ROM restoration

[ACE_Admin]

There is a new method in PC-3000 UDMA 4.14 version for making donor WD Marvell drive PCB's compartible with patient drive.

So, here are the steps.

1) Put donor PCB on patient HDA
2) Do not use any jumpers to get in Kernel mode
3) Power on your HDD and run the utility in Kernel mode
4) Select "ROM restoration" mode
5) Follow the steps from utility wizard

If you have an empty window with no resources listed, you have to import resources from donor drive to database.

Steps for importing:
1) Power on donor drive
2) Run the utility in normal mode
3) Select Tests->Service information->Work with DB->Create resources in DB
4) Wait until it will finish the process

You've made your first resource in DB. Now you can try to use this algorithm in ROM restoration. But it is often not enough one resource to finish your work with ROM restoration. So if you want to be surely that evrething will finished fine you need to have 3,4 or even more resources from different HDDs form the same family, but with differs in FW.

By the way if you'll hear any clicks after you've made PCB Swap and power on the drive then you need to put the PCB in Kernel mode and turn off all the Heads except one ( no mater which one ). Do that until will it help.

[AJ2008]

I have tried this already, but I had 3 sets of firmware backed up to database and neither of these 3 worked!

Will there be updated firmware resources in update boxes for marvel drives?

Thanks

[ACE_Admin]

AJ2008: What drive, what ROM's were tried ?

[ccamargol]

Hi Roustam,

Can I use this method with PC3000 PCI?

Carlos.

[heross]

Hello friends.
How i can download firmware from damaged PCB? HDD- WD800BB - 22FRA0. Lighting only BSY led. IO not destruct.

[dobrevjetser]

FW is on platters, not pcb.
Replace pcb with good one and replace nvram with the one from the bad board.
Should work.

Best regards,


dobre

[Pepe]

Hi

I did this:
PCB replacement, read SA tracks, extract modules from track files using own written prog, then write the needed modules to ROM in the good order.
Restart, and voila...

pepe

[fastec]

I did it and it worked like a charm at first attempt.

The precaution that I've used has been to use the closest serial number available in the resources list (obviously the closest serial number for the same model, in my case it was WD5000BEVT, see attached screenshot)

Thank you

Roberto

[pclab]

Hi

Today I tried to use this option, but the PCB got bricked. Is this usual? Can happen?
Thanks

[AJ2008]

Hi

Today I tried to use this option, but the PCB got bricked. Is this usual? Can happen?
Thanks

Happens very often in cases of writing entire ROM, but for automated ROM restore it should be fine unless ROM is external and there is no copy of ROM and Modules at SA. In such case you need to restore 109 only then write ROM modules from some similar resource.

[Maxim_TS]

Dear Customers, ROM restoration mechanism has been improved in last PC-3000 version, please contact us in ts.acelab.eu.com if you have any difficulties with ROM recovery, our engineers will help you.