Maxtor hdd crash (track 0 corruption ?)

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

3 days before my system unexpectedly restated and HDD refused to pass
the POST test (Bios detects the HDD name but not the exact name which
was detected before the crash).it just says ***** Hard Disk Fail !
(press F1 to contiune).
i tried everything , changnig the HDD master/slave,primary/secondary.
i even found another same HDD and chanded my HDD's PCB with the other
good one ,with no luck.
showing the HDD to the repair shops around they told me that maxtor
HDD's (my HDD is a Maxtor Diamond Plus 8 40GB) stores even it's size
and serail number on the first track of tghe hdd. (some quality hdd's
use flash roms) and my problem is that track is got broken. hdd is not
recognised by windows nor Fdisk nor PowerQuest's Partiotion Magic. i
didn't tried PowerMax or Diskpatch cause they need a floppy drive which
currently i didn't have .
if repair shop's guesses was correct is there any hope of fixing the
HDD by DIY ways ?

looking forward to your help.
thanks you in advance

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

with thanks for your reply ,
i did tried DiskPatch and GetDataBack they also didn't detected the
Drive.
Still couldn't try the PowerMax -which i hope the most- because it
needs to write at floppy drive at B and this damn thing i've have as a
floppy Drive only detects at B:
i was being asked for atleast $300 for the recovery fee (recovery in my
terriority is cheaper) but this is also too much for me.
putting my ear really near the HDD when powering it up, i could hear a
sound which is very like the head seeking sound (these are really a
damn quiet HDD's) so if the head is seeking and disk are rotaiting and
board is OK there should be a way of lowlevel talking with the HDD
making it able to write at the LBA track 0 'HDD idenetification info'
(which should be the way producer company -Maxtor- programs that track
on a fresh unit)?
don't tell me it is impossible to write at this track with its current
board
i'm into Electronic's so designing a interface for IDE/ATA using a MCU
-preferably 8051- wouldn't take me so much time. then i use this thing
to write on the specified track then using a Data Recovery Software
i'll deal with the probably deleted FAT data and so on...
any sort of info/professional HDD electronic message board/good
websites on the web would help .
Unfortunately searching on HDD's in Google mainly lead into data
recovery companys.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

fjh <farshidjh@gmail.com> wrote:
> 3 days before my system unexpectedly restated and HDD refused to pass
> the POST test (Bios detects the HDD name but not the exact name which
> was detected before the crash).it just says ***** Hard Disk Fail !
> (press F1 to contiune).
> i tried everything , changnig the HDD master/slave,primary/secondary.
> i even found another same HDD and chanded my HDD's PCB with the other
> good one ,with no luck.
> showing the HDD to the repair shops around they told me that maxtor
> HDD's (my HDD is a Maxtor Diamond Plus 8 40GB) stores even it's size
> and serail number on the first track of tghe hdd. (some quality hdd's
> use flash roms) and my problem is that track is got broken. hdd is not
> recognised by windows nor Fdisk nor PowerQuest's Partiotion Magic. i
> didn't tried PowerMax or Diskpatch cause they need a floppy drive
> which currently i didn't have .

> if repair shop's guesses was correct

Its not a guess, its a fact.

> is there any hope of fixing the HDD by DIY ways ?

Nope.

She's dead, Jim. You into necrophilia ?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Previously fjh <farshidjh@gmail.com> wrote:
> 3 days before my system unexpectedly restated and HDD refused to pass
> the POST test (Bios detects the HDD name but not the exact name which
> was detected before the crash).it just says ***** Hard Disk Fail !
> (press F1 to contiune).
> i tried everything , changnig the HDD master/slave,primary/secondary.
> i even found another same HDD and chanded my HDD's PCB with the other
> good one ,with no luck.
> showing the HDD to the repair shops around they told me that maxtor
> HDD's (my HDD is a Maxtor Diamond Plus 8 40GB) stores even it's size
> and serail number on the first track of tghe hdd. (some quality hdd's
> use flash roms) and my problem is that track is got broken. hdd is not
> recognised by windows nor Fdisk nor PowerQuest's Partiotion Magic. i
> didn't tried PowerMax or Diskpatch cause they need a floppy drive which
> currently i didn't have .
> if repair shop's guesses was correct is there any hope of fixing the
> HDD by DIY ways ?

No.

Arno

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Previously fjh <farshidjh@gmail.com> wrote:
> with thanks for your reply ,
> i did tried DiskPatch and GetDataBack they also didn't detected the
> Drive.
> Still couldn't try the PowerMax -which i hope the most- because it
> needs to write at floppy drive at B and this damn thing i've have as a
> floppy Drive only detects at B:
> i was being asked for atleast $300 for the recovery fee (recovery in my
> terriority is cheaper) but this is also too much for me.
> putting my ear really near the HDD when powering it up, i could hear a
> sound which is very like the head seeking sound (these are really a
> damn quiet HDD's) so if the head is seeking and disk are rotaiting and
> board is OK there should be a way of lowlevel talking with the HDD
> making it able to write at the LBA track 0 'HDD idenetification info'
> (which should be the way producer company -Maxtor- programs that track
> on a fresh unit)?
> don't tell me it is impossible to write at this track with its current
> board
> i'm into Electronic's so designing a interface for IDE/ATA using a MCU
> -preferably 8051- wouldn't take me so much time. then i use this thing
> to write on the specified track then using a Data Recovery Software
> i'll deal with the probably deleted FAT data and so on...
> any sort of info/professional HDD electronic message board/good
> websites on the web would help .
> Unfortunately searching on HDD's in Google mainly lead into data
> recovery companys.

What makes you think that rewriting track0 will fix the problem?
It went bad for a resson. If it is surface problems, mechanical
or head problems, a rewrite will not make the problem go away.
Also you do not know what to actually write to that track,
like e.g. the known defect list.

Don't waste your time.

Arno

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

ROTFLOL!

"fjh" <farshidjh@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1127218010.551568.74940@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com
> with thanks for your reply ,
> i did tried DiskPatch and GetDataBack they also didn't detected the
> Drive.
> Still couldn't try the PowerMax -which i hope the most- because it
> needs to write at floppy drive at B and this damn thing i've have as a
> floppy Drive only detects at B:
> i was being asked for atleast $300 for the recovery fee (recovery in my
> terriority is cheaper) but this is also too much for me.
> putting my ear really near the HDD when powering it up, i could hear a
> sound which is very like the head seeking sound (these are really a
> damn quiet HDD's) so if the head is seeking and disk are rotaiting and
> board is OK there should be a way of lowlevel talking with the HDD
> making it able to write at the LBA track 0 'HDD idenetification info'
> (which should be the way producer company -Maxtor- programs that track
> on a fresh unit)?
> don't tell me it is impossible to write at this track with its current
> board
> i'm into Electronic's so designing a interface for IDE/ATA using a MCU
> -preferably 8051- wouldn't take me so much time. then i use this thing
> to write on the specified track then using a Data Recovery Software
> i'll deal with the probably deleted FAT data and so on...
> any sort of info/professional HDD electronic message board/good
> websites on the web would help .
> Unfortunately searching on HDD's in Google mainly lead into data
> recovery companys.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

> Can't understand that bit, try rephrasing it.

'PowerMax ' is one of the maxtor's utility which does some test on
their HDD's ,after downloading from their website it runs on a windows
platform to make a bootable Disk which will contain the diagnostic
program.so my FDD -which is not alright- is not configured to Drive
name A: and this utility persis on writing the Floppy drives only at A:
..

> That isnt necessarily done with the electronics you have on the drive tho.

if so ,their dealers should be able to do 'reprogramming' it for me ?


> That assumes that the data on that track has just gone away and that
> you can replace it. That isnt the only possibility, and in fact isnt very
> likely.

I am wishing not to be in such situation.

thanks or your reply.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

fjh <farshidjh@gmail.com> wrote:

> with thanks for your reply ,
> i did tried DiskPatch and GetDataBack they also didn't detected the Drive.

> Still couldn't try the PowerMax -which i hope the most-
> because it needs to write at floppy drive at B and this
> damn thing i've have as a floppy Drive only detects at B:

Can't understand that bit, try rephrasing it.

> i was being asked for atleast $300 for the recovery fee (recovery
> in my terriority is cheaper) but this is also too much for me.

OK.

> putting my ear really near the HDD when powering it up, i could hear
> a sound which is very like the head seeking sound (these are really a
> damn quiet HDD's) so if the head is seeking and disk are rotaiting and
> board is OK there should be a way of lowlevel talking with the HDD
> making it able to write at the LBA track 0 'HDD idenetification info'

Not necessarily. It may still be there, but just not readable
anymore, because of a failure in the electronics.

> (which should be the way producer company
> -Maxtor- programs that track on a fresh unit)?

That isnt necessarily done with the electronics you have on the drive tho.

> don't tell me it is impossible to write at this track with its current board
>

> i'm into Electronic's so designing a interface for IDE/ATA using
> a MCU -preferably 8051- wouldn't take me so much time.

Wont help if say the head preamp inside the sealed chamber has died.

> then i use this thing to write on the specified
> track then using a Data Recovery Software

That assumes that the data on that track has just gone away and that
you can replace it. That isnt the only possibility, and in fact isnt very
likely.

> i'll deal with the probably deleted FAT data and so on...
> any sort of info/professional HDD electronic message
> board/good websites on the web would help .

I havent noticed any that would be any help in
that area, but then I havent looked for them either.

> Unfortunately searching on HDD's in Google
> mainly lead into data recovery companys.

Yep.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

fjh <farshidjh@gmail.com> wrote

>>> putting my ear really near the HDD when powering it up, i could hear
>>> a sound which is very like the head seeking sound (these are really a
>>> damn quiet HDD's) so if the head is seeking and disk are rotaiting and
>>> board is OK there should be a way of lowlevel talking with the HDD
>>> making it able to write at the LBA track 0 'HDD idenetification info'

>> Not necessarily. It may still be there, but just not readable
>> anymore, because of a failure in the electronics.

>>> (which should be the way producer company
>>> -Maxtor- programs that track on a fresh unit)?

>> That isnt necessarily done with the electronics you have on the drive tho.

> if so ,their dealers should be able to do 'reprogramming' it for me ?

Nope, they dont do anything like that. Even with Maxtor warranty
claims, the drive has to go back to a Maxtor factory in Singapore etc.

And I bet they dont bother to do that themselves in the factory
either, the data on that track wont just go away for no good reason.

>>> i'm into Electronic's so designing a interface for IDE/ATA using
>>> a MCU -preferably 8051- wouldn't take me so much time.

>> Wont help if say the head preamp inside the sealed chamber has died.

>>> then i use this thing to write on the specified
>>> track then using a Data Recovery Software

>> That assumes that the data on that track has just gone away and that
>> you can replace it. That isnt the only possibility, and in fact isnt very
>> likely.

> I am wishing not to be in such situation.

Welp, you are anyway.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Good news is 'PowerMax' -The Maxtor utility Software- recognises the
drive and drive passes 3 tests, it stops at reading the Partiotion data
info . i am so happy . but it states to contact the Maxtor for
repair .
i'll look carefully what testes is being passed and will report.

> > I am wishing not to be in such situation.
>Welp, you are anyway.

By situation i mean having a Defected Track0 , there is no more than 14
months from using this drive it shouldn't fail this soon.so i am
guesing something overwrited my Important Track info.it seems to me
more like a New virus?? Damn you Virus writers ,don't they just have
some usefull thing to do instead in the whole world?(by this i mean
Crakers not Hackers)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Drive passes these tests :

Power Connection : Passed
Interface Cable Connection : Passed
Master/Slave Jumper : Passes
Bios Extension Support : Passed
Partition Information : Failed
SMART Enable Function : Failed

Cosidering the log file below seems HDD thinks it has 79656 Cylinders!
(it should be 16383 according to DataSheet),What is the Landing Zone
which is defineable in the BIOS ?
Drive Refuses to pass any other 3 tests by stating "Contact the Maxtor"
other tests are :
- Quick Test (90 sec.)
- Full Test
- Burin in test

Here is the Log File generated by 'PowerMax' Utility :

MAXTOR POWERMAX LOG FILE
-------------------------
Maxtor PowerMax 4.21
Date Tested: 09/22/2005
Serial Number:
Model Number: Maxtor N40P
FirmWareRev: NAR61EAZ
Cylinders per Drive: 79656
Heads per Cylinder: 16
Max LBA: 80293332
SPT: 63
FE: S01
Installation Confirmation: FAILED
Diagnostic Code: 00001000

MAXTOR POWERMAX LOG FILE
-------------------------
Maxtor PowerMax 4.21
Date Tested: 09/22/2005
Serial Number:
Model Number: Maxtor N40P
FirmWareRev: NAR61EAZ
Cylinders per Drive: 79656
Heads per Cylinder: 16
Max LBA: 80293332
SPT: 63
FE: 000
Advanced Test Result: ABORTED

MAXTOR POWERMAX LOG FILE
-------------------------
Maxtor PowerMax 4.21
Date Tested: 09/22/2005
Serial Number:
Model Number: Maxtor N40P
FirmWareRev: NAR61EAZ
Cylinders per Drive: 79656
Heads per Cylinder: 16
Max LBA: 80293332
SPT: 63
FE: 000
Quick Test Result: ABORTED

MAXTOR POWERMAX LOG FILE
-------------------------
Maxtor PowerMax 4.21
Date Tested: 09/22/2005
Serial Number:
Model Number: Maxtor N40P
FirmWareRev: NAR61EAZ
Cylinders per Drive: 79656
Heads per Cylinder: 16
Max LBA: 80293332
SPT: 63
FE: 000
Quick Test Result: ABORTED

MAXTOR POWERMAX LOG FILE
-------------------------
Maxtor PowerMax 4.21
Date Tested: 09/22/2005
Serial Number:
Model Number: Maxtor N40P
FirmWareRev: NAR61EAZ
Cylinders per Drive: 79656
Heads per Cylinder: 16
Max LBA: 80293332
SPT: 63
FE: 000
Advanced Test Result: ABORTED

MAXTOR POWERMAX LOG FILE
-------------------------
Maxtor PowerMax 4.21
Date Tested: 09/22/2005
Serial Number:
Model Number: Maxtor N40P
FirmWareRev: NAR61EAZ
Cylinders per Drive: 79656
Heads per Cylinder: 16
Max LBA: 80293332
SPT: 63
FE: S57
Burn Test Result: FAILED
Diagnostic Code: 078610ffffffb0ffffffb4120

MAXTOR POWERMAX LOG FILE
-------------------------
Maxtor PowerMax 4.21
Date Tested: 09/22/2005
Serial Number:
Model Number: Maxtor N40P
FirmWareRev: NAR61EAZ
Cylinders per Drive: 79656
Heads per Cylinder: 16
Max LBA: 80293332
SPT: 63
FE: 000
Quick Test Result: ABORTED

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

fjh <farshidjh@gmail.com> wrote:

> Good news is 'PowerMax' -The Maxtor utility Software- recognises the
> drive and drive passes 3 tests, it stops at reading the Partiotion
> data info . i am so happy . but it states to contact the Maxtor
> for repair .
> i'll look carefully what testes is being passed and will report.
>
>>> I am wishing not to be in such situation.

>> Welp, you are anyway.

> By situation i mean having a Defected Track0 , there is no more
> than 14 months from using this drive it shouldn't fail this soon.

Some drives do anyway.

> so i am guesing something overwrited my Important Track info.

Very very unlikely indeed.

> it seems to me more like a New virus??

Dont believe it.

> Damn you Virus writers ,don't they just have some
> usefull thing to do instead in the whole world?
> (by this i mean Crakers not Hackers)

I dont believe its a virus.