jaclaz

This makes no sense! You cannot say "I use a hammer" like that, people may be induced to think that ANY hammer will do, whilst you need a BIG hammer! jaclaz

If you are gonna open a drive you should build yourself (yes, I am notoriously cheap ) a "poor-man's cleanroom" (plese read as "inexpensive cleanbox". This is the general idea: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9752 http://www.forensicfocus.com/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=4536 You can buy a "semi-professional" one (first result in a google search): http://www.hdrconline.com/hdrc-clean-room-benefits.php About platter exchange tool, this one (on the same site as above): http://www.hdrconline.com/platter-exchanger-tool.php is already 90 bucks cheaper than the one you were proposed However the general idea is: get your "clean something" get a few old, worthless, but 100% functioning SINGLE platter Hard disks (the older the better) try opening one, remove the platter, place it back check that the drive is as functional as before loop to #2 until you are perfectly familiar with all the steps and "movements" needed try again with a multi-platter disk and loop to #3 until needed Here are a few videos that show clearly WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT do: like using bare hands, touching the platter with them, breathing or scrubbing your hands over it, using magnetic tools, using pliers to keep the rotor steady, etc., etc. jaclaz

Well, eSATA is nothing but a connector to a SATA bus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA#eSATA The difference is mainly in expected lifetime of insertions (yes the morons engineers that designed SATA original connector had in mind a ridicously LOW number of insertions ) and in additional shielding, NOT only because of possible data corruption on an unshielded cable, BUT also to prevent the cable from EMITTING disturbing signals. jaclaz

I have the advantage on you guys : http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21702&st=122 Why, in MY day.... http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21362&st=10 jaclaz

More generally, the "name" of the emoticon is it's meaning, some are used with difference meanings/intent. this is "huh" like in "Huh?" http://www.thefreedictionary.com/huh it means that you are perplexed or don't understand what the other is saying this is "w00t", which can mean just like in "WHAAAAT?" that you understand, but that it is clearly absurd in your view, or simply that you are excited at the idea: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=woot this is "wacko": http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wacko it means surprise at a completely unexpected and confusing statement or event this is "blink", as in: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/blink startled or surprised, but in a minor way than the above Emoticons are customizable by the board Admin, here on MSFN we have only a few of them, on other boards there may be many, many more, as an example: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?s=&act=legends&CODE=emoticons "hyper" is the "superlative of "w00t" Also, the "ph34r/ninja" here on MSFN is "static" while this one is animated: AFAIK it can mean BOTH "phear" like when you are scared of something, or "ninja" meaning that you are doing something "under the hood". jaclaz

There is a dedicated thread to this problem: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=131620 cannot say if anything in it may apply to your case. jaclaz

Well, NO. Generally, it is NOT adviced to use "nail thinner" as it could adversely affect the plastic parts of the connectors/PCB, as it usually contains trichloroethane, if using anything like it or acetone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone be very careful NOT to use it on plastic parts. To clean contacts use isopropil alcohol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol or a dedicated electric contact cleaner. A very good way to clean gold plated contacts is to use an abrasive rubber, such as (now really difficult to find) typewriter erasers. jaclaz

Yes/No. You are the only one that can answer that question. How many money do you plan to make by using the tool? Are you positive you can use the tool with success? Are you certain that the tool works/is needed? You need to have at least: one recovery job needing platter exchange payed more than US$1,000 two recovery jobs needing platter exchange payed more that US$500 each three recovery jobs needing platter exchnage payed more than US$350 each .... to justify the expense. Don't take this as an offence , but having the tool does not guarantee: that you are able to use it that you are able to use it properly that you can find payed jobs where the tool is needed From the other threads and the questions you asked in them, and with all due respect , I presume that you need some more experience before attempting a career in HD recovery, expecially if platter exchange is part of the needed activities. Of all the things you can do to a poor, innocent hard disk , exchanging heads and platters are among the most difficult chores, something for which you need IMHO a far deeper knowledge and practical experience than what you currently have (or showed). I mean, to bring it as automotive paragon, you cannot ask in the same day: "Help I don't know how I can change my flat tire": http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=143049 and: "What do you think, should I buy a CNC router" (this thread) it simply doesn't "fit". Additionally, not knowing WHICH kit has been proposed you for US$600, it would be anyway difficult to say if it is worth it, like: The answer to which is obviously: http://www.thateden.co.uk/dirk/ jaclaz

Small correction (again) : A serial interface that outputs TTL levels (like a WORKING CA-42 USB cable) or, better a proper, documented, converter. @WiNuWiNu The easiest (as it is complete and well detailed) tutorial is this one: http://www.mapleleafmountain.com/seagatebrick.html with pictures AND links to a "good brand" adapter, please note that there are tens of these that are good, including a number (BUT NOT ALL) Nokia cables, simply review the present thread, a lot of people have posted where they found the converter they successfully used. Depending on what computer(s) you have available you may want to go for either a RS-232 serial to TTL or to a USB to TTL converter. jaclaz

You have a most queer idea of what "old" means. "My" old means: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_tube AL3, AL4, etc.: http://www.qsl.net/dl7avf/roehren/index.html and, at the most: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor BC107, BC108 2N3055..... jaclaz

Really? I didn't know that. I would have thought that asking an Electric Engineer would have been more appropriate. However you made a statement: Unless you have some superconducting material, since even a wire has a resistance, the "complete short" you were talking about is a logical impossibility. So, once we have ruled out the existance of a "complete short", there are two COMMON ways to do a "good enough short": using a short piece of wire or "jumper" using a 0 (zero) Ohm resistor Method #2 is COMMONLY used on modern PCB's, for the reasons explained in the given link: BTW - remember that the metrics you used in the past: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=142620&st=38 may also apply here. jaclaz

Actually 0 (zero) Ohm resistors are quite common on modern PCB's : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-ohm_resistor jaclaz

Leave the program running, if the instructions for it say so. Generally speaking, Authors of recovery software don't get any advantage in making you scan a drive for a few hours unneededly, if their program wants to do the scanning, let it scan. jaclaz

Just to clear a bit the matter the converter is ALPHA-ALPHA , it may (or completely fail to) work. Namely, it won't - at the moment - convert "ALL" syntaxes, some need still to be added. There is now an online UPDATED version here: http://jaclaz.altervista.org/Projects/Convert_address.htm If anyone is a better javascript programmer then I am (very, very probable) and has any idea to better it, please PM me. jaclaz

Anyway, should it be of any use, attached is the small .htm Personally, I will use it to translate any link to it's "plain" syntax, to avoid this mess next time. jaclaz Edit: Attachment updated Convert_address.zip

For the record, this is Windows 7 "Batch language" or "Command interpreter" or "Command line" or "Command console", NOT DOS. jaclaz

Please describe "everything". Try clicking on gosh's signature (last post by gosh): http://www.msfn.org/board/apple-worth-more-than-walmart-t143010.html http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=143010 Gosh's XP Build Environment http://www.msfn.org/board/Gosh_s_XP_Build_Environment_t106064.html To recap: the board can ALWAYS use links using "index.php?showtopic=" syntax "previous" friendly names are NOT understood anymore "current" friendly names are exactly as "stoopid" as we don't have any way to know if in next board update the software will be changed yet another time. please, do also note that if you rename a topic, the friendly names goes "beserk" ANYWAY As an example, I renamed this topic: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=141678 from "Installing Windows 2000" http://www.msfn.org/board/installing-windows-2000-t141678.html to "[sOLVED] Installing Windows 2000" http://www.msfn.org/board/solved-installing-windows-2000-t141678.html And obviously the friendly name changed and any link made to the topic will become invalid. I am writing a small javascript converter, hopefully capable to convert "friendly names" (either "old" or "new" syntax) to the "REAL" always good syntax, I'll post it as soon as I have time to finish it. jaclaz

Well, not really news, these drives have been around since a bit: http://www.infoworld.com/t/drives-and-arrays/transcend-antivirus-usb-flash-drive-trend-micro-032 http://www.transcendusa.com/Press/index.asp?LangNo=0&axn=Detail&PrsNo=1323 The model is the V15: http://www.transcendusa.com/products/ModDetail.asp?ModNo=245&LangNo=0&Func1No=&Func2No= http://www.transcendusa.com/Products/TrendMicro/TrendMicro.asp IMHO , since the vulnerability is due to the Autorun feature of some MS Operating Systems, it seems to me just crazy to use this to run the actual AntiVirus software. The antivirus is licensed for 90 days, then you have to pay for the updates. I find it more a Commercial/Advertisement intiative than a Technical idea. The approach of disabling the Autorun seems to me like a better approach: http://ninjapendisk.com/ http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4350 then you let your "resident" antivirus take care of the non-USB Autorun related threats. jaclaz

Hey, mchldpy, remember not to go to computerguru's seminar next time! Heck, you asked it! BTW, in my experience, throwing up system volume info is quite unprobable, on the other hand throwing up any number of disk signatures happens quite often, it is said that it happens because of their often repetitive nature: http://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/Win2kmbr.htm#DC but there is no definite evidence about this. jaclaz

I am not at all an expert in vbs, what I was suggesting, maybe improperly is that the drive letter is assigned anyway as long as a partition entry is created in the MBR (or in the EPBR), so all it is needed is to add a condition that triggers the format if DR.FileSystem equals whatever vbs returns for a drive not formatted, cannot say if "", 0, -255, "a suffusion of yellow", or anything else, something like *PSEUDO* CODE: If InStr(1,DR.FileSystem,"<whatever is returned on an unformatted volume>",1) Then jaclaz

I am an asterisk? You don't need to , just my small way to thank you for the great work you've done over the years with Qemu Manager. jaclaz

Yes, to re-iterate once again. Seagate has somehow admitted that a firmware bug (according to them affecting only a very limited number of drives made in a certain factory and in a given timeframe, and only some of them, coming from one or a few of the manufacturing lines) are affected by this "circular register" bug. Supposedly these few lines had incorrectly set in-factory testing procedure that left the drive in such a condition that when the drive LOG hit (320+n*256) with 0<=n<=255, the drive will lock. In English there is a term for the above, which I cannot write here, but is 8 letter long, starts with B, ends with T and has as middle letters LS, you get the idea. There are some posts dealing exactly with the issue and the reasons and the numbers possibly involved: From here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=128092&st=1007 for about 30 posts From here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=128092&st=1042 for about 50 posts What is not (as I see it ) properly perceived is that the log getting at 320 is just one of the possible causes for a bricking. Logically this should lead to EITHER a LBA0 OR a BSY problem, but since anything about the matter is actually hushed up by Seagate, and none has a way to investigate the matter properly, let's assume that the SAME problem with log can actually produce two DIFFERENT types of bricking. There may be several causes (or maybe tens of them), completely unrelated to the "log at 320" one, that may cause the bricking. We have now evidence, after more than one year from the initial reports and published solution, that a number of drives manufactured in various factories AND NOT manufactured in the originally given timeframe, AND also of different model/revision can (and have ) bricked themselves. So there may be MORE reasons than the original one. The opposite thing is happening now, the solutions provided by this thread - meant to ONLY fix the original issue - are seen by everyone with a failed hard disk as a "miracle cure for everything", it is NOT the case. Replacing the firmware with a new version is pretty much pointless, as I see it, I guess I need to explain this part in detail. IF the original firmware is buggy (re:320 log) AND it is the cause for the bricking THEN, assumed that the new firmware is NOT buggy (re:320 log), it DOES make sense to update it. but on the other hand: IF the original firmware is buggy (re:320 log) AND it is the cause for the bricking THEN, the worst thing that can happen to you is the need (since you have now the tools and the knowledge) to re-unbrick it every 6 months to 1 year. There is ANOTHER possibility: There are MANY causes for the bricking, not necessarily linked to a given firmware, and the solutions given in this thread may TEMPORARILY cure them, but since the reason is NOT ALWAYS firmware related, updating the firmware WON'T DO anything that prevents the bricking to re-occur. As I see it, once a drive has bricked, the right thing to do is: unbrick it salvage the DATA on it EITHER: RMA it and get a new one (if still under warranty) throw the drive in the dustbin use it (either the original one fixed or the re-furbished/new one) for a low-low risk backup (like second or third backup copy - and yes, you NEED AT LEAST 2 (TWO) backup copies on different media of any DATA that is worth anything to you) IMHO, people thinking to: use it as "main" drive use it as "only" storage No matter if with the old or new firmware, are playing with fire, and it is statistically evident that when playing with fire burns happen more often than when playing with sand or mud. jaclaz

Everything seems to lead that "something else" besides the .inf is needed when installing a "hardware" driver. This could be the "right" solution: http://nsis.sourceforge.net/InstDrv_plug-in the NSIS installer is competely free. I am attaching a quickly put together thingy, that works for me, obviously it will need to be refined and polished, but it seems like working. jaclaz QEMUTAPNSIS.zip

It looks a lot like an SMAJ5.0A http://www.vishay.com/doc?88390 http://www.littelfuse.com/products/TVS+Diodes/Surface+Mount/SMAJ/SMAJ5.0A.html jaclaz

Are you sure? If the partiion is created (even if not formatted) a drive letter should be assigned to it, otherwise FORMAT could not work. jaclaz