Have Maxtor 120 gig drive that gave that is showing in Bios as Maxtor LEO. Is there any way to recover the data from this drive short of spending hundreds of dollars at a service? I have gigs of video of my daughter on the drive but I am unemployed and cannot afford the service.
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9
120 gig/150 HDD
Code:YAR51BMO

Sorry to say, but you need pro help on this one.

In the absence of clicking (not mentioned) it's almost certainly a firmware problem which requires specialist tools to work with, such as PC3000.

If it is a relatively simple FW fix (such as full/corrupt g-list or bad smart) then it should be pretty cheap to get fixed.

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Now that you mentioned it it did do some clicking right before it went "LEO" now nothing although the HD light burns constantly.

Could be a head problem also then, again pro help is definitely required in this case.

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Sorry pcimage but i disagree on this one.

If the drive wich have YAR... FW and appears as the factory alias, much more likely head problem.
In this fw version i have never seen G overflow-based any curruption or bug.
If this drive can't init in SA-A or in SA-C this is 95% for head problem.
Anyway, only special laboratory can solve this problem, and not the low-end dara recovery companies.

Coachj,

I a have a lot of experience on maxtor drives, i am quite sure i can help you if you want.
I am at Europe but if you decide you send the drive in my lab, i have the needed equipments and knowledge to solve your problem.
The price is another question, but i think if we want, we can find a way....
Please don't let the drive for clicking more, because it will destroy your chance soon!

Janos

I had a LEO only last week which I very much thought was bad heads, but turned out to be bad g-list and smart.

But now that clicking is mentioned then bad heads are 99% certainly the culprit!

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Bad G and Smart (or other broken modules) will eliminate the initialise the actual SA and the drive will fall to the SA-C. (or gets error-exit: .....Z)
And in SA-C the drive can't be used so the modules should be good.
Or you have other opinion?

Janos

I'm just saying what I found to fix this particular case, can't exactly remember if it showed factory alias in BIOS or not, just that it couldn't access any LBA's at all.

Once the g-list and smart were fixed, the drive imaged 99.99% Ok and full data recovered.

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Yes, this must be different case.

Presumably so!

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Coachj, are you trying to fool us all?
Maxtor Leo is very old DSP family
But Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 Code:YAR51BMO is Maxtor Calipso Ardent family
If it exactly how you described that would mean somebody have changed PCB on your Calipso with Leo one. No wonder drive clicks now

If you can see letters DSP on the biggest chip on PCB and you positive your drive is DiamondMax Plus 9 then PCB is not original

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There is the point!

This was strange for me too, but i never had drive in my hands with BMO ending FW version.
Anyway, LEO is factory alias and in my experience it is some years BEFORE any diamond max 8/9.
Additionally the shape is similar so anybody can swap the 2 board in LEO and CALYPSO hdd.

Janos

This explains the confusion, I didn't read the DM+9 bit

Just quickly read the "Leo" bit and assumed the rest to be correct, schoolboy error!

Too much Christmas "spirit" last night methinks!

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Now I feel stupid, like someone said too much of a good thing.
I have had two HD failures in the last 10 days or so.
I got the error message mixed up with the wrong drive,
here are the specs from the LEO drive:
MAXTOR
model; 98196H8
HDA;O8A
PCBA;O4A
UNIQUE;32A
CODE; ZAH814YO
PN;204529-001
CT;2396C01ONKD

Sorry

Congrats
If it clicks then you have eight-headed-PITA with dead rare heads (with a small chance of dead PCB)
May be fixed by a pro (maybe)

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That explains why I pointed it, my Christmas is only on the way

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