What's the best free tool to dump seagate firmware?

[cbcb]

Is there any? I just want something that's software that can dump a seagate firmware from the computer it's attached to.

Thanks you

[Tomset]

Complex PC3000.
For Example.

[cbcb]

I thought everything PC3000 was non-free?

[fzabkar]

http://shostatsky.narod.ru/rem_comp/indexe.html

[cbcb]

http://shostatsky.narod.ru/rem_comp/indexe.html

I appreciate your reply, but google translate doesn't do that well on the website. Even if I download PC3000, the readme is in russian, and it just looks like a changelog anyway. So then I don't know how to use the tools, and they don't seem to want to work in Windows 7 command prompt, so I assume they're DOS tools. Beyond that, it seems like that's a very old version of the software, so I don't know if it can dump my drive firmware.

I was just hoping there were some good free tools people could recommend. It seems like seagate drives *accept* firmware pretty easily, but they don't *give* firmware very easily. At least not via ATA commands? From the serial port it sounds like it, but I just want to be able to dump the firmware and make sure it hasn't been changed, by You Know Who.

(By the way fzabkar, thanks for all your intelligent responses which I've seen while searching the forums.)

[Dmitri]

As an idea of a free solution, check the functionality of your FW's flashing utility.

I never looked into Seagate flashers, but few years ago, Hitachi firmware updater (DOS program) had an option to backup current FW and if I recall correctly, it was even possible to not perform the update afterwards, just like with the Awdflash in the old days.

FW updater for older Samsungs (40-80 GB or so) was also capable to do the same.

[data-medics]

I think the better question is what are you trying to accomplish? If you're hoping to recover data, then it's doubtful you'll be able to do much just from dumping the firmware.

Or is it for some other purpose? You can download a ton of firmware resources right from the files section of this site.

[cbcb]

As an idea of a free solution, check the functionality of your FW's flashing utility.

I never looked into Seagate flashers, but few years ago, Hitachi firmware updater (DOS program) had an option to backup current FW and if I recall correctly, it was even possible to not perform the update afterwards, just like with the Awdflash in the old days.

That's a good point, I hadn't though to search for "backup" functionality/keyword, as a way to get the firmware out. Thanks!

[cbcb]

I think the better question is what are you trying to accomplish?

To integrity check HD firmware, to make sure it's not being attacked. https://securelist.com/files/2015/02/Eq ... nswers.pdf

[pepe]

firmware updates use cmd 92 nowadays, so there is not much to sniff from them. I came across some updates which were reading some resources from the target disk before upgrading, but it is not common.

[fzabkar]

I came across some updates which were reading some resources from the target disk before upgrading, but it is not common.

AFAICT, most F3 updates read the drive's package version to assess the drive's suitability for the update. That's the purpose of the configuration file included with the update. In fact I have written a tool that decodes this file. I have no idea whether these updates actually read the resources, though.