech Support Is a Nightmare They Have Totally Useless People There " Proof Would Be Given for This To " . Its Around Midnight here in india and i would like to go to sleep have been working in lab since 8:30am in the morning now .Good Night Spildit and All My Fiends