Heads-up: Seagate 7200.11 Barracuda HDs

[jh]

Hi,

If you happen to own a Seagate hd, do yourself a favor and update
the firmware. I just found out that most of the Seagate 7200.11 Barracuda
drives will stop working sooner or later, due to a firmware issue.
Especially the 1TB model.

Yesterday, one of my drives just stopped working. Although I´m relieved to know
that the data is (probably) safe, I´m still not sure about anything... From what
I´ve read, if I send it to Seagate it can take a while... I´m considering sending it to
a local company who can 'unlock' the drive. It´s a tough call since my budget is super
tight, but I would need the files back ASAP...

My last backup is 2 months old, so I hope they, or someone else is able to
recover the data. There´s actually over three years worth of work on that drive,
most of it is backed up, but not all.

...Now, go and do some backups.


- JH

[mojobone]

Here's the link: http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/s ... NewLang=en

Be advised that updating your firmware or updating it incorrectly can have the same undesirable result you're attempting to avoid in the first place; you should be able to recover your data in either case, but not without substantial loss of time, money and peace of mind.

The serial number check utility didn't work for me, but it appears my particular drive is not affected. Even if it were, I'd think twice about updating and always, always back up before attempting.

[jh]

Hey mojo,

Actually, updating was very easy and you can´t do anything wrong. If the firmware is not compatible,
it won´t do anything. I updated two other drives (both Seagate) and it worked perfectly.

If your drive is 7200.11 series, it´s a good idea to update it. Otherwise it´s like playing the lottery
everytime you boot up (The difference is that you actually win sooner or later )

I just hope that the update really does fix the issue... I guess we´ll see


- JH

[mojobone]

My info is direct from Seagate, per the link, their warning not mine-though the part about backing up first is me; you shouldn't have any trouble if you follow their directions exactly. (shouldn't does not equal won't) Thanks for the headsup on this, JH.