Seagate ST3160023A Hyperterminal Locks Up

Hello

This post is in regards to the following hard drive:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 (PATA)
160 Gbytes
Model: ST3160023A
P/N: 9W2084-399
HDA P/N: 100348955
Config: CXT-01
Firmware: 8.01
Date Code: 06115
Site Code WU

This drive was master in a computer. A couple weeks ago I came across the message the the file "HAL.DLL" was missing. When reboot into safe mode the system stopped at MUP.SYS. Any further attempts to reboot had the message that the operating system could not be found.

The drive is not recognized in the BIOS (tried 3 computers). I have a boot disc (a hybrid of a Hirens boot disc) and am not able to see/access the drive at all.

During the initial boot ups, the drive spun up/remained spun up but made no noises, but after the second boot up the drive developed the "click of death," and then I realized after a period of time the drive was spinning down. I've found that it now always makes a series of clicks, then the motor shuts down (about 30-45 seconds).

While researching the problem I came across references to using Hyperterminal to access Seagate drives. So, after getting the materials together (the serial connector w/chip was the hardest part to get) I made a working rig that allows me communication with the drive (well, sort of..see below).

Also as part of the reading, I learned about using a business card/piece of paper to isolate the PCB out of the circuit.

So with all of that explanation of where I am now, when I start the hard drive connected to Hyperterminal and the PCB isolated with paper I get this in Hyperterminal:

Interface task reset
4096k x 16 buffer detected
ALPINE - 1_Disk M-21 11-25-03 18:53

Buzz - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head
Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF -
Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask F
FFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head M
ask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - H
ead Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFF
F - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mas
k FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Hea
d Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF
- Head Mask FFFF - Head Mask FFFF - Error Reading Reserve Track Defect List

F>

And at this point the drive motor powers down and Hyperterminal becomes unresponsive...I can't get anything to type in it.


If I start the hard drive without the paper isolating the PCB I get the same message above. The only difference is that at every "Head Mask FFF" entry the drive clicks. Actually, when the paper is isolating the PCB, it sounds like the motor speed is changing slightly but it could be my imagination (but no clicks).


So, with the above information I wanted to ask some advice here since so many of you are much smarter than I am on this stuff.

Just so everyone knows ahead....none of the data on this drive is of earthshaking importance....I've probably spent more time messing with all this than it would for me to pull/recreate the data from other drives. So you might ask why am I still messing with it? Basically I've become very interested in learning some more about all this. Right now my biggest frustration is finding somewhere on the internet that references all the commands and replies that are accessible in Hyperterminal for Seagate....actually, the fact that you can do this with Hyperterminal is probably about the funnest things I've learned in a long time! That's why I hope that someone can help me out a bit here.

Ok, so I'm lucky with this particular hard drive because it just so happens that when I bought this Seagate drive (years ago), I bought an exact same model at the same time....so I have a donor drive that I can use for testing/possibly fixing. (I don't mind pulling everything off the good drive)...this is another reason I've been interested enough to try to fix this drive...again, a learning experience.
For troubleshooting I already swapped the PCB's and the problem remained with the bad drive (I then swapped the PCB's back to their original drives and the good drive is still good so I didn't blow the PCB).

Now just a comment....again, I'm not a data recovery expert like all of you, but I've messed around as a "simpleton" with messed up hard drives in the past..i.e., "What's that? Your drive crashed? Can I have it to see if I can get anything off of it?" Sometimes I've been successful and sometimes not. I've even changed heads on three different drives at times in the past (all single platter) and was successful in 2 out of those 3 tries. Yea me! I actually work in computer support but where I work we don't do anything like this, so it's nice to get to do some hands on experience with something new.

Sorry for the long post everyone. Thank you greatly for any advice. I think at this point I'm probably heading towards a head swap with the good drive I have but your inputs will help.
Also, if anyone knows of an on-line location of those Hyperterminal commands (meaning F>Z, F>U, and so forth) I'd really like to read about them...right now I feel about like I'm trying to learn DOS with no manual or instructions at all and I don't want to do something that will make things worse....of course, since I can't use any commands since the drive spins down as it is I think I'm safe)

I had someone in a different forum point me to a listing of the commands so thanks for that....of course they read like bicycle instructions so this might take awhile to figure out what they mean. Bad part is they don't really notate what the output readings really mean so that's further research for me to dig into.
Ah well, a piece at a time...

If anyone else can help troubleshooting in this forum thanks in advance!

Head issue if you have Donor Change Heads this is not DIY job if Data is not valuable then do Experiment if Data is worth for you send it to DR. Pro .

Yeah, I'm thinking a head change is the direction I have to go...was just double checking on here to see if anyone had any other troubleshooting ideas.
..I don't see why you regard a simple head change as needing a DR pro though...as mentioned I've done it on three crashed drives with a two thirds success, and at one time in the past I had access to some good (identical) drives that I practiced swapping on and probably had about a 95% success rate. Seemed like a pretty simple physical act as long as you take your time.

Thanks for the input! And greetings to Dubai...I've been there...nice place but too hot!

Give up your dead end boring as hell "computer support" job and start up a data recovery business hell everyone else has!

_________________
All went well until I plugged the drive in.

It's hard to tell from a text only reply whether I'm being joked to, or insulted...so I'll take this opportunity to take the higher ground and say "nice joke."

In all due seriousness though, I do understand that DR can be a complicated (and expensive equipment/software) business so kudos to those who do it.
However, bigger kudos to those "backyard mechanics" out there who figure out solutions at 1/1000 the cost sometimes...

Anyways,...back to the regularly scheduled program.

BTW Guru...just adding this edit to this post. I never said my job was dead end boring as hell...I actually like helping the people I support...yes, I find my job enjoyable because I make things better for them. I guess that's wrong?

Out of curiosity, where the idea of the paper on PCB came from and what was the overall idea ?

??? I got that idea from you guys and other forums posting about the BSY error on the 7200.11 Seagate drives. If you search on this forum for those keywords you'll probably find some different posts.
As far as the overall idea....I'll probably put this wrong so someone else here can help, but the way I've been reading it, there's one of two things the paper does (or maybe both)....it either takes one link out of the chain for troubleshooting purposes (instead of receiving information from the drive as interpreted by the PCB you receive it directly from the drive) "or" it allows you to communicate directly with the drive for issuing changes/commands.
I think that once you pull the paper (drive still hot) and the PCB makes contact, enables the PCB to then see/adapt to the changes made... ? I think...

I had seen where someone had done the same direct hyperterminal connection with a 7200.7 (different baud rate) without blowing it up (and actually the person was able to fix their drive also)...figured I'd give it a try. Right now I have a different Seagate drive (200Gbyte) that I'm playing with to see what does what (and trying to not make things worse). Fun stuff!

Maybe someone smarter can help with the theory.

VIP is was being serious ! Nothing wrong with helping people, that is what data recovery pro's do ALL DAY :O)


It's a shame that you thought it was a joke or even worse an insult :O(

_________________
All went well until I plugged the drive in.

My apologies to you guru...as I said, it's hard to sometimes tell the intent of text. I didn't mean to insult you in return. You did make it seem like I had a pretty terrible job though...

I do have partially good news however. The 200Gbyte drive I was messing with in hyperterminal has come back to life.
I wasn't even sure what was on this drive as it had crashed some years back. The symptom it had was "weak" click of death...meaning it would do a soft click and then a little "zwip" noise and it wouldn't show up in the BIOS at all. I'm not sure what I did...I was experimenting with some of the commands that looked "less dangerous" just to see what status they would report (I have a duplicate good drive that's the same that I was going to compare the reading with). At one point I spun the motor down with the "Z" command, then spun it back up with the "U" command....the drive reported "Head Mask FFFF" a number of times then "Error Reading Reserve Track Defect List" and the F> prompt. But at this point I couldn't get any response from the drive....pulled the paper from under the PCB and restarted the drive a couple times and had the same readout. Figured I had bricked it completely. Tried it on a USB converter cable with no results. So, figured I'd start up on a boot CD (actually was going to try MHDD for the first time) with the drive on an IDE cable instead. By the time I got the disc in the system it had already gotten past that point and showed "NTLDR is missing." I was surprised and brought up the BOIS and it's showing now. So...different boot CD and I'm able to access the drive and it's contents.

The funny thing is....now that I see what's on this 200Gbyte drive...it's nothing I need. The drive was actually a back-up drive to a computer system so obviously when it crashed I still had everything on the original drive and set-up a new back up drive. But hey, it's one small victory.

Now,...if ONLY the 160Gbyte drive that is the original subject of this post would come back up like this. Strange how a click of death can have so many solutions...with one it appears programing brought it back enough to recover....while another with a click of death will probably need a head swap.


That reminds me to ask....in regards to the 160Gbyte drive...why is the motor spinning down? Is this a reaction from the drive firmware to prevent further damage? Or the heads sticking to the platter and stopping it, or a weak motor? It's strange that the readout in Hyperterminal doesn't distinguish.

Anyways...on to the 160 in a couple days when I have time for it. In the meantime I might try to do some comparisons on the two 200Gbyte drives and see if I can see any major differences between the one that was crashed and the other one that's always been ok.

Thanks to any comments.

The click is the heads hitting the limiter as it can't find/read the service area. Could be a corrupt SA, media damage, dead preamp, head crash, PCB issue...it could a number of things. The trick is in the correct diagnosis. If you don't know where the problem lies then there's know way to fix it until you've established this.

_________________
Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.
Data Recovery Cape Town

I know your original post was back in 2011 but I am having the same problem with the same model HDD. What was the final fix on your HDD?

It would be a miracle if the OP was anywhere near this forum still. better starting a new thread listing all the things pertinent to your drive, steps you have already taken etc.