Can't update ST3500410AS to firmware CC46

[PicoBot]

Hi everybody,

two days ago a friend of mine informed me that the CC46 firmware update for most of the 7200.12 drives is available at seagate's website. I downloaded and burned the CD ISO image and was able to update six of my seven 7200.12 drives. These drives are five ST31000528AS, originally equipped with CC34 and the CC37 firmwares, and one ST3500418AS, which originally had the CC38 firmware. With these six drives everything went fine, no problems at all.

But one of my drives, a ST3500410AS, which currently works with the CC31 firmware, can't be updated at all. The updater reports that the updater is ok for this modell, but the firmware the drive has now ( CC31 ) and the new firmware ( CC46 ) are not "compatible" ( sorry, i can't remember the exact error report now ) and therefore rejects to update this drive.

Is anybody of you aware of this problem and has informations about the reason for this behavior ? I can imagine three possible reasons:

1. This drive is one of the first exemplars of this drive, which has been sold, and is a little bit different in hardware. That would explain, why the CC46 firmware must not be used with the drive.

2. The firmware updater from seagate simply is not aware that there are drives with the firmware version CC31 and therefore "thinks" that the CC46 should better not be used with my drive

3. The version jump from CC31 to CC46 is too big and some of the internal data structures have been changed. Perhaps an "intermediate" update from CC31 to CC34 and then a second update from CC34 to CC46 might work, but i can't find any older firmware updates for this drive.

Is anybody of you able to tell me if and which of my guesses is correct ?

Thx for reading, PicoBot

[jaclaz]

Is anybody of you able to tell me if and which of my guesses is correct ?

Not me.

All I can tell you is that on Seagate site there is CC3E still available:

http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/support/downloads/firmware/Barracuda12-ALL-CC3E.exe

Which DOES NOT mean that it may be useful, nor that applies to your disk, nor that it is a good idea.

jaclaz

[PicoBot]

Hi jaclaz,

thanks for the link to the older firmware version. I was also able to find the CC3D version:

http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/support/downloads/firmware/Barracuda12-ALL-CC3D.iso

Nevertheless, both versions are not willing / able to update this specific drive. The only progress I made is that I have written down the exact error messages:

"Modell matched, no firmware match, will not download firmware" and "Modell matched but firmware version is not compatible"

I am beginning to believe that there really is a small difference in the hardware and therefore the newer firmwares must not be used with this drive. So my hope is, that the newer firmware is not such important and there are no "hidden" bugs like there where in the 7200.11 firmware

C.U. PicoBot

Edited August 8, 2010 by PicoBot

[jaclaz]

I guess you can workaround the limitation :

http://forums.seagate.com/t5/Barracuda-XT-Barracuda-and/It-is-not-updated-Firmware-with-CC38-on-CC3E-on-HDD-ST3500418AS/td-p/52066

but would it be wise?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/quotes

Grail Knight: But choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.

Also check:

http://stx.lithium.com/t5/Barracuda-XT-Barracuda-and/st3500418as-cc38/m-p/56107

jaclaz

[PicoBot]

Well, forcing the drive to download the CC46 firmware without any further investigation of course would not be wise, especially since the drive works without any problems. To find out the reason for the update failure, the solution would be to build a serial cable and to check the version of the firmware modules via serial communication. And this IMHO is not worth the time and effort at all, so the drive will continue to work with CC31.

C.U. PicoBot