PC-3000 Forum

Hi Folks,

I have got a WDC WD30EZRX-00MMMB0-80-00A80-WD-WCAWZ2375415 drive that i received from a client.
He says that it was inside a Mybook Enclosure and the USB on the sata bridge snapped so he threw it to the bin.
So i got the drive without the SATA bridge with the encryption board.
The drive has no physical issue and works fine but obviously has the Mybook on the flu encryption(no password).
I read the ROM and FW completely through the "Dragon" family utility.
I have the latest PC3K version as far as i know - 5.9.21.5199 so i expected the encryption to be found with the decryption tick box but for some reason it scans for keys and finds nothing.
How can i decrypt this drive?


Drive Info from PC3K:
WDC WD30EZRX-00MMMB0-80-00A80-WD-WCAWZ2375415

>Techno mode key
>Techno mode key......................... : Ok
>
>RAM:
>HDD Info reading........................ : Ok
>Heads number............................ : 8
>Cyl Count............................... : 192
>
>Zone allocation table................... : Ok
>SA SPT.................................. : 1988
>
>ROM:
>ROM reading............................. : Ok
>ROM Data size........................... : 256 Kb
>Flash ROM dir reading................... : Ok
>Flash ROM dir reading (Ext)............. : Ok (Active)
>Modules directory address............... : 283 675
>SA regions address...................... : by default
>SA Translator loading................... : Ok
>
>ROM Modules:
>ROM version............................. : 20.5HP
>ROM F/W version......................... : 0020005H
>Overlay F/W version..................... : 20.5JP
>Servo F/W version....................... : 0C.02
>
>Heads configuration..................... : by map
>Heads number............................ : 8
>Heads number in use..................... : 8
>Switched off heads...................... : No
>Heads map............................... : 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7
>
>Service area:
>Permanent overlay....................... : Loaded
>SA dir reading (ID)..................... : Ok
>SA Access............................... : Copy 0,Copy 1
>

Was it from Oxford enclosure?

Hi Mate,

Not sure, a technician brought just the drive without the bridge or enclosure, so i don't have any knowledge about it.
I asked him to get more details from the customer, so hopefully he will.

Do these drives has special encryption? do you have the key that i can feed into the PC3K and try?

Thanks

If it was fitted to an enclosure with Firewire then it would probably have used Oxford encryption. For a lot of Oxford based cases, there is no key at the drive, only at the ROM of the specific bridge it came from. This also makes it impossible to use an alternative bridge.

If modules 25 + 38 can be read and surface is accessible at location where keys are stored, and still you cannot identify a key, then I would guess it is Oxford based. You would need to get this original PCB from the enclosure as this would be the only place you will find the key.

Thanks mate, i'll try to get some more info on the original bridge - looks like the only option.

Hi AJ2008,

a big thank you from me as well for sharing this information.

I have a WD with damaged heads, replaced heads with my donor, drive ID OK, data encrypted, AutoDetect failed to find decryption keys.

I have cloned approx. 10% of the drive and heads started to fail. Client provided 'identical' donor in a casing with Oxford interface (meaning that patient drive was also in a casing with Oxford FireWire). Replaced heads again, cloned another 3-4% of data from the end (that's where the keys should be) and another 10% from the beginning, heads started to fail again. Tried to decrypt with interface from donor casing, no joy.

I am abandoning all efforts to replace heads and clone before client brings in original interface (he says he may have discarded it). Thanks again for saving me time and keeping my head intact as I was about to bang it on the desk in frustration.

Lesson learned - there is a WD external drive (FireWire with Oxford chip) where only original interface can decrypt data.