Hi

I have a Seagate ST3250310AS (250GB) Baracuda which stopped working all of a sudden. It didn't get detected in BIOS, but Seatools and other DOS based tools detect it and even report the details like firmware version, serial number etc. I took it to a data recovery center and they told me that the firmware is corrupt and no more details (they were using Salvation Data suite). They were charging insane amount to "recover the data", and I know the magnetic media is alright as the disk spins and makes no noise at all. I have some of my important work on that drive with very little backup.

I could not find an update to the firmware (currently on 3.AAF) on Seagate's website for my hard disk model. I would request members here to point me to some freeware/shareware software (if not I can purchase a license) that will help me restore the firmware. PC3000/Salvation are good options, but they need some external cable/circuit to operate, my question : is there any DOS based tool that can help without any additional hardware?

Thanks a lot!

Firmware on a HDD is not like 'firmware' on a cell phone or computer, you can't just flash it to fix it.

You can talk to a Seagate terminal without PC3000 or Salvation tools, it's just a terminal connection.

If I were you I would try another data recovery company and get a different quote. Or if you feel technically inclined you can get an appropriate terminal connection established to your drive and post the output for members here to look at.

If your data is important to you then I'd recommend trying another DR company in your country, or send the drive across the Channel to the UK, forum member 'pcimage' will provide you with good service.

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