Firmware Virus?

[Crashman]

Get this, I had a refurbished system come back (out of warrantee) after a year and the BIOS reported the 2.1GB Fujitsu drive as 6.4! So I tried it in another system, which also reported it as 6.4! So I tried an identicle drive that I know did not have the same problem, and IT was reported as 6.4. Now, 6.4 was the largest available size for this drive, but this is the 2.1GB version. One other think to note was that after installing the drive in the other system, I was no longer able to use the "User Defined" values, all the manual settings for user define were locked out! My question is, is there a C1H type virus out their that infects drive firmware?

<font color=blue>By now you're probably wishing you had ask more questions first!</font color=blue>

 

[jc14all]

There is only one <A HREF="http://www.virusbtn.com/resources/viruses/cih.xml" target="_new">CIH Virus</A> that I know of which is the old W95/CIH.1003. It very old and any virus scan should clean it. I think it is date activated on the 26th on the month. That is the only CIH virus that McAfee & Norton has reported to date.

<font color=purple><b>An average human brain weights aprox. 3lbs., but a thought weights a load.</font color=purple></b>

 

[r2k]

Maybe they actually CHANGED the drive to a 6.4 GB version after all?!

 

[Crashman]

No new viruses that use similar tactics to rewrite the HDD firmware? Maybe I discovered something?

<font color=blue>By now you're probably wishing you had ask more questions first!</font color=blue>

 

[jc14all]

I hope you haven't, because that would really SUCK! :frown:

<font color=purple><b>An average human brain weights aprox. 3lbs., but a thought weights a load.</font color=purple></b>

 

[Crashman]

LOL, the drives are both MPB3021AT model, which means their 2.1GB. BIOS is reading them as MPB3064AT model drives, which would be 6.4GB. They haven't been changed, it has to be a firware bug, whether caused by a virus or by some type of electrical damage.

<font color=blue>By now you're probably wishing you had ask more questions first!</font color=blue>

 

[r2k]

It just passed my mind that you can change the HD's electronic board with another one. I mean if you can find another 2.1 GB of the exact same make, model, revision, etc. you can swap the boards (the firmware is located there, right?) and see what happens...But I think that would need a thorough search.

 

[Crashman]

You know, I went through a whole truckload of systems with these drives last year, only 2 had mechanical failures, the rest of the bad drives wouldn't detect. I think I had a total of 7 or 8 bad drives from that shipment.

<font color=blue>By now you're probably wishing you had ask more questions first!</font color=blue>