Seagate Hard Drive Firmware issue

Steve · Jan 18, 2009, 19:47:15

This I think refers to recent manufactures only but if you've purchased one recently may be worth a check

http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=207931

Lance · Jan 18, 2009, 19:54:26

Thanks Steve

kinmel · Jan 18, 2009, 20:17:31

All mine are fine, thanks

Sebby · Jan 18, 2009, 21:46:26

Thanks, Steve. Mine are 7200.10, so I'm okay.

Ray · Jan 18, 2009, 22:16:53

Thanks for that, Steve, I've got one in my main PC.

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 10:28:37

Well Seagate seem to have got in a mess with this one they have now posted an ISO download for the updated firmware for these drives, I've got 2 ST3500320AS drives with SD15 firmware which are supposed to be one of the models affected. I have just tried running the update on one of them and it fails with the error message "Not found expecting ST3500320AS"

I'm now awaiting a reply from their disk support as to whether my drives are affected or not, I'm not very happy at having 2 drives that are suddenly liable to become inaccessible one in my main PC and one in my Home Server (Sod's Law the operating system is on it as well

)

Rik · Jan 19, 2009, 10:30:25

This is very stupid by Seagate, it will damage their reputation for a long time.

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 10:35:42

Quote from: Rik on Jan 19, 2009, 10:30:25
This is very stupid by Seagate, it will damage their reputation for a long time.

This is true, Rik, I've always rated Seagate disks and found them to be good and reliable but this makes you wonder, I seem to recall they have had a similar problem with their 1.5Tb disks recently as well. $:-\$

Rik · Jan 19, 2009, 10:36:54

Yup.

I'd certainly be wary of choosing Seagate for a while, Ray, which is a shame as they've always given good service in the past.

Rik · Jan 19, 2009, 11:56:56

El Reg is reporting that Seagate will provide data recovery services if needed.

Simon · Jan 19, 2009, 12:02:05

I have two Seagate drives in my main PC, one being the OS and programs, and the other for data. Going to have to check tonight.

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 12:29:55

This gets worse, Rik, I think I might be switching over to Western Digital if I fit any more drives. $:-\$

I've got 3 of the affected Seagate drives the one I rma'd last week from my server is one of them as well.

Rik · Jan 19, 2009, 12:31:06

Or Samsung, Ray, I've found them pretty good.

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 12:33:03

Quote from: Rik on Jan 19, 2009, 12:31:06
Or Samsung, Ray, I've found them pretty good.

Yes I've had one of their 250Gb Spinpoints running in my spare desktop PC for a couple of years now with no problems.

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 13:21:17

Just been reading some posts on the Seagate forums about this there's an awful lot of unhappy people on there and it seems that no one has managed to get the firmware update to work so far either.

Steve · Jan 19, 2009, 14:20:09

I was doubtful it was worth a mention yesterday (sorry Ray) as the bit I read said only drives made in December 2008,I am unable to view that site at work or its down ,I did use the serial number checker as I have 2 seagate 500Gb and was relieved to be given the all clear which of course they should be as they're pre Aug 08 vintage.

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 14:36:30

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 19, 2009, 14:20:09
I was doubtful it was worth a mention yesterday (sorry Ray) as the bit I read said only drives made in December 2008,I am unable to view that site at work or its down ,I did use the serial number checker as I have 2 seagate 500Gb and was relieved to be given the all clear which of course they should be as they're pre Aug 08 vintage.

It's a good job that you did mention it, Steve, there is now an updated page on their site, seems from reading the forums that it goes back to older drives than December 2008 and affects various sizes of 7200.11 drives, also the serial number checker seems to be in doubt as well and has now disappeared from the site.

Steve · Jan 19, 2009, 14:45:04

So I could well be in the "Doggie poo " as well

x5 ,At least the WHS disk management add in gave the serial No.s is it easy to find the firmware version? It should be fun if I have to update the firmware on WHS OS disk and the RAID 0 on the other machine. Mind you been running fine for months maybe tempted to leave well alone.

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 15:19:30

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 19, 2009, 14:45:04
So I could well be in the "Doggie poo " as well x5 ,At least the WHS disk management add in gave the serial No.s is it easy to find the firmware version? It should be fun if I have to update the firmware on WHS OS disk and the RAID 0 on the other machine. Mind you been running fine for months maybe tempted to leave well alone.

You can download a tool from the link in your original post to determine model no, serial no and firmware version, Steve, but the site is not accessible again at the moment. There is a link to the new firmware but don't bother downloading it nobody has got it to install yet.

Steve · Jan 19, 2009, 15:37:51

Thanks Ray, I think I will let sleeping dogs lie.

JB · Jan 19, 2009, 17:49:42

Quote from: Sheltieuk on Jan 19, 2009, 12:29:55
This gets worse, Rik, I think I might be switching over to Western Digital if I fit any more drives

Wouldn't recommend that Ray. I had two WD drives go duff at the end of last year.

Both are still under the 3 year warranty and I have RMA'd them both. Despite what they say on their website their turnaround is pathetic. They received the drives on 10th December and I am still waiting. Despite their web page stating that 2 new drives are pending dispatch to me, the web page hasn't changed since last week. You would think that after such a delay they would get their finger out.

I will stick to Samsung in future. WD is now a big No No for me.

Steve · Jan 19, 2009, 18:25:51

Well I've found one drive I purchased last March with an SD15 firmware, the drive detect software doesn't find the Raid O drives so is useless in that regard, in fact you find all the non -raid hard disk details in device manager>disk drives>disk>details>hardware id so not the best software either.

Thankfully the server seems unaffected.

Sebby · Jan 19, 2009, 18:40:26

What a shambles. I hope you all get it sorted.

Glenn · Jan 19, 2009, 18:51:45

Last time I saw something along these lines, it was Fujitsu drives failing, Fuji denied it for a while, but after about 18 months paid out millions of dollars.

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 19:24:49

Quote from: 6jb on Jan 19, 2009, 17:49:42
Wouldn't recommend that Ray. I had two WD drives go duff at the end of last year.

Both are still under the 3 year warranty and I have RMA'd them both. Despite what they say on their website their turnaround is pathetic. They received the drives on 10th December and I am still waiting. Despite their web page stating that 2 new drives are pending dispatch to me, the web page hasn't changed since last week. You would think that after such a delay they would get their finger out.

I will stick to Samsung in future. WD is now a big No No for me.

Thanks, that's worth knowing, I'll probably go with Samsung in the future as I have already got one of them.

Steve · Jan 19, 2009, 19:25:08

I have 3 affected SD15 firmware drives on my desktop 2 in raid O non of the Seagate software could identify the raid drives however the intel matrix storage manager I use for the Raid O was able to identify the model No.s and firmware.

I wonder whether I may be able to update the raid O by using a linux live CD? obviously I'll have to "unraid" them in bios first,may be worth a shot and save a complete restore, not that's any hassle using the WHS

Edit: that wont work as its Windows or Mac based firmware update software.

Bart PE???

Steve · Jan 19, 2009, 20:42:53

As Ray said earlier what a farce,

This is one of the Seagate forum posts

"Well let me tell you my story.I have 5 500GB drives which have the affected SD15 firmware. Like many of you i got the crash during firmware udpate The Seagate has made an iso in which all important programs are hided inside the bootsector of the cdrom. THANKS VERY MUCH SEAGATE!! FOR MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT)

anyway, with a tiny program called bbie i was able to substract this bootsector and there are a few files you can see then

oneo of them is SD1AMOOS.zip. This zip contains the actual flash program called FDL462A exe and the firmware itself

I stripped everything because i thought there was a bad script made by seagate.

But the flash program FDL462A just simply crashes!

I read somewhere else that you can use the older FDL457 version. So i did.. And... it did flash the drive to the

new firmware. oh yes.. but now the pc does not reconizes the drive anymore! I flashed 5 pc's with it and

all drives are not recognized anymore. The seagate tool still sees the disk fortunately with the new firmware. but

they are not recognized by the system bios anymore...

called seagate and heard a tape they have a national holiday!! yeah right!

thanks a lot Seagate"

O'dear

Ray · Jan 19, 2009, 21:10:21

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 19, 2009, 19:25:08
Edit: that wont work as its Windows or Mac based firmware update software. Bart PE???

The firmware update is DOS based, Steve, and runs from a CD and you are also supposed to disconnect any other drives except the one you are updating.

Steve · Jan 19, 2009, 22:39:44

Thanks Ray, I eventually I cottoned on after reading the Seagate forums posts, I suppose everybody will have to wait for a version which works.

Lance · Jan 19, 2009, 23:07:18

I bet you didn't expect all this when you posted about it Steve!

Ray · Jan 20, 2009, 09:15:47

Gets more bizarre they've removed the updated firmware from the site now.

Steve · Jan 20, 2009, 11:03:53

Quote from: Lance on Jan 19, 2009, 23:07:18
I bet you didn't expect all this when you posted about it Steve!

Well the PC with 3 "afflicted" drives has never given any trouble,it seems some of the firmware updates turns them into bricks so seems sensible to not panic and wait,its well backed up.

Ray · Jan 20, 2009, 11:23:02

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 20, 2009, 11:03:53
Well the PC with 3 "afflicted" drives has never given any trouble,it seems some of the firmware updates turns them into bricks so seems sensible to not panic and wait,its well backed up.

I agree, Steve, I'm going to wait until they sort the mess out and issue a reliable fix, I'm tempted to get a Samsung Spinpoint 1Tb to go in my Home server though as 1 of the affected drives is still in there and one of the others in on it's way back to Seagate for replacement. I'm not too worried about the one in my main PC at least if the Server is reliable it's a simple job to restore the PC.

Steve · Jan 20, 2009, 18:03:28

Out of interest can you recall Ray whether the drive that "failed was on the list of affected firmwares?

Ray · Jan 20, 2009, 19:09:33

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 20, 2009, 18:03:28
Out of interest can you recall Ray whether the drive that "failed was on the list of affected firmwares?

Yes I'm fairly sure it was, Steve, it was an ST3500320AS and the firmware was SD15.

Steve · Jan 21, 2009, 12:26:58

Nothing new here but a useful summary of the situation. I am glad I was at work when this blew up otherwise I'd have created some bricks myself that afternoon.

Ray · Jan 21, 2009, 12:41:20

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 21, 2009, 12:26:58
Nothing new here but a useful summary of the situation. I am glad I was at work when this blew up otherwise I'd have created some bricks myself that afternoon.

Yes that's a bit puzzling, Steve, Because I ran the firmware download twice on one of my HDs and it just came up with an error both times claiming it couldn't find the right model disk, didn't harm the disk though, it still works ok.

Steve · Jan 21, 2009, 12:53:02

Sounds like it was a good job it didn't find the correct disk!

Ray · Jan 21, 2009, 12:58:51

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 21, 2009, 12:53:02
Sounds like it was a good job it didn't find the correct disk!

It does indeed, Steve, lucky escape I think. $:-\$

Sebby · Jan 21, 2009, 19:39:33

You saved having to fix it again by not applying the fix.

Ray · Jan 22, 2009, 08:38:15

The new firmware is now on the Seagate site they've also added another disk to the list the ST3500620AS which means I've got another one to update now. Edit: Checked this one and my ST3500620AS hasn't got any of the affected firmwares.

Reading through the forums it seems to work but I'm not risking it yet.

Steve · Jan 22, 2009, 08:51:51

I was going to be gentlemanly and suggest you go first Ray

I do have one ST3500320As that not used for much, I think I will try that first if the forum comments are o.k at some stage,its seems o.k for the bricks but I am waiting for a few idiots like myself with perfectly functioning drives to try it.

Ray · Jan 22, 2009, 08:59:37

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 22, 2009, 08:51:51
I was going to be gentlemanly and suggest you go first Ray

I do have one ST3500320As that not used for much, I think I will try that first if the forum comments are o.k at some stage,its seems o.k for the bricks but I am waiting for a few idiots like myself with perfectly functioning drives to try it.

Sensible, Steve, I was going to do the same and wait.

Steve · Jan 22, 2009, 09:15:45

I need somebody with a success with raid 0 , my gut feeling is it should be o.k if they're flashed separately one at a time with only one drive attached. Someone has posed the question on the forum I await a response. I just wish it wasn't in my nature to fiddle with things that are working perfectly o.k

Steve · Jan 22, 2009, 10:31:14

Temptation was too great for a born fiddler.

Just flashed 3x ST3500320AS SD15 firmware with the new updated fix. Glad to say it went flawlessly apart from a CHKDSK on rebuilding the RAID 0

Below is the result from Seatools on the non raid drive as the software will not identify the raid drives

Model: ST3500320AS, Serial: 9QM11RZM, Firmware: SD1A

Windows device manager for that drive IDE\DiskST3500320AS_____________________________SD1A____

Rik · Jan 22, 2009, 10:33:04

Were you sweating, Steve?

Steve · Jan 22, 2009, 10:36:43

I was worried when I did the first drive which I didn't mind losing for a while.I went to make a coffee whilst it was flashing and came back to a dead machine. It had completed the process and shut down.

Ray · Jan 22, 2009, 10:41:13

Glad to hear you were successful and all went well, Steve, I might pluck up courage and try one of mine now.

Rik · Jan 22, 2009, 10:46:01

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 22, 2009, 10:36:43
I was worried when I did the first drive which I didn't mind losing for a while.I went to make a coffee whilst it was flashing and came back to a dead machine. It had completed the process and shut down.

It's at that point I usually start to panic.

Ray · Jan 22, 2009, 11:05:02

That's one of mine now successfully updated.

Rik · Jan 22, 2009, 11:08:06

I see you've started breathing again, Ray.

Ray · Jan 22, 2009, 11:09:30

Quote from: Rik on Jan 22, 2009, 11:08:06
I see you've started breathing again, Ray.

Yes, Rik, I had to go and make a cup of coffee while it was updating though.

Steve · Jan 22, 2009, 11:13:51

I think the Coffee is the key

Rik · Jan 22, 2009, 11:15:00

Easier to type than a Windows key.

Ray · Jan 22, 2009, 11:27:34

Quote from: stevethegas on Jan 22, 2009, 11:13:51
I think the Coffee is the key

It's an essential part of the process, Steve.

Ray · Jan 22, 2009, 15:15:06

I've now successfully updated the firmware on my Home Server system disk

which leaves one ST3500620AS to be done.

I'm not sure whether this one needs doing as the firmware on it is not one of the suspect ones listed, I think I'll seek clarification from Seagate before I touch this one.

Rik · Jan 22, 2009, 15:24:27

Sounds wise, Ray. I'm glad you've had relatively little pain so far.

Steve · Jan 22, 2009, 15:47:28

Well the WHS disk was the brave one with no possible backup. My server has 2 ST3500630AS which I think are cuda 10's(jargon

) and safe at the moment

Seagate $400 million 2nd quarter losses.34% reduction in sales prior to this event.

Sebby · Jan 22, 2009, 18:34:36

I can't wait to see future results.

Ray · Jan 24, 2009, 08:47:29

This is the reply that I've just received from Seagate in response to myquery as to whether my drives required the firmware updating they don't seem to see it as a major problem, I hope they're correct as I am not going to bother updating my ST3500620AS, it's been running since early June last year with no problems.

Thank you for contacting Seagate Support.

A firmware issue has been identified that affects a small number of Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive models which may result in data becoming inaccessible after a power-off/on operation. The affected products are Barracuda 7200.11, Barracuda ES.2 SATA, and DiamondMax 22.
Based on the low risk as determined by an analysis of actual field return data, Seagate believes that the affected drives can be used as is.
However, as part of our commitment to customer satisfaction, Seagate is offering a free firmware upgrade.

Please follow this link
(http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=207931)
to enter the Knowledge Base article(s) detailing the steps to update your drive.

In the unlikely event your drive is affected and you cannot access your data, the data still resides on the drive and there is no data loss associated with this issue. If your drive is no longer accessible, contact us directly for further assistance at http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/about/contact_us/.

NOTE: If you have contacted Seagate Support regarding a separate issue or about another product, please visit http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/about/contact_us/ to submit an email.
Thank you.

Seagate Support

Rik · Jan 24, 2009, 08:53:03

If it ain't broke, eh.

Ray · Jan 24, 2009, 09:10:16

Quote from: Rik on Jan 24, 2009, 08:53:03
If it ain't broke, eh.

Often the best course I think, Rik.

Rik · Jan 24, 2009, 09:12:37

I'm more of a 'usually the best course' type, Ray.

Steve · Jan 24, 2009, 09:32:51

That response from Seagate if I am correct covers all affected drives including the ST3500320AS which we sweated over. The original problem arose over the 1.5TB Cudas'. Its difficult, I agree if it ain't broke don't fix it and since you say that particular drive is not on the list of affected firmwares, probably best left be.Presumably the vast majority of users are blissfully unaware anyway.