Hello!

I am having problems with WD (My books and passport). Mostly i can clone all HDD surface (or almost all) but when i try to mount the drive i can`t. I ve tried in windows, mac linux... information is not accesible (hdd is blocked), even in raw. I think maybe part of the encryption system is broken. Did someone has this problem before, and have a solution or an idea ?. It is really annoying this encryption system.

Best regards,

F.

How does hex look? Scrambled data?

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Hello Northwind, thanks for your answer!


I cannot even explore the hdd using usb interface. When I plug it, the usb is detected, sometimes it mounts a unit (D:) without parameters (no size or 0 bytes). If I use an hex editor and try to open HDD unit gives me an read error (sometimes permision denied). If i plug the clone of the patient without usb, i can open disk in hex editor and look like encrytped.

It 's not always this way. Most of the time I clone patient, then i conect it with usb PCB and I recover data without problems. But, sometimes have the problem i wrote before. And I have it with 3.5 and with 2.5(usb pcb) HDDs. Seems like a corrution in encryption system, but i cannot find a way to solve it


Best regards, F

most probably password protected
need to unlock it before going to winhex

_________________
Kuwait Data Recovery - UNIX GTC
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. By: Albert Einstein

Hi F_Arg
This is because of the Initio encryption. It has been discussed in the past.

_________________
http://www.northwind.gr
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Ransomware Reverse Engineering - NoMoreRansom! partners

Thanks!

I am reading previous topics and trying to find a way.

For the record, the IC is Symewave SW6316-3VB14

Best regards!

F.

AIUI, the symwave SW6316 incorporates hardware encryption, but it offers USB 3.0 whereas the Initio chips are USB 2.0 only.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Yes, it has a encryption engine embedded. I think there are a few bad sectors in HDD and some of them are where the encryption key is. I tried the usb PCB with other encrypted HDD and worked fine. Not good luck with the one i need to recover right now.
Thanks all!

F.

what do u mean worked fine? detected?

_________________
Kuwait Data Recovery - UNIX GTC
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. By: Albert Einstein

Hello Einstein!

I mean detected and decrypted. Data access.

Best regards!

F.

F

Having a similar 'Can't Access it' (after I wrote it) issue.

Cleaned WD software off the drive before ever using but apparently this Symwave chip, in addition to USB3 to SATA II back and forth CODECing is performing Encryption/Decryption, regardless of whether you use WD's Lock/Unlock Drive software or not, on all data going to & coming from the drive itself. (according to 1st tier WD Support)

I slowly lost contact with the disc, naturally, after I was completely done archiving about 1.5 terabytes worth of files that I was trying to consolidate in the first step of a complete archive and double back-up of the whole package. Well everything xfered fine and I checked to make sure the transferred files were indeed in working order. The next step was to transfer what I had on this one drive into ordered groups on separate redundant backup HDDs.

So by the time I got to the performing the redundant backups I figured it was pretty safe to go ahead and delete all the various original sources of the data since I planned on using some of those sources to hold portions of the reorganized and better cataloged data package. I mean, ...what could go wrong in a couple of hours?!!!

At first it started taking a long time to retrieve data that I had put on the 2TB drive, then it started not being able to successfully xfer the data. Next it started to have difficulty even listing the folders on the drive, and at this point it not only can't access the drive, I get BLUE SCREENs occasionally when I try.

This 'data' that I am now kicking myself in the tush for trusting to 1 drive for even a day is personal material I've been collecting for over 8 years. Rare recordings, music videos, etc., much of which would not only take an eternity to find again but would be down right impossible to obtain anywhere.

If you have any luck with this drive issue or know a way I could retrieve my data please let me know. Data Mechanix gave me an over the phone sight unseen estimate range of ~ $500 to $2000. A price tag that might as well be $2 million right now for me.

Not an HDD guru by any stretch of the imagination but do have quite a few years of medical imaging systems electronics in my background and know the difference between 5v ripple on my PC and and 19kv gating waveform on 120kv X-Ray tube cathode. Anything in between, including how AES256 encryption works with or without Smartware on a WD MyBook Essential is just, ...well I'll look for your words of wisdom and try to follow where you or whoever in this fine upstanding group of honorable whizbangs take me.

Much thanks in advance for any good ideas (under $500!) ...oh, and that estimate was with no guarantee of getting it any usable amount of it back.

-Up Duugie Creek - Looking for a Paddle (not another scoop)

A recent blip or fleeting glimpse of salvation for additional consideration.

Removed piggyback *USB3/SATA-II I/F bd* from the drive to inspect/clean.

* this is the ~3x3" bd that houses the Symwave chip itself that does the interfacing between MyBook Essential SATA-II Drive & the Outside USB3 world. This chip (SW6316 -rev 3BV14) is also responsible for the AES256 encrypt/decrypt (Symwave chips marked with the '3BV' have this feature built in). It is mounted on a thin chrome steel mounting plate above the drive's regular 'data I/F & spin regulation electronics' bd. (Almost certainly not the correct nomenclature but that's my best shot at a descriptive term for it)

Anyhow, it did seem like the pressure fitted ground landings/pads had quite a bit of oxidation so I cleaned lightly with an pencil eraser. And since they look like they spent at least a little time in exposed to oxidization conducive environment, I removed both boards and cleaned the 16pin data I/F pressure landings and 4 disk motor drive/regulation landings on the Disc I/F Bd too. All these 'landings' I talking about are pressure contact pads which might have also been somewhat oxi-compromised if similarly exposed.

Put everything back together, plugged it in and Whaa-La all worked according to the master plan of the universe! ...initially. Was able to access folders previously inaccessible and actually xfered about 7Gs of data on to another HDD while the gettin' was good. Unfortunately ...in the middle of the transfer I got an error msg saying the file which it had initially read when setting up the copy was no longer there. And soon I was back to where I started ...except nop blue screens anymore.

I've also tried doing a (chkdsk G: /F) but checkdisk says it does not support checking a 'RAW' drive. So that's pretty much where I started minus the blue-screens. Although now PC is at least listing a few of the folders and indicates it sees data in them but many folders which I know have many Gigs worth of data are listed as being empty. And, even though the PC/explorer says it sees data, if I trying copying ...it cant find any of the files it initially indexed/inventoried.

I'm hoping this all sounds 'familiar' to someone who knows that all I have to do is something like ...make sure 'virtual mouse pad' program is running in services, click my heels and repeat "There's no place like 127.0.0.1. There's no place li..." And all will be as it was when I left Kansas.

TIA All Yee Hard Drive Dudes ...and Dudettes for the Word.

-DrRex



Oh and FYI - The internal SATA-II drive for this MyBook Essential is a WD20EARS -64MB cache 2TB Caviar Green.
And based on this experience I will never buy an off the shelf External Storage Item again. But instead, buy only WD Caviar 'Black' (Enterprise QC) ...or Equivalent Non-Encrypted Drive PLUS off the shelf External drive enclosures with high data xfer rate I/F chips ...and build my own Xternal Storage units like I did b4 getting lazy.

Who knew? (I know ...everybody but me!) about little things like the fact that even if you don't use Drive Lock Password Activated Encrypt/Decrypt there is still AES256 encrypt/decrypt going on by default, on the fly, with every packet xfer to and from these My f*(^!! Book Data Gobbling Storage Mazes.

Who knew!!!