Barracuda XT, Barracuda, Barracuda Green, DiamondMax and other desktop SATA and IDE drives

[majinbuu]

Am I the only one who finds the mass email sent out by Seagate to be a bit condescending. Here is the email I received.

Thank you for contacting Seagate Support.

 A firmware issue has been identified that affects a small  number of Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive models  which may result in data becoming inaccessible after a power-off/on operation.  The affected products are Barracuda 7200.11, Barracuda ES.2 SATA, and DiamondMax 22.
Based on the low risk as determined by an analysis of actual field return data, Seagate believes that the affected drives can be used as is.
However, as part of our commitment to customer satisfaction, Seagate is offering a free firmware upgrade.

Please follow this link
(http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=207931)
to enter the Knowledge Base article(s) detailing the steps to update your drive.

 In the unlikely event your drive is affected and you cannot access your data, the data still resides on the drive and there is no data loss associated with this issue. If your drive is no longer accessible, contact us directly for further assistance at http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/about/contact_us/.

NOTE:  If you have contacted Seagate Support regarding a separate issue or about another product, please visit http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/about/contact_us/ to submit an email.
Thank you.

Seagate Support

There are a few things that stick out here:

 A firmware issue has been identified that affects a small  number of Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive models  which may result in data becoming inaccessible after a power-off/on operation.  The affected products are Barracuda 7200.11, Barracuda ES.2 SATA, and DiamondMax 22.

        - Aren't all 7200.11 with firmware SD15 to SD19 affected, if so that is no small number.

Based on the low risk as determined by an analysis of actual field return data, Seagate believes that the affected drives can be used as is.
However, as part of our commitment to customer satisfaction, Seagate is offering a free firmware upgrade.

       - Based on the number of people who have had their drive bricked by the defective firmware, I don't believe the drives can be used as is with any measure of confidence.

I don't know if I am just nitpicking, but Seagate could at least own up to their mistake and not try to minimise it and make it look like a non issue when a lot people are affected by this. If they came out and said "yes we stuffed up" and were completely open about what was going on during this weeks long debacle there would be no where near as much dislike toward seagate right now. But even now they are still trying to say there is no real problem.

Message Edited by majinbuu on 01-25-2009 02:39 PM

Message Edited by majinbuu on 01-25-2009 03:21 PM

[Karlston]

---

majinbuu wrote:

There are a few things that stick out here:

 A firmware issue has been identified that affects a small  number of Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive models  which may result in data becoming inaccessible after a power-off/on operation.  The affected products are Barracuda 7200.11, Barracuda ES.2 SATA, and DiamondMax 22.

        - Aren't all 7200.11 with firmware SD15 to SD19 affected, if so that is no small number.

Based on the low risk as determined by an analysis of actual field return data, Seagate believes that the affected drives can be used as is.
However, as part of our commitment to customer satisfaction, Seagate is offering a free firmware upgrade.

       - Based on the number of people who have had their drive bricked by the defective firmware, I don't believe the drives can be used as is with any measure of confidence.

I don't know if I am just nitpicking, but Seagate could at least own up to their mistake and not try to minimise it and make it look like a non issue when a lot people are affected by this. If they came out and said "yes we stuffed up" and were completely open about what was going on during this weeks long debacle there would be no where near as much dislike toward seagate right now. But even now they are still trying to say there is no real problem.

Message Edited by majinbuu on 01-25-2009 02:39 PM

Message Edited by majinbuu on 01-25-2009 03:21 PM

---

Yes, apparently all SD15 drives are affected. Early reports from some part sellers were that 30 to 40% were being RMA'd.  Factor in the ones that failed that weren't RMA'd, and the percentage increases.

30 to 40%+ is not "a small number".

Nor would Seagate have mounted the enormous damage control they have, if it was a minor issue.

Nor would Seagate have started releasing firmware publicly if it was a minor issue...

NOR WOULD SEAGATE HAVE HEAVILY CENSORED THIS POST, REMOVING LINKS THAT WOULD HAVE EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED, AND HOW THEY REACTED, IF IT WAS A MINOR ISSUE...

THANKS SEAGATE! AN 800+ SEAGATE DRIVE ORDER WIL BE REVIEWED AS SOON AS I GET TO WORK THIS MORNING! :-(

Message Edited by Karlston on 01-27-2009 06:39 AM

Message Edited by Karlston on 01-27-2009 06:40 AM

(edited to comply with rules)

Message Edited by AlanM on 01-26-2009 12:41 PM

Message Edited by Karlston on 01-27-2009 07:20 AM

[enrolb]

I can't believe Seagate.. They closed my case on a BIOS boot issue with a ST31000340AS drive after a week with one

email notice stating the following.  What I wanted to know was who and where, I send my drive to get the data recovered as

I had heard Seagate was offering the service.  So I needed prices and guarantees.

This is pathetic!!  I have spend hours waiting on the phone also..

Thank you for contacting Seagate Support.

 

 A firmware issue has been identified that affects a small  number of Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive models  which may result in data becoming inaccessible after a power-off/on operation.  The affected products are Barracuda 7200.11, Barracuda ES.2 SATA, and DiamondMax 22.

Based on the low risk as determined by an analysis of actual field return data, Seagate believes that the affected drives can be used as is.

However, as part of our commitment to customer satisfaction, Seagate is offering a free firmware upgrade.

 

Please follow this link

(http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=207931)

to enter the Knowledge Base article(s) detailing the steps to update your drive.

 

 In the unlikely event your drive is affected and you cannot access your data, the data still resides on the drive and there is no data loss associated with this issue. If your drive is no longer accessible, contact us directly for further assistance at http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/about/contact_us/.

 

NOTE:  If you have contacted Seagate Support regarding a separate issue or about another product, please visit http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/about/contact_us/ to submit an email.

Thank you.

[Russ44]

You're all absolutely right about that email, after all that has happened, it's a real slap in the face.

I love how they say: "However, as part of our commitment to customer satisfaction, Seagate is offering a free firmware upgrade."

Wow. And here I was, somehow convinced that I would have to pay for the firmware that prevents my drive from bricking a few weeks after buying it...

Silly me. My golly gosh I am such a satisfied customer, all thanks to free firmware

/sarcasm.

As a few have said, it's quite odd how they've called this new firmware the same 'version' as an an older firmware, meaning there is an old, and a new firmware with the exact same name.... Puzzling.

So, to all those who are having any issues since upgrading to the new firmware, please post your comments...

[nomoreSg]

Hi,

I wrote to Seagate E-mail asking to flash my new, not used yet HDD with new firmware. I am totally inexpereinced in HDD matters, and this is first time when I get to know new terminology. Seagate have to answer me - where I can bring my HDD so they fix it. Otherwise it will stop working after two weeks, like another same model HDD from Seagate.

(ST31000340AS, Thailand, SD15) 

I want real actions, not words and mass E-mails blaming customers on defect Seagate products.

1) Recover my data from defect HDD (after 2 weeks of usage),

2) flash new HDD, so it will not break after 2 weeks.

Thank you!

[nerdtalker]

To Seagate's credit, they've released the firmware upgrade. Granted, it took 3 weeks of deleted forum threads, hundreds of 1-star reviews on Amazon and Newegg, a new CEO, a botched firmware upgrade, emails, support tickets, dedicated forum members, and arguments to get there...

After this fiasco, I sadly will never be purchasing Seagate ever again. I'm sorry. I've lost reputation over lost data, lost time, and lost money from this fiasco. The whole point of buying a $50 price premium ES.2 "server class" enterprise drive over a 7200.11 is that it's supposed to be just that; server class. I shouldn't need to spend hours doing firmware upgrades on drives in headless machines, drives in enclosures, and drives in places I can't easily get to. This is why internal testing, nay, rigorous internal testing, is key. Something Seagate obviously lacks considering how they bricked 500 GB 7200.11s with the first firmware goaround. 

You had the best product lineup in history, the cheapest storage in history, and you were constantly on the leading edge in terms of capacity and speed. Then, you blew it. Ironically, your competitors just launched their 2TB offering today. Guess what I'm replacing all your 1 TB ES.2s with. It's been great guys, but I'm done.

Edit this post into oblivion.

[2centsworth]

I own a small IT company, and this fiasco has me seriously considering to part ways with Seagate products. While the business I bring Seagate is small compared to most OEM system builders, I ONLY use seagate drives right up until this week. 

Now that I have spent several days at my considerable personal expense updating harddrive firmware in my important customers RAID arrays, NUMEROUS billing hours I have to eat myself at a time I cannot afford such expenses....I am carefully considering switching to WD. The reduction of the warranty down to 3 years by Seagate, combined with fiasco's like this one, make it a difficult business decision to stay with Seagate drives.

Seagate has cost me a small fortune in lost billing. If I ran my business like Seagate, I would be out of business by now. Add to that the way Seagate has treated those of us who contacted them with this situation long ago, their denials at first, then distributing untested firmware that rendered drives inoperable.....deleting and editing customer postings in this thread further serves to show just how poorley Seagate handled this situation from the beginning.

YOU LOST A VALUABLE CUSTOMER TODAY SEAGATE.

Message Edited by 2centsworth on 01-28-2009 12:29 AM

[Edited in compliance of the community rules and regulations.]

Message Edited by BradC on 01-28-2009 07:51 AM

Message Edited by 2centsworth on 01-28-2009 10:45 AM

Message Edited by 2centsworth on 01-28-2009 10:48 AM

[Russ44]

Just wondering with how most people are moving to or contemplating moving to WD, anyone know of anything wrong with Samsung drives?

[Edited in compliance of the community rules and regulations.]

Message Edited by BradC on 01-28-2009 07:51 AM

[jackSparrow]

It's been more then 3 weeks i am waiting for an update for maxtor.. But sorry to say.. How can i update my drive once its bricked and still i don't know what to do? I need my data back. How long will i have to wait.. I opened two cases, you know what seagate has done? THEY JUST CLOSED MY CASE WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE, what a service they are providing to their customers.. Congrats tech team for your efforts.. Won't be getting drives from them now. Not at all.

[victord66]

I see yet another post has been deleted.   Hmmmmm.......

Now as the dust is settling, I find myself in the market for a new large capacity drive for my pc, something in the 1.5 - 2TB range.

Tell me Seagate why I should consider your product over WD ??