Monthly Archives: October 2011

Western Digital SmartWare and data loss

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Western Digital over took Seagate as the largest manufacturer (by volume) of hard disk drives during 2010. Two of the most popular products that we see in for recovery are the external hard disk drives named the “My Book” and “My Passport” range, for example the WDBAAF0020HBK, WDBAAG0010HCH & WDBACX0010BBK. Both the My Book and Passport range include ‘SmartWare’. This software is stored in the form of a virtual CD which utilises the end sectors of the hard disk drive. The SmartWare software offers a “visual drive control center with automatic continuous backup.” The hard disks Cheadle Data Recovery have received from the My Book or Passport range very rarely utilize this or many of the other additional features which are offered.

More significantly all of these disks have built in hardware encryption, this causes particular challenges in any data recovery scenario. If the hard disk drive in a WD My Book range is removed from the caddy and detached from the USB/SATA printed circuit board and connected directly to a computer all of the user data will be unavailable due to the encryption. Equally the My Passport range have an integrated USB connector into the main hard disk drive printed circuit board. Again this poses a number of difficulties as it is necessary to access the native SATA port to be able read the drive’s firmware and to send commands which are not support by the USB interface. We’ve also received a number of disks which have become inaccessible after the owner has attempted to upgrade the firmware of the SmartWare virtual CD which has resulted in data loss.

Western Digital SmartWare hard disk

Western Digital My Passport HDD with integrated USB and hardware encryption. SATA connection is soldered to PCB to allow access the firmware.

Although both the My Book and My Passport range of drives can have their data recovered, as with any other range of hard disk drives, they both require greater attention and time compared with other HDDs to achieve positive results. in short, the ‘SmartWare’ might not be such a smart option; few people use the value added functions that hard disk manufacturers offer on their devices, and these extra functions seem to cause a greater number of problems compared with more basic products. Nevertheless, manufacturers feel they need to provide these value added functions in order to differentiate these products from their budget line. Despite this the hard disk drive inside the caddy is usually exactly the same. In short – it’s best to keep it simple when choosing a storage device.

LSI Buys Flash Storage Processor Specialist SandForce – Data Storage – News & Reviews – eWeek.com

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LSI Buys Flash Storage Processor Specialist SandForce – Data Storage – News & Reviews – eWeek.com.

The maker of the fastest SSD controller chips has been bought out. Like may a buy out (Seagate-Maxtor springs to mind) will the quality of the product diminish? We can only wait an see.

 

“No” to free data recovery – a follow up

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Following the post a few days ago regarding the apparent offers of free data recovery I had further thoughts on the matter. The frequency of the Seagate firmware fault in the 7200.11 Barracuda series combined with the number of online explanations and resolutions to the matter may have led to end users feeling that the fault is such a simple one it is not worth paying for. But, given this, one must ask the question what it is that people are paying for.

I remember the first drive which came in  with the associated firmware fault. It was a  500GB Maxtor-Seagate MX15 drive. At the time the fault seemed confusing and required development and testing to understand and resolve the fault. At this stage the answers were not copied and pasted over the internet. We consulted with a leading UK data recovery company who had not seen the affected drives at that point. At this stage it took research and development to devise the most appropriate manner in which to access the data stored on the hard disk drive. Although the end results might seem very simple that is a result of some person’s work to establish the formula.

Yesterday we received in a Seagate 7200.10 Barracuda series drive. There had been a power surge to the NAS device it was stored in. The owner thought that the hard disk drive was fine, but was inaccessible due to a fault on the NAS caddy, and he could not read it on his PC as the filesystem on the patient hard disk was Linux related. Although the disk was spinning normally and detected in the BIOS there was a significant fault. It related to the “CE Log Error” found in 7200.8, 7200.9 and 7200.10 Barracuda series hard disk drives. Again, some may consider the resolution to this fault as simple, or easily applied (when a company has invested in the right tools). Does this mean that it should be completed for free? Should the firmware/ROM fault in the Western Digital Tornado series circuit boards be resolved for free now there has been a successful and tested method for recovery?

Accurate diagnosis of hard disk drive failure is critical as it allows implementation of the appropriate action to recover the data. Without specialist tools it is simply not possible to accurately diagnose the faults with a hard disk drive. Letting someone inexperienced or untrained make their best guess at what the fault might be, and attempt an uncalculated course of action, is likely to significantly increase the chances of data loss.

 

BBC News – Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust destroyed patient data

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BBC News – Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust destroyed patient data.

Not for the first time this month parts of the NHS have been suffering from data loss and data security breaches. In this case they managed not to notice the data had been missing for a number of months. This might seem extraordinary to most people, but given the extremely large numbers of files that are stored the management of these can be most challenging for system administrators. Just think how much data you have in your user profile directory? Many of our customers we recover data for have data archived from 10 years ago, and they struggle to remember what they actually have stored.

 

Data Recovery Pricing – why we won’t do it for free

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The infamous Seagate 7200.11 firmware fault has been explained to death on the internet, including how you might DIY the recovery. For those who are not familiar, it relates to a fault in the firmware which causes the drive to be “Busy”, and consequently it cannot be detected in the BIOS. The data is completely inaccessible. To recover the data it is necessary to send commands via the terminal input on the printed circuit board.

We still receive the 7200.11 Barracuda with the SD15 firmware or other which require recovery. In the last few years we have received plenty and recovered them all. On a number of occasions potential customers have phoned through demanding a discount to the normal prices to recover data from this type of drive, as they consider the fault a simple one, and they “could” do it them self. I remember one IT support worker asking me to only alter the firmware and hand the drive back. That is, for us not to disk image the drive afterwards, extract the data, then check the data for errors, and provide a file listing; as this is our full data recovery process. I asked him what he would do if the HDD we handed back had errors on it. He had his answer – he had special software which could do a “low level copy.” I asked him whether he had access to a disk imager like, DeepSpar, Data Extractor, Atola Insight or Data Compass, the answer was of course ‘No’. As such, his software is unlikely to get him very far if the media is degraded.

Unfortunately matters are not helped, by such advertisements as set out by a UK based data recovery company offering free data recovery on Seagate 7200.11 drives with the firmware fault. Here is an extract from their terms and conditions:

“Free Data Recovery is only available to hard drive’s affected by the firmware fault which causes the hard drive to be detected as LBA 0. The FREE data recovery is only available to hard drives from the DiamondMax 22, Barracuda 7200.11, Barracuda ES.2 SATA range.

 

A free evaluation will be performed to determine the failure, if the problem is not the standard corrupt firmware failure then normal recovery costs will apply. If the hard drive has additional faults then other charges may be incurred.”

 

Something for nothing eh? When in life do you ever get some thing for nothing from a company who (quite reasonably) aim to make a profit. What do you think the chances are this data recovery company will find a secondary, or alternative fault with your hard disk drive, and allow them to charge the full rate? Quite likely I’d say.

Performing data recovery in a professional and considerate manner, takes training, specialist equipment and an up front attitude to the realistic cost to the customer. Our prices are transparent. You can phone on 0161 408 4857 and get a very good idea of the cost of recovery based on your description of the fault. Even better visit our premises and have a whilst-you-wait diagnostic test performed on your failed device, at which point a fixed price quotation will be generated.

Cloud Storage Often Results in Data Loss | Business News Daily

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Cloud Storage Often Results in Data Loss | Business News Daily.

A number of the dedicated IT support businesses I work with ask me whether data recovery will be ‘dead’ come cloud storage and solid state disks (SSD). Here’s your answer to the former via Business News. In the cases we have received, whether it be from organisations or individuals, there have certainly been instances of severe data loss despite virtualised computing applications.

If you are wondering about the reliability of SSD; it’s hard to give information on the limited set of official manufacturer figures available at the moment. I asked an associate within the data recovery industry who works with flash based media frequently, and he described the use of SSD as a storage method as a, “disaster waiting to happen.”  If the reliability of flash based usb pen drives and memory cards is anything to go by, given the frequency of controller chip failure, I can only concur with him. In short, to avoid data loss in the future it will require planning and good administration, regardless of the hardware used, just as it does today.

Why not to open a hard disk yourself

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Following the “don’t put your hard disk in a freezer” advice in a previous post, here we examine the worst possible decision a person can make when they are suffering data loss. That is to open the hard disk drive and expose the platters, and worse still, to start poking, prodding and moving components inside the hard disk drive. Any such actions are likely to lead to complete data loss.

Although your hard disk drive might look a little bit like a record player inside, with shiny compact disc like platters, it certainly does not operate like either. Hard disks are extremely sensitive to contamination and physical defects to the platter, and have to handled with extreme care.

Over the last few years we have had a number of potential customers who have visited with a hard disk drive that they, or a PC repair shop, have opened. Inside I have often seen dust, scratches and even finger prints on the platter surface. Unfortunately on these occasions it is necessary to turn the person around send them on their way and politely tell them their data is not recoverable. I don’t like having to do that, especially when the chances could have been good if the hard disk assembly had not been opened in the first place.

It is as simple as that. We won’t produce a ten page report, and try and charge you for donor parts so we can ‘try the work’. We understand that in these situations a customer wants a glimmer of hope, but in some circumstances due to mishandling of the hard disk drive it would be dishonest to do so. Please, if your data is important, do not try and ‘DIY’ it.

Hard disk drive head crash

A head crash in a hard disk drive - unrecoverable

 

 

Hard Drive Freezer Trick – Discuss Anything

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Please do not put your hard disk in a freezer in an attempt to recover the data. It will not ‘contract the platters’ or increase the performance of the hard disk. It is extremely unlikely to increase the chances of recovery. In fact it is likely to decrease the chances and cause further damage to hard disk drive, particularly to the printed circuit board. It does however make a great photograph of having your disk embedded in a block of ice. Perhaps use it for ice with a gin and tonic.

Frozen hard disk drive

Do you honestly think this is the best method in order to recover data?

Hard Drive Freezer Trick – Discuss Anything