Maxtor hdd crash (track 0 corruption ?)

[fjh]

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

 

[Rod Speed]

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 ?

 

[fjh]

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.

 

[Arno Wagner]

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

 

[Arno Wagner]

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

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

ROTFLOL!

 

[Rod Speed]

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.

 

[fjh]

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.

 

[Rod Speed]

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 am wishing not to be in such situation.

Welp, you are anyway.

 

[fjh]

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.

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)

 

[Rod Speed]

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.

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.

 

[fjh]

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

 

[Odie Ferrous]

Model Number: Maxtor N40P

This line means you have problems.

The firmware is corrupt and no software you can download will fix it.

You will need to find a friendly data recovery company to achieve this
for you.

Find someone local to yourself if possible.


Odie

 

[Arno Wagner]

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.

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)

I consider this highly unlikely. Finding out how to do this
damage to your disk would a) be very disk specific and b) be
very difficult. If a cracker wanted to damage your disk, they
could just set the ATA password (doable in a standardised
way) to make you need a professional data recovery service.

Otherwise they could overwrite the normally accessable disk
area (i.e. after the tracks used internally by the disk),
which would damage your data but not the disk.

Arno

 

[Rod Speed]

Drive passes these tests :

Power Connection : Passed
Interface Cable Connection : Passed
Master/Slave Jumper : Passes
Bios Extension Support : Passed

Those are all very low level tests.

Partition Information : Failed

And that may mean it can see anything from the drive data wise.

SMART Enable Function : Failed

And that may mean the drive is pretty dead to the world commands wise.

Cosidering the log file below seems HDD thinks it has 79656
Cylinders! (it should be 16383 according to DataSheet),

Its more complicated than that.

What is the Landing Zone which is defineable in the BIOS ?

A relic of the past, its completely irrelevant now.

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

She's dead, Jim. You into necrophilia ?

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

Those two aint good, it indicates that the
drive cant get that data off the drive platter.

FirmWareRev: NAR61EAZ
Cylinders per Drive: 79656
Heads per Cylinder: 16
Max LBA: 80293332

That claims its a 40G drive.

SPT: 63

That is a fake/dummy value.

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

Something of an abortion.

She's dead, Jim. You into necrophilia ?

 

[fjh]

Rod thanks for all your help.
Based on the situation i have to give up !
i'll look for a lower price Recovery fee ,and if i didn't find a
resonable one i'll freeze the drive,i got this idea from my beloved
8052.comforum to freeze the drive and try if it works if intrested go
here :
http://www.8052.com/forum/thread.phtml?thread=101261
and if it doesn't worked i'll try to open the HDD seal and look for a
DIY repairable damage hopefully in a clean room.

She's dead, Jim. You into necrophilia ?

could you please elaborate this line to me, i didn't find any info on
"Jim. You into necrophilia ?" by searching on Google nor in Wikipedia ?

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod thanks for all your help.

No problem.

Based on the situation i have to give up !

Yeah, I would in your situation.

i'll look for a lower price Recovery fee ,

Yeah, I'd go that route myself in that situation.

and if i didn't find a resonable one i'll freeze the drive,

Yeah, worth a try, make sure you put it in a plastic bag tho.

i got this idea from my beloved 8052.comforum to
freeze the drive and try if it works if intrested go here :
http://www.8052.com/forum/thread.phtml?thread=101261

Yeah, I've suggested people try freezing quite a bit myself.

and if it doesn't worked i'll try to open the HDD seal and look
for a DIY repairable damage hopefully in a clean room.

could you please elaborate this line to me,

Its a joke. Look up the word necrophilia in the dictionary.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=necrophilia

The "She's dead, Jim" comes from one of the movies, Star Trek
http://digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID=633

i didn't find any info on "Jim. You into necrophilia ?"
by searching on Google nor in Wikipedia ?

That bit about necrophilia was mine |-)

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Those are all very low level tests.

Based on commands.

And that may mean it can see anything from the drive data wise.


And that may mean the drive is pretty dead to the world

commands wise.

So no.

Its more complicated than that.

Yup, above your comprehension.

16383 is the maximum supported number for Cylinders
with a 16H/63S translation on the physical interface.

A relic of the past, its completely irrelevant now.


She's dead, Jim. You into necrophilia ?



Those two aint good, it indicates that the
drive cant get that data off the drive platter.


That claims its a 40G drive.

So does the 79656*16*63.

The 79656 is a purely cosmetic number for displaying purposes only,
(re)calculated from the 80293332 LBA number, divided by 16*63.
It doesn't exist anywhere else other than is apps that stupidly insist
on using CHS values beyond the 8GB CHS limit .

That is a fake/dummy value.

So are the 'Cylinders per Drive' and 'Heads per Cylinder' values,
clueless.

FE: S01
Installation Confirmation: FAILED
Diagnostic Code: 00001000

[snip]


Something of an abortion.

She's dead, Jim. You into necrophilia ?

 

[Rod Speed]

Some ****with pseudokraut claiming to be
Folkert Rienstra <[email protected]>
wrote just the puerile attempt at
a troll thats all it can ever manage.

No wonder its completely unemployable.

 

[fjh]

Yeah, worth a try, make sure you put it in a > plastic bag tho.

Sure.

That bit about necrophilia was mine |-)

So it's CopyRighted ;-)