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

[Alex_NZ]

HI.

I bought this HDD 3 weeks ago, tested for BAD sector and long test of Seatool. Then I updated for latest firmware and copied all data from old HDD.

Yesterday it started disconnecting then I found in S.M.A.R.T. 10k bad blocks pending.

I realize it was dying and started coping the data. It was too slow and 20% of files were damaged, and I didn't have same of capacity HDD to copy. After few times trying reboot and copy...now it can't be detected in all programs at all!! (seatools, acronis, windows and so on even though I tried to use EXT USB 2.0 and different PC). I had 10 years of my work and now I am SO PISED OFF of Seagate quality!!! I'm IT technician and know what to do but this case killed me completely!!

It so much value information on it and seems it has gone.

I can't accept it!

Any ideas? 

BTW 2 different PC with SATA 2 and SATA 3 70% can't even detect in a BIOS and also if drive is connected it slows down system completely. Can't see, can't fix, and can’t detect volumes- so upset!

Haven't slept since this problem began... 40 hours already.

Hate it.

[Hammey]

Hi I am sorry to hear about your problem But. You’re an IT technician why did you not have a back up of your files 10 years of stuff on one hard drive you have to admit anyone doing that is just asking for trouble. As for well it was a new drive it makes no difference new stuff fails also and not only Seagate all other drives do also. Maybe someone returned that drive after dropping it and they recertified the drive and put it out for sale again this happens. Either way I hope you can retrieve your data your only choice really is to return the drive or get a data recovery company to get the info from the drive. There are some free tools to try to recover your data I never had much luck with them though.

[Alex_NZ]

The thing is I know how to recover data but I have never seen such a hopeless case when many bad blocks appear and the controller dies in same time. Usually happen a controller gets faulty (can use another from similar model) or bad block appeared but not like this case became unreadable and unrecognisable at all.

I know my bad, handling many times recovering for clients and I never thought it can be once and for all.

I copied recently from old HDD which I wiped after one week testing, and haven't done backups, even prepare space for it.

Another thing is the HDD is doing something by its self, even being disconnected from SATA or USB, and every next time became worse and worse to see data or drive detection.

I have tried nearly every thing, wanted to copy raw data to different HDD but if this HDD is connected with another one, they stuck.

tried software for recover, disk copy and fix, mostly of them even cant see the disk (EASEUS, Acronis, PTDD, GetBackData and more)

[fzabkar]

If the drive spins up, then the PCB is most likely OK. What is most probably happening is that the drive is having difficulty accessing the hidden System Area on the platters. That's where the bulk of the firmware is stored. I'm not a data recovery professional, but ISTM that one or more heads may be weak, or there may be a media problem.

It won't give you access to your data, but you could connect to the drive via its serial terminal interface and obtain a diagnostic report. I wouldn't send any commands to the drive via this interface, though.