FreeAgent Products

[pamscott]

Okay, so I've read more about hard drives in the last week than I ever wanted to, and hope this nightmare is almost over.

Here's my story, with my question at the end of this post...

I have a FreeAgent Desk/ Barracuda 7200.11 (yes, THAT one)... Problem starts when drive gets knocked over, no light, no spin, beeping, not recognized on PC, the usual... Took it to a data recovery place, and it got diagnosed as a "dead motor".  Due to their fees (although I was already into $400 with them), I cut them off from recovery and brought the drive home.  They were very nice, but I could see the $$$$ in my future, and decided to try my other options.

I have an identical drive, so I tried swapping boards in hopes the good one would "jump start" the dead one - and I could retrieve my data.  It didn't work, and that's when I noticed they used different firmware (found on the label).

Flash forward to finding out ALL about the firmware issues with this model, so I download the firmware utility and new firmware for my MATCHING model, burn the bootable CD, and go for it.

After booting the CD, I get a "no match" error, and the kicker is that the model number the utility sees is NOT the same as the one on my label.  I can't download firmware, because the utility thinks I'm trying to put it on the wrong model... but I'm not.

Then I see the thread on this forum about "if you have the CC firmware, you're okay" (or something like that).  Well, I DO have CC firmware, BUT why am I having the same issues as all the non-CC people, and WHY doesn't the utility recognize my model number and serial number properly.  I feel like that says I'm not in the clear - at all.

Something is SO not right.  "Yes", I wouldn't be having this problem if I'd made a backup of this disk - and actually I did, but missed a few files - so shame on me.  I can promise this has been life changing and I will NEVER make this mistake again.

Having said that, my mistake is not worth losing invaluable data if this is really an issue with Seagate firmware.

MY QUESTION: How can I get accurate info on whether my model/serial number is affected, and how can I update the firmware if necessary? HELP.  ME.  PLEASE.

P.S. Saw someone mention a firmware patch from NewEgg, but it was posted last year and I can't find it on NewEgg now.

[pamscott]

I need to add one thing, and clear up another, before someone writes back:

Adding this: I understand that I can have the same model number as a troubled model, but have one with an updated firmware.  Apparently that's what the info on the site is telling me - basically, "your CC firmware needs no further action", says that I am not affected.

My concern is that, IF I have the correct firmware, why would my system recognize the drive with a completely different model/serial combo that does not apply to me?

Clearing this up: The drive I'm running through utilities, that keeps getting the mismatched numbers, is a GOOD/working drive (so far, anyway).  It's the twin of the failed drive.  I'm trying to update the firmware in this good, twin drive, so I can swap it with the dead drive, and possibly "wake" that one up.  No, I don't know if this will work, but I'm feeling (and sounding!) very desperate.

[fzabkar]

pamscott, I'm sorry, but the prognosis is not good. :-(

Firstly, do NOT attempt to download SD series firmware onto a drive that has CC firmware. Seagate's web site states that "if your drive has CC firmware, your drive is not affected and no further action is required. Attempting to flash the firmware of a drive with CC firmware will result in rendering your drive inoperable."

Here is a real example where someone flashed CC1H retail firmware to a Seagate ST31500341AS drive which originally had SD19 retail firmware:

http://forum.hddguru.com/seagate-st31500341as-firmware-downgrade-how-t13846.html

Swapping boards will not solve your problem. In any case, the differences in the firmware do not usually come into play until the drive spins up. This is because the vast bulk of the firmware is stored on the platters, not on the circuit board. In short, if the motor were OK, a board swap would have spun up the drive, but the data may or may not have been readable. This is because there is an 8-pin serial EEPOM chip which stores drive specific calibration data that are determined at the factory. You would have needed to transplant the EEPROM chip from patient to donor.

The following article will help you identify the components.

Seagate ST31000333AS HDD from inside (Author: Artem Rubtsov):

http://hddscan.com/doc/HDD_from_inside.html

The buzzing that you are hearing was diagnosed as a seized spindle motor bearing. Replacing the motor is a major job. If, OTOH, the failure to spin up were caused by stiction, then a little percussive maintenance may have dislodged the stuck heads just enough for the motor to overcome the adhesion.

See these Wikipedia articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiction#Hard_disk_drives

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussive_maintenance

Do NOT be tempted to hit the motor. The bearing in my IBM drive became VERY noisy after I did that. :-(

[pamscott]

I understand that opening up a Seagate drive "voids the warranty" - fine, I get it - but does that mean Seagate will completely turn it's back on helping someone who's dealing with a FAILED piece of equipment? The answer is "yes!"  My tech Seagate support agent has informed me that he can no longer correspond because I voided my warranty.  

We're not talking about a fluke issue, but a MASSIVE product failure on Seagate's end.  If there were loads of viable options for Seagate to help us, countless people wouldn't be hosting their own websites and blogging about how to DIY for hard drive repairs.  Go ahead and Google it - you'll find them.  All of them way more upset off than I am.

OKAY - I don't care if you guys send me a new drive - that's why I went ahead and voided the warranty - I don't want another one of these things - BUT I was forced to do it because NO ONE will help us from Seagate.  

Maybe that's actually Seagate's plan.  Don't help anyone, then they'll be forced to pry open their drive and void their warranty. 

I wish my life worked like that.  Next time I screw something up, I'll just blame someone else and throw my hands up.  Brilliant.

[pamscott]

Thank you, fzabkar.  I didn't see your note when I ranted after yours.  I was reacting to the agent cutting me off, via my email.  I'm guessing you're a civilian, and not a rep. ??

The deal is that I don't know for sure that I even have CC firmware, since the system has given me other firmware versions in the utilities check.  It's bizarre.  I won't try to run it again, though...

At this point, I guess I will see if someone can do a motor swap for me, before this second motor dies.

This is a mess.  Lesson learned on backing up, but this Seagate issue is not acceptable.

[fzabkar]

pamscott, yes, I'm a civilian.

Unless the drive's firmware has been updated, the version should be printed on the drive's label.

The firmware reported by your system utility, after a board swap, may not reflect the drive's actual firmware. IIUC, this is because the drive knows that the board and the head/disc assembly don't match.

To be fair to Seagate, your problems are the result of mishandling. After all, you did say that you dropped your drive.

[pamscott]

Hi, again.

We can rule out the mismatched serial and model numbers being my fault, due to the fact that, in my rookie attempt at fixing this problem, I didn't actually swap PCBs... I just swapped the little circuit board on the side, and misunderstood what it was.  Yes, that's funny to people who know their way around the inside of a hard drive, but I never pretended to be that person.  I'm just someone who knows what poor customer service looks like, and is trying to help herself instead.

Also, yes, I agree that if it says CC firmware on the label, I do in fact have CC firmware.  But, since the utility software is insistent that I have some other firmware, I'm not sure what's really inside the casing at this point.

On the latter part of your message, with all due respect... yes, I did knock it over, you're right - that's my fault.  My question is, are 40% of the failed 7200.11 drives (stats online) due to people knocking their drives over from an upright position, to a side position?

If the hardware is that delicate, it should come with a pillow wrapped around it. 

Blog after blog after blog (many of those written by professional journalists) have written about the failings of this model drive.  Certainly, if there were only a few of us out there, I would quietly sulk in the corner, but that's not the case.

[pamscott]

BTW, I'm not trying to be rude to you.  I appreciate your feedback and earlier links - that's what community forums are for...

I'm just not going to feel guilty for having an accident, when I think there has been a faulty product distributed by Seagate.  The web is full of intelligent people experiencing critical drive failures like mine - all the same model, and many of them feeling like no one at Seagate is listening.  There's even a moderator on this forum who seems very curt with consumers who post.  There's no reason for that kind of attitude from customer service professionals.   

After a year like 2009, you'd think we'd see the return of customer service and appreciation for business...

[fzabkar]

pamscott, I sympathise with your problem and I do agree that external hard drive products should be expected to withstand minor accidents, especially when their heads are parked. In fact, if you read the shock and vibration specs in Seagate's product manuals, they quote figures in excess of 300Gs. With those numbers, one could be forgiven for expecting that a hard drive would continue working after being fired from a cannon. So yes, I see your point and I'm actually on your side.

The small circuit board inside the enclosure consists of a USB-to-SATA bridge chip plus a 12V-to-5V switchmode power supply. The bridge IC translates USB protocol and signalling to SATA format. Simply put, the PC speaks USB, but the drive speaks SATA, and the bridge chip is the interpreter.