Hitachi-IBM: Ontents

PC-3000 EXPRESS / UDMA / PORTABLE 
 ACE Laboratory Hitachi-IBM

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Hitachi-IBM 0111011110
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Drive families: DTLA, AVER, AVVA, AVVN, AVV2, VLAT 1
PLAT, ATDA, ATCS, ATMR, HTS548, HTS726
Contents
1. Purpose .................................................................................................................................................................. 3
2. Basic options for repair of Hitachi-IBM ............................................................................................................... 3
3. Preparing for work ................................................................................................................................................ 3
4. Architecture review of Hitachi-IBM HDD ............................................................................................................ 3

4.1. Drive firmware ................................................................................................................................................ 3
4.2. Compatibility of electronic printed circuit boards ............................................................................................. 4
4.3. Service data modules ....................................................................................................................................... 5
4.4. Translator ........................................................................................................................................................ 8
4.5. Critical modules for drive data ......................................................................................................................... 8
5. Launching utility ................................................................................................................................................... 9

5.1. Removal of ATA password lock..................................................................................................................... 11
5.1.1. Removal of ATA password lock using the «ATMR, HTS548, HTS726» probe ....................................... 11
5.1.2. Removal of ATA password lock using the SAFE MODE (3.5" HDD) .................................................... 12
5.1.3. Removal of ATA password lock using the SAFE MODE (2.5" PATA HDD).......................................... 12
5.1.4. Removal of ATA password lock using a short-circuit of NV-RAM contacts (2.5” SATA HDD, some
PATA HDD families)...................................................................................................................................... 12
6. Utility features ..................................................................................................................................................... 13

6.1. The «Tests» menu.......................................................................................................................................... 13
6.1.1. Utility status .......................................................................................................................................... 13
6.1.2. Service information ............................................................................................................................... 13
6.1.2.1. HDD resources backup .................................................................................................................. 13
6.1.2.2. Work with NV-RAM ..................................................................................................................... 13
6.1.2.3. Reading ROM ............................................................................................................................... 13
6.1.2.4. Work with SA ............................................................................................................................... 13
6.1.2.5. Work with DB ............................................................................................................................... 14
6.1.3. HDD formatting .................................................................................................................................... 14
6.1.4. Logical scanning.................................................................................................................................... 14
6.1.5. Defect list .............................................................................................................................................. 14
6.1.6. Reset S.M.A.R.T. .................................................................................................................................. 14
6.2. The «Tools» menu ....................................................................................................................................... 15
6.2.1. Modules table ........................................................................................................................................ 15
6.2.2. Service information objects .................................................................................................................... 16
6.2.3. Self Test ................................................................................................................................................ 16
7. Diagnostics of malfunctions ................................................................................................................................. 17

7.1. Step 1: electronic components. ....................................................................................................................... 18
7.1.1. NV-RAM selection when native PCB is lost .......................................................................................... 18
7.2. Step 2: mechanical/electrical parts.................................................................................................................. 20
7.3. Step 3: magnetic surface ................................................................................................................................ 20
7.3.1. Diagnostics of head malfunction using NV-RAM modification .............................................................. 21
7.4. Step 4: firmware status during start / magnetic heads ...................................................................................... 22
ACE Laboratory Ltd Russia

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PC-3000 EXPRESS / UDMA / PORTABLE
Hitachi-IBM  ACE Laboratory
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8. Software restoration ............................................................................................................................................ 22
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9. Peculiarities of drive families .............................................................................................................................. 23
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11 9.1. Creating a database of master samples............................................................................................................ 23
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9.2. General information about drive families ....................................................................................................... 23
9.3. 22GXP, DJNA drive family ........................................................................................................................... 24
9.4. 34GXP, DPTA drive family ........................................................................................................................... 25
9.5. GP – DPTA drive family ............................................................................................................................... 26
9.6. 40GV, DTLA5 drive family ........................................................................................................................... 27
9.7. 75GXP, DTLA7 drive family......................................................................................................................... 28
9.8. 60GXP, AVER drive family .......................................................................................................................... 29
9.9. 120GXP, AVVA drive family ........................................................................................................................ 30
9.10. 120GXP, AVVN drive family ...................................................................................................................... 31
9.11. GXP180, AVV2 drive family....................................................................................................................... 32
9.12. 7K250, VLAT drive family .......................................................................................................................... 33
9.13. 7K80, PLAT drive family ............................................................................................................................ 34
9.14. 7K400, KLAT drive family .......................................................................................................................... 35
9.15. 7K500, KLAT drive family .......................................................................................................................... 36
9.16. T7K250, DLAT drive family ....................................................................................................................... 37
9.17. 25GS, DARA drive family ........................................................................................................................... 38
9.18. 18GT, DARA drive family........................................................................................................................... 39
9.19. 12GN, DARA drive family .......................................................................................................................... 40
9.20. 20GN, DJSA drive family ............................................................................................................................ 41
9.21. 30GT, DJSA drive family ............................................................................................................................ 42
9.22. 32GH, DJSA drive family ............................................................................................................................ 43
9.23. 30GN, ATDA drive family .......................................................................................................................... 44
9.24. 40GN, ATCS drive family ........................................................................................................................... 45
9.25. 80GN, ATMR drive family .......................................................................................................................... 46
9.26. 5K80, HTS548 drive family ......................................................................................................................... 47
9.27. 7K60, HTS726 drive family ......................................................................................................................... 48
9.28. 4K40, HTS424 (HTS424M9) drive family ................................................................................................... 49
9.29. 5K100, HTS541 (HTS541G9) drive family .................................................................................................. 50
9.30. 7K100, HTS721(HTS721G9) drive family ................................................................................................... 51

2 Unauthorized copy of distribution Technical Support: ts@acelab.ru
of these documents is prohibited www.acelaboratory.com
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1. Purpose 11010101101101010100111110
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As a part of the PC-3000 hardware and software suite for Windows, this utility can be used for service maintenance of 11
hard disk drives manufactured by HGST (subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd.) using the technology received from the IBM HDD 1
production branch acquired by Hitachi in 2002; the utility also supports IBM hard disk drives produced earlier.
2. Basic options for repair of Hitachi-IBM

1) Drive testing in factory (techno) mode
2) Restoration of the drive firmware
3) Checksum reading, writing and recalculation for NV-RAM (serial Flash ROM of the drive containing
the head-and-disk assembly settings)
4) Removal of ATA password security lock
5) Reviewing and checking of the service data structure (available in an interactive mode as well)
6) Reviewing the P-List table of hidden defects
7) Resetting of S.M.A.R.T. and error logs.
3. Preparing for work

While preparing for work, please pay attention to the jumper settings of the drive and PC-3000 tester board. The
utility functions in master mode.
Attention! The utility does not support the Native Hitachi drive families; it is designed exclusively for HDD based on
IBM technology!
2.5" drives must be connected via the PC-2" adapter. All discussed HDD have no serial ports, therefore the TxD
and RxD jumpers on the adapter can be set to a position matching a drive of any other manufacturer or to safe mode
(please refer to section 9.2 for details), when it is necessary.
4. Architecture review of Hitachi-IBM HDD
4.1. Drive firmware

Firmware of Hitachi-IBM HDD consists of microcode in ROM, configuration data in NV-RAM and firmware
overlays (stored in SA or Ovl-SA1) as well as the data recorded in the service area of a drive. Firmware is described by
its version number and firmware version code (see Fig. 4.1). Firmware version number determines the microcode
development while its version code actually represents a build (revision) number.
Fig. 4.1. The structure of drive service information in Hitachi-IBM.
1 – Some HDD, e.g., the ATDA drive family, have no NV-RAM.

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Firmware is stored in masked ROM, which therefore cannot be modified. All firmware modifications are added to
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NV-RAM + SA overlays. Thus IBM design teams adopted the following rule: only firmware version NUMBER gets
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changed while the firmware CODE remains invariable. The change affects not the whole number, but the last pair of
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characters only. E.g., if the firmware version number has been A46A prior to modification, then after an update the
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1 version will be changed to A4xx, where xx stand for two other characters.
Attention! Replacement with firmware from another drive family is not allowed.
Thus, the sets (ROM + NV-RAM + SA overlays) of firmware data will be compatible if they meet the following
requirements:
 Firmware version CODE is identical for ROM, NV-RAM, and SA overlays

  - codes in NV-RAM and SA overlays match
 Firmware version NUMBER recorded in ROM may differ from the number for NV-RAM and SA overlays
in the last pair of characters only.
Hitachi-IBM drives, similarly to HDD of other vendors, support the ATA command 92h, which is frequently
referred to as loader start. The command may be employed exclusively for updating of the firmware version. It cannot
be used for drive start in case of serious corruption in the service area. The current utility version does not feature an
implemented support for loader start.
Two or three ROM chips are present on the PCB:
1) Masked ROM integrated with the processor. It contains the executable processor code and default setup
values.
2) Flash ROM with serial access – NV-RAM. It contains setup parameters for access to the drive's firmware
zone. Its size may be 256, 512 or 1024 bytes depending upon drive family.
3) The third ROM chip is not always present on a PCB. Those Flash ROM chips were used in sample testing
shipments of drives with firmware recorded in serial Flash ROM instead of a masked ROM, the method
allowed correction of errors in ROM code. The socket for that chip is located near NV-RAM. Its size is 1
Mbit, type ‒ 25FV101T.
4.2. Compatibility of electronic printed circuit boards

Compatibility of PCBs can be conveniently identified using the label at IDE connector 1 or, in case of 2.5" drives,
on the PCB (see Fig. 4.2). If the first symbols in the first two lines match, electronic parts are mostly compatible and are
completely interchangeable. Precise identification of compatibility can be performed using the information from ROM
or NV-RAM2.
07N6544
H31718_
L5Y106
HBM5
Fig. 4.2. Electronics PCB label at IDE connector.
NV-RAM contains the map of drive heads. Therefore PCBs from different models belonging to the same drive
family turn out to be incompatible. In order to adapt a PCB you should record NV-RAM from a corresponding model
into it. Besides, in that case the masked ROM version in the processor should match the version in NV-RAM and
service area modules.
You can review the version of PCB firmware using the «Utility status» command. For 3.5" drives the version ( -
code in IBM terminology) will look like: ER2OA41A, where ER is the drive family code 3, 2 – means the number of
physical heads, A41A – represents the actual firmware version number. In 2.5" drives the version consists of the
firmware version only. The basic firmware version and its version code can be reviewed from ROM. The feature will be
1 – The code from IDE connector label is also recorded in the PIDM «open» module.
2 – Since NV-RAM may become corrupt or overwritten incorrectly it is safer to rely on information stored in ROM.
3 – All supported drive families are listed with their codes in the parameter tables in Chapter 9.

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implemented in the next version of the utility. Basic version here means the firmware set with the smallest number for a 11010101101101010100111110
given ROM actually recorded in that ROM chip. 1101110110110011
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Fig. 4.3. Viewing utility status.
4.3. Service data modules

Similarly to many other drives, firmware in Hitachi-IBM HDD is recorded within service tracks allocated to a
separate zone, and consists of modules. The only considerable difference is the presence of non-volatile memory (NV-
RAM) with serial access on a PCB; memory size is 256, 512 or 1024 bytes. The memory contains an additional service
module with setup information adjusted for a specific model. One more difference is manifested in the presence of
«open» firmware modules that can be read and recorded without switching the drive to techno mode. A considerable
part of the «open» modules list is made up by modules from USAG/RESF (the main table of drive modules, which
partly may be represented by aliases, please see the list further). Besides, the list contains additional modules used by
the utilities supplied by the manufacturer for diagnostics of malfunctions. A large part of those additional modules is
not necessary for drive functioning. Some spaces are just allocated for modules, but contain nothing, therefore
producing an error at an attempt to read such space. All the main functional parts are located in a closed service area
described in the USAG/RESF module. Please keep in mind that the modules listed in USAG do not occupy the whole
service track although the drive loads firmware reading the track as a whole. Therefore the terminology pertaining to the
procedure includes the so-called «spaces» on the main track, i.e. the areas which are not covered by any of the modules
from the main modules table. If any of those spaces cannot be read, the drive will fail to initialize. A possible indicator
of such case might be the «Error reading the table of open modules» message. If such service data corruption is
revealed, the respective space has to be overwritten. The feature will be implemented in the next version of the utility.
The data in the service area can be subdivided into four categories:
 RSVD module, present in none of the tables containing modules; it marks the service track beginning.
 Modules listed in the USAG/RESF table. All these modules are critical for drive operation.
 Records that are not included into USAG/RESF table but participate in factory self-testing.
 A part of open firmware data, which does not intersect with the group of modules from USAG/RESF (the
table of open modules contains, apart from the rest, references to a large number of USAG/RESF modules
required for functioning of the manufacturer's testing utilities).
After the «Start SA checking» command is issued, the utility reads both the closed and open parts of service area.
The «Read» label indicates whether a module could be read. The «Header» label demonstrates whether a module
identifier in the table of modules matches its identifier found inside the actual module body. We should note that the
table of «open» modules contains, apart from the rest, aliases of modules (for example, the main copy of the RDMT
module in the table of «open» modules in named RDM1, and a copy thereof is called RDM2). The utility also contains
a list of correspondences between names and aliases, and features automatic substitution of information for comparison.

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The command also outputs the table of zone allocation and some other parameters. The purposes of some firmware
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modules are listed in tables 1, 2, and 3.
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the factory Self Test routine. The current version of the utility does not support manipulations with those copies.
Table 1. Functional purpose of some «closed» modules in 3.5" drives.
Module
Purpose Importance
identifier
RSVD Mark of firmware data beginning B
USAG Main modules table B
CNSL Module containing logical configuration of the HDD B
DCOT ‒ B
IDNT Drive ID B
MLBA Module containing logical configuration of the HDD B
OVR1 Module containing code overlays (SA overlays) B
PSHT Factory table of defects (P-List) / translator Ad
PTCH Module containing a table of firmware links B
PTRT ‒ B
RAM0 Module containing code overlays (SA overlays) B
RDMT G-List Ad
RLBA Module containing a table of G-List reserve B
RWCN ‒ B
SECI Module containing password information B
SERL Module containing S.M.A.R.T. error log B
SMRT Module containing S.M.A.R.T. values B
SRIF Module that controls Self Test launch B
SRVM Table of defective cylinders and servo adaptive data Ad
SRVP ‒ B
CHNM ‒ B
ZONE Zone allocation table Ad
Table 2. Functional purpose of some «open» modules.
Module
Purpose
identifier
RDM1 Alias of RDMT
RDM2 Copy of RDMT
PIDM Module containing information from the labels on PCB and HDA
PDM1 Alias of PSHT
PDM2 Copy of PSHT
DDD0 Log of DDD utility
ELG1 Log of the drive defects table.
EVLG Event Log

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Codes of the «Importance» column in Tables 1 and 3: 1101110110110011
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 A – essential module for a specific HDD: As – adaptive settings, Ad – translator tables. Replacement of the
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module with an identical module from another drive will result in the loss of reading/writing settings and 1
data loss (e.g., adaptive data modules).
 B – the module is necessary but it but can be replaced with one from another drive. Usually version and
model match is required.
 C – the module is necessary but partial module corruption does not prevent drive from starting. The drive
may correct module contents (recalculated automatically during the procedure of defects relocation)
independently in certain circumstances.
 D – the module does not affect drive operability. The category usually includes informational modules.
Dd – original defect lists used to generate drive translator. «Dr» stands for techno Self Test modules.
Table 3. Functional purpose of some «closed» modules in 2.5" drives.
Module
Purpose Importance
identifier
RSVD Mark of firmware data beginning B
RESF Main modules table B
ABLD ‒ B
ABLP ‒ B
CHNL ‒ B
CNS1 Module containing logical configuration of the HDD B
DCOT ‒ B
DUMP Self Test log module D
FLOG ‒ B
ICES Module containing password information B
IDNT Drive ID B
MFGP Module containing Self Test parameters Dr
MISC ‒ B
MLBA Module containing logical configuration of the HDD B
PESD PES data log D
PNID Module containing information from the PCB label D
PSHT Factory table of defects (P-List) / translator Ad
PTCH Module containing a table of firmware links B
PTRT ‒ B
QMCN ‒ B
RAM0 Module containing code overlays (SA overlays) B
RDMT G-List Ad
RELI ‒ B
RWCN ‒ B
SERL Module containing S.M.A.R.T. error log B
SMRT Module containing S.M.A.R.T. values B
SN00 Serial number of the HDD B
SPRE ‒ B
SRIF Module that controls Self Test launch B
SRST Self Test report C
Table of skipped defective cylinders and servo adaptive
SRVM Ad
data

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SRVP
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B
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SSST ‒ B
111101
011
SSTL ‒ B
11 ZONE Zone allocation table Ad
1
During firmware analysis you should keep in mind that there is no checksum in the modules, therefore it is quite
difficult to identify structural corruption of firmware modules.
IBM drives can read and record firmware data with a partially initialized PCB (initialization from NV-RAM is
required; firmware loading from the service data area is not necessary for manipulations with modules), therefore if
some modules in a drive cannot be read, such problem can easily be identified after looking through a report on the
service area structure.
4.4. Translator
Fig. 4.4. Translation schemes.
Hitachi-IBM drives use two types of translation (see Fig. 4,4): cylinder (А) and zone (B) translation. «A»
translation type is used in 3.5" drives while «B» type is employed in 2.5" HDD.
4.5. Critical modules for drive data

The following are modules essential for drive data in Hitachi-IBM drives: PSHT, RDMT, SRVM, ZONE, CNSL,
and MLBA (see Table 2). Besides, you should remember about the requirement of conformity to the heads map stored
in NV-RAM.

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5. Launching utility 11010101101101010100111110

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During start, the utility sends to the connected drive a command to identify itself (read HDD ID) and then uses the 11
returned data to determine automatically the family of the drive. If the identification data (model name) do not 1
correspond to any of the drive families supported in the utility, then it displays the following message: «Cannot identify
the HDD family!» If the information matches, the drive family radio button will be automatically activated in the
appropriate position of the start-up dialog of the utility (see Fig. 5.1).
If access to user data is blocked with an ATA password, the start-up dialog will contain an active «Password
unlocking» button. Please refer to section for details.
Fig. 5.1. Utility start-up dialog.
The start-up procedure for the utility offers two available methods: «Read resources from HDD» and «Read
resources from DB». In the first case, the utility initializes using the connected drive. In the second case, it takes
necessary data from its database instead of the service area of the connected HDD (except for NV-RAM). Start-up with
the «Read resources from DB» option enabled actually eliminates access to the service area of a drive. It may be useful
in situations when it is damaged, when such access causes the drive to hang or start knocking.
Manual selection of drive family is activated automatically if the utility fails to identify the family of the connected
HDD. For Hitachi-IBM you can choose the configurable <Custom> family introduced for handling of new drive
families that the utility does not support yet or if you encounter drive firmware, which is not completely compatible
with the utility settings. Appropriate configuration is possible through a special IBMOverride.ini file copied
automatically during setup. The ini file can be edited directly or within graphical interface of the utility. In the latter
case you have to select the basic drive family in the custom list, enter the utility, open its settings dialog and then
proceed to the special settings dialog.
Attention! Modification of IBM Override.ini is recommended for experienced users only.
Attention! If a key differs in its parameters or the mechanism of its generation from all existing base and custom drive
families, you will have to create manually in the ini file a new section based on the closest family and then complete
configuration from the utility settings editor.

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Fig. 5.2. Custom drive family configuration dialog.
 Section name defines the section title in IBMOverride.ini.

 Comment – a user-defined explanatory string.
 Base family – one of the main drive families supported in the utility. It will be used as a basis for parsing of
some firmware data (NV-RAM, zone allocation table, defect lists....).
 Techno mode key is the ATA command enabling HDD to accept factory mode commands. 3 types of command
generation are available:
˗ for LBA28 («short» command variant using just the registers employed in LBA28 commands)
˗ for LBA48 («long» command variant using directly word registers employed in LBA48 commands)
˗ for LBA48(bridge) (bridge) («long» command variant with higher parts of word registers used in
LBA48 commands transferred in a separate command). The variant for LBA48(bridge) is used to send
factory mode commands to SATA drives equipped with Marvell PATA to SATA bridge chip.
 The NV-RAM field allows you to define the parameters of NV-RAM chip, such as: base address in the HDD
address space and its size. Parsing of NV-RAM data is performed using the specified base drive family as
reference.
 Module access – a group of controls regulating reading of service data modules from disk surface
 RSVD base – the main PBA part of the RSVD module indicating the main service track. It defines the module
location in PCHS space (cylinder, head, sector) after conversion from PBA based on an appropriate formula.
 USAG base – the main PBA part of the USAG (RESF) module containing the principal modules table. It defines
module placement in PCHS space (cylinder, head, sector) after conversion from PBA based on corresponding
formula.
 Copy 1 modifier – the number added to PBA from the main modules table to produce PBA of a copy of that
module. Actually it contains the increment to add to head or track number.
 The factory copy setting defines the parameters for address conversion into factory SA copy for two tracks of the
main SA. The first parameter is relative cylinder number in the main SA (the utility calculates it using a special
formula with the PBA module data), the second contains increment to add to PBA required to obtain the copy
address. If the relative cylinder number parameter is -1, translation is not defined.

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 The «Reread section» button reads a section from IBMOverride.ini (it allows discarding of accidental
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modifications before they are saved to the section). 0111011110
111101
 The «From base family» button copies some settings (such as NV-RAM location and size, modules translation 011
11
into copies) from the base family settings within the utility code into the editor fields. Techno key parameters 1
are not copied (the key is assumed to match the techno key of the base family).
 The «Save section» button stores modifications in IBMOverride.ini.

Please examine below a section of IBMOverride.ini created for a DPTA drive.
[Overrides]
DPTA = example
[DPTA]
BaseFam = DPTA
TechKeyExec = 28
TechKeyData = 300 03 37 03 57 03 A1 FF
NVR_IO_Base = 80000
NVR_ImgSz = 100
RSVD_Base = 1000
USAG_Base = 1000
ModuleCp1Mod = 1000
FactoryMod = 1 2000, FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF
5.1. Removal of ATA password lock

The procedure of password unlocking in the utility is automated. During start-up, the utility reads the drive ID and
determines whether the ATA password is enabled. If the password is present, then the «Password unlocking» button
becomes active. No additional actions are required on the user's part to unlock a drive belonging to the DARA, DJSA,
DTLA-5 or DTLA-7 families. In all other cases you will have to take some additional steps described below.
5.1.1. Removal of ATA password lock using the «ATMR, HTS548, HTS726» probe
Drive families: ATDA, ATCS.
Procedure:
1) Launch the utility while the locked HDD is connected.
2) Click «Password unlocking». The utility will power-off the drive.
3) Connect the probe (shown in the Fig. 5.3) to the pins corresponding to the drive's family (see section 9)
and hold it there.
4) Click OK in the dialog «Set probe to the position shown in the manual, then click OK». The utility will
power-up the drive. As soon as the drive reports on readiness, the utility will display a «Remove
probe!» message.
Attention! There is risk of damaging the PCB, therefore please exercise caution while connecting the probe
5) Remove the probe, click OK.
6) Then the utility will unlock the drive. If the probe's contact with the PCB was unstable (then unlocking
will be impossible), the utility will offer to repeat the attempt.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Fig. 5.3. Appearance of the «ATMR, HTS548, HTS726» prob.
5.1.2. Removal of ATA password lock using the SAFE MODE (3.5" HDD)
Procedure:
3) Set the jumpers on the HDD controller board to the AUTO SPIN DISABLE position in accordance with
the on-board scheme at the interface drive connector.
4) After access restoration the utility will suggest that you return the jumpers back to the Master mode
position.
5.1.3. Removal of ATA password lock using the SAFE MODE (2.5" PATA HDD)
Procedure:
3) Set the jumpers on PC-2” adapter to Safe Mode (see section 9.2).
4) After access restoration the utility will suggest that you return the jumpers back to the Master mode
position.
5.1.4. Removal of ATA password lock using a short-circuit of NV-RAM contacts

(2.5” SATA HDD, some PATA HDD families)
Procedure:
3) Then the utility will suggest to short-circuit NV-RAM contacts. You can accomplish that by soldering
conductor wires to the corresponding NV-RAM pins (shown in the figure displayed in the prompt dialog)
on the internal side of the board. You can check the location of the first pin in the section of chapter 9
devoted to the family of the drive in question. Besides, you can track the circuit from the specified pins to
the external side of the board. As a rule, the data line of NV-RAM chip is passed to the external board
side through a transition opening via two resistors. In that case the found transition opening should be
grounded using any available conductor.
Attention! To ensure safety of NV-RAM content you can perform the following steps instead of the short-circuit
procedure: unscrew the PCB from HDA when the utility displays its short-circuit prompt; and install it back and fix
when the utility instructs you to remove the short circuit.
Attention! For PATA HDD you can set PC-2” jumpers to Safe Mode instead of NV-RAM short circuit (see section 9.2).
4) When the utility completes operations required to connect to the drive, it will instruct you to remove the
short circuit.

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100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
6. Utility features 11010101101101010100111110

1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
Specific features of the utility can be invoked from the «Tests» and «Tools» – «Utility extensions» menus. All 011
11
other features are shared with the universal utility (please see the manual for the universal utility). 1
Table 4. Hot keys for utility-specific features.
Mode Hot key

Modules table [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[1]
View service information objects [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[2]
6.1. The «Tests» menu

6.1.1. Utility status
The command displays the selected drive family together with information about NV-RAM version and
USAG/RESF (see Fig. 4.3), as well as the list of loaded Offline start resources (if you have selected utility start using
the resources from DB).
6.1.2. Service information

6.1.2.1. HDD resources backup
The command allows you to save the following parts of firmware from the connected HDD to its profile: NV-
RAM, modules, offline start resources. The feature is useful for creation of a backup copy for the firmware from the
drive being repaired prior to making any changes.
6.1.2.2. Work with NV-RAM
 Reading/Writing.
Attention! The utility does not correct the checksum automatically while writing data in drives belonging to the
families which do not feature ECC for writing operations. You can correct the checksum using a plug-in for the HEX
editor (6.2.2).
 NV-RAM visual editing. The mode is used mostly for diagnostics of drive heads and temporary SA switch to
other physical heads during HDD initialization (after which heads map in RAM is returned to the standard
format for access to data).
 NV-RAM adjustment (SA search). The feature is used when the original NV-RAM content gets lost. The utility
performs a special procedure to allow access to the SA, then you can start searching the area for the native NV-
RAM image.
6.1.2.3. Reading ROM

The utility features ROM reading only because drive means do not allow its recording. The menu item is necessary
because a HDD can lose the content of on-board Flash ROM. In that case the ROM chip content should be recorded in a
programmer device using a library of previously recorded ROM data. The required version can be identified by NV-
RAM content.
6.1.2.4. Work with SA
 Start SA checking. The test helps estimate the validity of the data written in the service area. The feature
generates a check report.
 Modules reading/writing. You can use reading and writing procedures to save or overwrite all service area
modules (described in the modules table) within a single copy. However, the firmware set includes some
additional data missing in the list, for example, factory copy of the service area or copies of modules.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
 HDD configuration editing. The mode allows you to edit the following ID information and settings:
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
1) firmware version returned with the drive ID
011
11
2) model
1 3) serial number
4) maximum LBA
5) enable/disable automatic reassignment of defects.
6) The utility also displays the following parameters:
7) Part Number
8) PCB ID
6.1.2.5. Work with DB
 HDD resources export allows you to extract from your database modules as files for subsequent import.
The feature supports filter-based search for necessary resources.
 Resource master copy creation in DB allows you to create a master copy in the database. It is
recommended for storage of sample firmware data from functioning drives, which will be available then
for repair of other HDD.
6.1.3. HDD formatting

This command transfers grown defects from G-List to P-List with subsequent surface formatting. Formatting
borders are specified in ABA notation without consideration of defective sectors. Thus, to format the entire surface, you
will have to specify ABA range from 0 to drive capacity + total number of defects relocated in P-List. Such method
allows detection of globally damaged surface areas because the factory formatting command terminates with an error
when it encounters such locations.
6.1.4. Logical scanning

The procedure allows both analysis of surface condition with detection of defective areas and relocation of defects.
Attention! If Autoreassign feature is enabled in a HDD, global damage to user data is possible if the drive has reading
or writing problems. That probability is determined by a specific algorithm used for reassignment of defects to G-List.
6.1.5. Defect list

 View Cylinder defect list table. This command allows viewing of the cylinder defects listed in the SRVM
module.
 View P-List. This item allows viewing of drive P-List using the standard command for listing of existing
defects.
 Move G-List to P-List. This command transfers grown defects from G-List to P-List using the
corresponding factory command.
 Edit RDMT. This command allows viewing and editing of drive G-List. This version does not process the
relocation index because the command should only be used before a command for G-List transfer to P-List
for editing of the current list of autoreassigned defects and their manual addition.
 Edit PSHT. This command alows viewing of drive P-List parsed by the utility directly from the PSHT
module. Full-featured editing is not supported in this version yet.
6.1.6. Reset S.M.A.R.T.

The command returns S.M.A.R.T. attributes to their default values. Similarly to many other drives, S.M.A.R.T.
reset does not affect the number of reassigned defects created directly in G-List.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
6.2. The «Tools» menu 11010101101101010100111110
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0111011110
The «Tools» menu traditionally contains a standard selection of dialog modes described in the universal utility and 111101
011
some specialized modes for work with Hitachi-IBM drives accessible in the «Utility extensions» mode. 11
1
6.2.1. Modules table

The mode (see Fig. 6.1) includes all features necessary for interactive restoration of the service area, i.e. the
process of structure analysis is combined with the process of restoration. It can be invoked from the menu «Tools» –
«Utility extensions» – «Modules table».
The following features are available in the context menu or the appropriate toolbar:
 Module viewing – opens a HEX editor window with the contents of the selected module. If the module
contains unreadable sectors, no data will be loaded for reviewing.
 Start SA testing – initiates the process of reading modules and analyzing their structure, then it fills the
fields that describe module status. You will have to select the modules for testing before start.
 Terminate process – terminates the structure testing process or module reading.

 Rewrite module from DB – allows you to overwrite a single specified module using the data from your
database.
 Write modules group from DB – allows you to overwrite several specified modules using the data from
your database.
 Write modules group from HDD profile – allows you to overwrite several specified modules using the data
from your current drive's profile.
 Show log – the switch enables/disables the window containing a log of module structure test.
Fig. 6.1. Modules table.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
6.2.2. Service information objects
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101 This section contains features useful for viewing of service data modules, NV-RAM content and controller RAM
011
11(see Fig. 6.2). The system of extensions (plug-ins) allows you to recalculate ECC for NV-RAM taking into account the
1 selected drive family because various families utilize different calculation algorithms.
Fig. 6.2. Viewing service information objects.
6.2.3. Self Test

Self Test is a part of drive firmware intended for internal HDD testing and configuration. In IBM drives the Self
Test procedure performs fine-tuning of adaptive drive parameters and multi-pass scanning of disk surface with
registration of defects. The first pass is used to scan the service area, the second handles the user data area checking it
for locations that should be added to cylinder defect list (if the drive family supports such list), the third pass adds
revealed defects to P-List.
Attention! Self Test procedure destroys user data!
Attention! It is essential to leave the drive powered-on throughout the whole Self Test procedure. If you interrupt the
self-testing routine by switching power off, then after next power-on the Self Test procedure will start with invalid
parameters because some of them are stored in drive RAM. Therefore an incorrectly started Self Test should be
interrupted using the «Stop Self Test» command with a subsequent test restart.
Attention! Self Test registers just some of the defects due to its specifics. Thus, after Self Test completion you will
have to format the drive with a subsequent standard procedure for detection and reassignment of defects.
Self Test control and monitoring are performed within a special wizard accessible from the «Tools» menu. However,
if Self Test is already running, you should launch the utility in Self Test monitoring mode directly from the start-up dialog.
The requirement is determined by the fact that during Self Test a HDD does not process ATA commands and thus normal
utility launch is impossible. The appearance of the Self Test control and monitoring dialog is shown below.
Fig. 6.3. Self Test control and monitoring dialog.

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100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
Purposes of toolbar buttons. 1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
11010101101101010100111110
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0111011110
‒ Close the Self Test control and monitoring wizard. 111101
011
11
1
‒ Start Self Test
‒ Start Self Test monitoring
‒ Terminate Self Test progress monitoring
‒ Stop Self Test
‒ View Self Test results
‒ Display HDD status progressively
‒ Additionally, the section reflects the ATA

registers of the drive being tested.
Self Test results viewing feature displays wizard log contaning the Setlf Test status word and Self Test termination
error code. The following status words are possible:
 «COMPFIN», «COMPLETE» – Self Test completed successfully.

 «ABORTED!» – «SELF TEST» completed with an error.
 «SELF TEST» – «SELF TEST» has not been completed, the utility forced it to stop.
Please see below some Self Test error codes:
Code Description
00 00 Self Test completed successfully.
01 01 problems in service area – writing error, heads malfunction, surface scratches.
02 02 problem with head(s): incompletely operational, hit, bent, etc.
06 02 P-List overflow
If Self Test terminates with an error, you can attempt to restore HDD manually using the standard procedure for
detection and reassignment of defects (of course, in cases other than P-List overflow).
7. Diagnostics of malfunctions
The task of Hitachi-IBM drive repair requires, first of all, precise diagnostics of malfunction, preferably without
HDA disassembly; with simultaneous minimizing of further damage to the drive or data loss. Malfunctions, just like
methods of diagnostics can be subdivided as follows:
 PCB malfunction.
 Motor/bearing failure.
 Parking element failure.
 Failure of one or more reading/writing heads.
 Damaged heads and surface scratch.
 Split glass plates (the malfunction can be easily identified by typical noise).

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
 BAD sectors.
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
 Instabilities of reading/writing.
011
11
 Complete or partial loss of service information.
1
When the scope of problems is identified, it is time to begin diagnostics. What of the above has happened?
7.1. Step 1: electronic components.

Let us begin with the electronics board. In order to make sure that the board is operational it is sufficient to connect
it to another drive with the same firmware version and check, whether the drive works flawlessly with the board. Our
guidelines for PCB selection on the basis of HDD version can be found in section 4.2. Several drive families have
electronics compatibility peculiarities described in chapter 9. If a drive after power-up reports on readiness but does not
spin up the spindle, it may mean that the program recorded in NV-RAM is incompatible with ROM contents. If at
power-up a drive does not spin up the spindle and remains in the BSY state or its indicators blink in a chaotic manner, it
may mean that the central processor or additional ROM containing microcode has been damaged (quite frequent
situation with AVVN drives). Please keep in mind that an additional ROM chip is present on some PCBs only. As a
rule, it can be found in drives from initial shipments while the manufacturer was still testing the HDD firmware. After
testing, verified code is transferred into masked ROM inside processor chip. Another case of electronics malfunction
may be demonstrated by incorrect operation of stress sensor. Such drive may pass verification without problems but it
will start knocking in case of random reading. To fix it, you will have to unsolder the impact sensor, it is a large
component resembling a ceramic capacitor and always installed at an angle of 45 degrees 1 to PCB edge (in some 2.5"
drives it is installed inside the HDA).
7.1.1. NV-RAM selection when native PCB is lost

Hitachi-IBM drive use for access to service area such parameters as top cylinder (SA Top Cyl) and base cylinder
for the list of cylinder defects in SRVM (SRVM Cyl base) 2. SA Top Cyl – physical cylinder preceding the service area.
Attention! The list of cylinder defects is implemented in some drive families only (please see their detailed
descriptions). In that case the only variable parameter is SA Top. Then utility prohibits SRVM Cyl base fitting. Some
drive families record the appropriate numbers in ROM, others – in NV-RAM3. Consequently, in drives holding the
settings in NV-RAM, the numbers will be unique for each drive. It means that loss of the original NV-RAM content
prevents access to the service area. Utility feature described in this chapter allows adapting a borrowed NV-RAM for
access to a HDD SA.
Attention! For drives that support variation of both parameters (SA Top, Cyl base) there is a whole set of parameter
pairs, which enable access to the SA. Still, there is JUST ONE pair, which also provides access to user data (because
SRVM Cyl base affects translation). Therefore, once you have access to SA, you should first of all search for the image
of the native (active4 or factory5) NV-RAM content.
Attention! Modern 2.5” HDD typically use individual SA Top cyl value for each head. Still, to speed up the fine-
tuning procedure, the algorithm manipulates just one number. Therefore, once you have access to SA, you should first
of all search for the image of the native (active6 or factory7) NV-RAM content.
1 – Such setup allows impact detection using three coordinates – both in the plane of the plates owing to
the installation angle and vertically. Theoretically, the sensor's ability to detect impact directed along its
axis is low.
2 – It is present in some drive families only. Please refer to descriptions of drive families for details.
3– 2.5”: HTS5424, HTS541, HTS721; 3.5”: DTLA, AVER, AVVA, AVVN, AVV2, VLAT, PLAT,
KLAT, DLAT
4 – The one used in the HDD when it was functional.
5 – It can have a different FW version but the actual data may match active NV-RAM.
6 – The one used in the HDD when it was functional.
7 – It can have a different FW version but the actual data may match active NV-RAM.

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100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Fig. 7.1. Dialog containing the parameters for the algorithm picking NV-RAM settings.
The startup dialog of the algorithm is shown in the Figure 11. Here in the To vary group of controls the SA Top
and SRVM Cyl base switches allow you to choose the parameter, which will be varied. For most drive families
modification of any of the parameters produces identical results. Still, the utility suggests the optimal method in the
initial dialog. From and to settings are used to define the variation borders. The «Checking timeout» parameter allows
resriction of the time during which each variant will be tested. For a normal drive you can leave the default value (300
ms), while for HDD with reading problems the timeout can be increased to ensure correct identification of proper
setting value. It means that a HDD must be able to return an error for an incorrect value and report readiness for a
correct one within the timeout. Working folder defines the directory where work files for the algorithm will be stored:
 NV-RAM_Org.nvr – NV-RAM image existing at the moment of procedure start.

 NV-RAM_Adapted_For_Chk.nvr – NV-RAM image intended to search for the native NV-RAM in SA
(with blocked routine for complete FW loading).
 NV-RAM_Adapted.nvr – NV-RAM image with substituted found parameter and without blocked routine
for complete FW loading.
Attention! The algorithm used in the utility for 3.5” drives allows you to receive access to SA immediately after
procedure completion, but for 2.5” drive you need to record the adapted NV-RAM, and then send a Reset signal or
switch the power off/on.
In DTLA, AVER, AVVA, AVVN drive families at successfull firmware start a HDD performs writing test of the
heads using the buffer which contains slightly corrupted NV-RAM image left after the initial startup. Specifically, the
initial E2PR signature is replaced (it can be restored in any hex editor). Writing is performed to the initial sector of
WRTx modules, where x stands for the head number. Thus, you can read the initial sector of the WRT module to obtain
an NV-RAM image of the last successful startup.
Attention! To prevent its overwriting, you should either read the required data immediately after the fitting procedure
or access SA using (having written to HDD) an NV-RAM image with blocked routine for complete FW loading – NV-
RAM_Adapted_For_Chk.nvr. For access to WRT modules you will need to load the utility in off-line start mode and
then load the table of «open» modules or use known ABA addresses of WRT modules. Actual reading should be
performed in the Service information objects wizard, the Modules / ABA Range tab, ABA Range mode, initial ABA
must be represented with the address of a WRT module, length 1.
For AVV2 and newer 3.5” drives the list of modules includes NVRC – NV-RAM image.
In 2.5” HTS424, HTS541, HTS721 drives the factory NV-RAM image should be sought in the sector
immediately following the last module of the main FACTORY SA track (after module SRIF) or within the track of the
FLOG module (ABA range from module beginning should be read, length: 0x200-0x237). Search should be performed
using the found SA Top value in combination with visual analysis of data structure.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
Thus, the procedure is as follows:
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
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111101
 Connect to the HDA a corresponding functional PCB with recorded NV-RAM for startup.
011
11  Switch drive power supply on.
 Launch the utility.
1
 Initiate the fitting feature in menu Tests – Service information, Work with NV-RAM – NV-RAM adjustment
(SA search).
 Select the variation parameter (you are advised to keep the default selection).
 Select the variation range (you are advised to keep the default selection).
 Define test operation timeout (you are advised to keep the default selection or increase it if the drive is
physically damaged).
 Launch the procedure.
 Wait for its completion. If access to SA has not been received, you can try repeating the procedure with
another test NV-RAM, but the probability of success will be low.
 For 2.5” drives mentioned above, rewrite the NV-RAM NV-RAM_Adapted_For_Chk.nvr image and switch
power supply off/on.
 Search SA for native NV-RAM image using the location guidelines above.
 Disable Autoreassign in the HDD configuration editing dialog.
If the procedure provides no access to SA, you can try extending the range of parameter variation. Please keep in
mind that the drive will start knocking if the parameters are specified beyond the final cylinder. Therefore, please
monitor the procedure carefully to avoid damage to the drive when you specify a custom testing range.
If the found image does not enable access to data, you should consider the probability of heads damage. If the
heads are normal, access to data cannot be restored.
A malfunctioning PCB makes software restoration of a HDD with the utility impossible.
7.2. Step 2: mechanical/electrical parts

If the problem is not caused by electronics then motor diagnostics should be performed. If the motor does not spin
up though the board is operational, the cause is either in a damaged motor winding or heads sticking to disk surface.
Sometimes the motor damage causes the motor controller chip failure. One more cause preventing rotation is seizure of
a fluid dynamic bearing. Seizure practically does not occur in drives using ball bearings in spindle, but another problem
appears, namely motor operation with obviously high noise level. One more motor problem may be related to bad
contact or broken cable in the connector between the electronics board and HDA. As a result motor problems can be
identified by the following signs:
 Winding closure or break.

 Seizure of fluid dynamic bearing (FDB).
 Motor operation with a considerable noise level.
 Problem with connection between the motor and electronics board.
A malfunctioning motor makes software restoration of a HDD in the utility impossible.
7.3. Step 3: magnetic surface

If a drive with operational electronics having no obvious problems in motor functioning (VCM & spindle motor)
does not knock with its heads or produces slight knocking at attempted calibration, we should proceed to the next Step
4. Now we should start diagnostics of surface scratches. It is difficult to perform the diagnostics completely without
drive disassembly, but through the STW lifter opening one can see up to 90% of the surface from the upper HDD cover
side. Once a scratch appears on one of disk surfaces, it spreads very quickly to all others. If a scratch is large, it will be
sufficient to find it without HDA disassembly. In Hitachi-IBM drives the STW lifter opening is located in the HDA
cover below the label. The mentioned opening allows you to see the upper head (one with the highest number). A
scratch appears most frequently because of problems with the terminal strip of the parking element. Scratches on disk
surface or detached heads make drive restoration impossible.

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7.3.1. Diagnostics of head malfunction using NV-RAM modification 11010101101101010100111110
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If a drive has a malfunctioning head, it will be unable to pass the calibration procedure (a HDD may start endless 111101
011
knocking) and consequently it will provide no access to data for the normal heads for information retrieval. We shall 11
demonstrate the procedure for such cases using an example: 1
 Start the HDD in safe mode or, if the drive allows launching the utility (does not return constant BSY
response), then use normal mode.
 Use visual NV-RAM editor (6.1.2.2) and try to modify the heads map as follows: e.g., the heads map may
look like: 05 04 03 02 07 07 with the total number of used heads equal to 4. Let us assume that the 02
head does not work while head 04 is functional. Modify the heads map to substitute the normal head
instead of the malfunctioning one. For that example it will be 05 04 03 04 07 07. If the problem is caused
by the head 02 only, the drive will start and allow reading the data using logical access; however, the data
from locations corresponding to head 2 will not be read. Therefore you should use Data Extractor to build
a heads map and disable reading for the appropriate head number in the map. In this case, Data Extractor
will display the following heads: 0, 1, 2, 3. Since the malfunctioning head 02 occupies the third position in
the map (beginning with zero), then head 3 should be disabled in the map built by Data Extractor during
data recovery from the HDD.
Attention! NV-RAM checksum must be recalculated after modification of the heads map! The utility does not do that
automatically!
In typical cases you should begin with testing by filling the heads map with the same number and going over all
the numbers from the valid cells of the original map. In this case, the numbers will be: 05 05 05 05 07 07, 04 04 04 04
07 07, 03 03 03 03 07 07, 02 02 02 02 07 07.
Please keep in mind also that when you substitute into the map a system head different from the original one, the
drive attempting to read the service information will produce for a while noise similar to that heard when a BAD block
reading is attempted (checksum does not match because of switched head and sectors will be unreadable), but the drive
will not start endless knocking. The drive, of course, will not load the service data.
Besides, please remember that you cannot freely change head position if you need to enable correct operation
based on logical parameters in such drives as AVVA and AVVN. Heads parity must be preserved because heads are
switched in pairs. E.g., if the heads map is 05 04 03 02, operational map will be 03 03 05 04. Of course, you will need
to rewrite the service area.
Fig. 7.2. NV-RAM editing dialog.
Attention! The method is applicable for drives equipped with NV-RAM only.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
7.4. Step 4: firmware status during start / magnetic heads
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
Figure 7.3 demonstrates a scheme of diagnostics for a malfunctioning Hitachi-IBM HDD. Unlike drives of other
11vendors, Hitachi-IBM HDD can read/write the contents of their service area exclusively using the program written in
1
drive electronics; they do not require external loaders. We should mention, however, that a loader still can be used with
Hitachi-IBM drives in cases, when you need to overwrite the whole service area. That recording method sometimes
works better than overwriting of modules, but it has not been implemented in this utility so far because the loader start
algorithm was changed in new HDD.
An opportunity to read/write the contents of the service area allows easy diagnostics of malfunctioning modules
with the «Start SA checking» command of the utility. Problems occur when RSVD and/or USAG/RESF module in the
service area cannot be read. Such corruptions of firmware indicate poor performance of the system head making the
repair of such drive impossible until you switch the system head and relocate its service area accordingly. It would be
reasonable in that case to install a functioning magnetic heads assembly for data recovery.
Fig. 7.3. Diagnostics procedure for Hitachi-IBM HDD.
8. Software restoration
The following features can be used for software restoration of a HDD:
 NV-RAM reading/writing
 Editing and fitting of a donor NV-RAM
 Analysis of SA structure using built-in test tools
 Reading/writing or damaged modules
 Editing of the defect lists (including reassignment of damaged sections within user data area)
 S.M.A.R.T. reset
 Self Test launch and monitoring is implemented for the drive families listed above.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
In addition, you can use standard reading of factory modules copies and arbitrary access to SA via ABA to search 11010101101101010100111110
manually for corrupted structures critical for the HDD or user data, such as NV-RAM and defect lists. 1101110110110011
0111011110
You can verify the structure of service data using two methods: «SA structure test» (6.1.2.3) and the «Modules 111101
011
table» interactive mode (6.2.1). If the utility encounters a module including sectors that cannot be read or a module with 11
1
damaged structure, such object can be overwritten. If recording of a damaged module fails, it does not necessarily
mean physical damage in SA. Quite often it is caused by drive startup with problems in blocking of the writing
mechanism in SA. It can be circumvented by switching access to SA (startup dialog of the utility) or using the probes
supplied with the product1.
9. Peculiarities of drive families
9.1. Creating a database of master samples

The utilities of the PC-3000 complex for Windows use a database for storage of HDD firmware. The database
allows convenient classification of firmware enabling the user to search the stored data by various signs, for instance,
by NV-RAM identifier. All records pertaining to a single resource are combined into a common profile. Therefore you
can reliably identify the drive (drive ID and technical details) that a certain object belongs to, which is hardly possible
when a drive's service area is saved as files. Another benefit of the database is the opportunity to import/export one or
several firmware copies facilitating their exchange. As you use import into your database, you can check the drive ID
and technical details of the drive from which the firmware has been copied. In cases of exchange with firmware stored
in files all the data had to be entered manually and some users would simply forget about that.
You can add the firmware of a HDD to your database with the «Tests» → «Service information» → «Work with
DB» → «Resource master copy creation in DB» command.
9.2. General information about drive families

The discussed drive families do not park heads on the disks as it used to be earlier. Instead, they park their heads
on a special plastic rack at the external plate's edge. Sometimes that parking method results in scratches all over disk
surface in cases when a head either becomes bent during rack exit/entry or when the head gets under the guide of the
parking rack. Heads also frequently stick onto the disk surface.
In 2.5" drives Safe Mode must be enabled using the jumper settings on the PC-2" adapter as shown in the Figure 7.2.
Fig. 9.1. Safe Mode jumper settings on the PC-2” adapter.
1 – Locations for short-circuit of the read-write channel with the supplied probe are described for some
families in this manual.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.3. 22GXP, DJNA drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 5. DJNA family models
Drive family: Model Capacity, GB Maximum LBA
DJNA DJNA-372200 22.60 44,150,400
DJNA-371800 18.04 35,239,680
DJNA-371350 13.57 26,520,480
DJNA-370910 9.11 17,803,440
Table 6. DJNA family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code JN
Spindle motor rotational speed 5400
NV-RAM 512 bytes, 6 bytes ECC
Fig. 9.2. External view of the controller board in DJNA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.4. 34GXP, DPTA drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 7. DPTA family models
34GXP, DPTA DPTA-373420 34.21 66,835,440
DPTA-372730 27.37 53,464,320
DPTA-372050 20.52 40,088,160
DPTA-371360 13.67 26,712,000
Table 8. DPTA family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code PT
Fig. 9.3. External view of the controller board in 34GXP-DPTA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.5. GP – DPTA drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Tabe 9. DPTA family models
37GP, DPTA DPTA-353750 37.50 73,261,440
DPTA-353000 30.00 58,600,080
DPTA-352250 22.52 43,985,088
DPTA-351500 15.02 29,336,832
Table 10. DPTA family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code PT
Fig. 9.4. External view of the controller board in GP - DPTA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.6. 40GV, DTLA5 drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 11. DTLA5 family models
DTLA-5 DTLA-305040 41.17 80,418,240
DTLA-305030 30.73 60,036,480
DTLA-305020 20.57 40,188,960
DTLA-305010 10.27 20,074,320
Table 12. DTLA5 family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code TW
Spindle motor rotational speed 5400RPM
Fig.9.5. External view of the controller board in DTLA5 drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.7. 75GXP, DTLA7 drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 13. DTLA7 family models
DTLA-7 DTLA-307075 76.86 150,136,560
DTLA-307060 61.49 120,103,200
DTLA-307045 46.11 90,069,840
DTLA-307030 30.73 60,036,480
DTLA-307020 20.57 40,188,960
DTLA-307015 15.36 30,003,120
Table 14. DTLA7 family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code TX
Fig.9.6. External view of the controller board in DTLA7 drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.8. 60GXP, AVER drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 15. AVER family models
AVER IC35L060AVER07 61.49 120,103,200
IC35L040AVER07 41.17 80,418,240
IC35L030AVER07 30.73 60,036,480
IC35L020AVER07 20.57 40,188,960
IC35L010AVER07 10.27 20,074,320
Table 16. AVER family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code ER
Fig. 9.7. External view of the controller board in AVER drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.9. 120GXP, AVVA drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 17. AVVA family models
AVVA IC35L120AVVA07 123.52 241,254,720
IC35L100AVVA07 102.93 201,045,600
IC35L080AVVA07 82.34 160,836,480
IC35L060AVVA07 61.49 120,103,200
IC35L040AVVA07 41.17 80,418,240
IC35L020AVVA07 20.57 40,188,960
Table 18. AVVA family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code VA
Fig. 9.8. External view of the controller board in AVVA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.10. 120GXP, AVVN drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 19. AVVN family models
AVVN IC35L040AVVN07 40 80,418,240
IC35L020AVVN07 20 40,188,960
Table 20. AVVN family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code VN
Fig. 9.9. External view of the controller board in AVVN drive family.
This drive family has a typical controller board malfunction caused either by damaged processor
or corruption of data integrity in Serial Flash ROM chip shown in Fig. 9.9 under number 4.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.11. GXP180, AVV2 drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 21. AVV2 family models
AVV2, GXP180 IC35L180AVV207-1 180 361,882,080
IC35L120AVV207-0 120 241,254,720
IC35L090AVV207-0 90 160,836,480
IC35L060AVV207-0 60 120,103,200
IC35L030AVV207-0 30 60,036,480
Table 22. AVV2 family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code V2
Spindle motor rotational speed 7200 RPM
Fig.9.10. External view of the controller board in AVV2 drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.12. 7K250, VLAT drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
Table 23. VLAT family models 011
11
1
7K250, VLAT HDS722525VLAT80 250 488,397,168
HDS722516VLAT20 160 321,672,960
HDS722512VLAT20 120 241,254,720
HDS722580VLAT20 80 160,836,480
HDS722540VLAT20 40 80,418,240
Table 24. VLAT family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code V3
Fig. 9.11. External view of the controller board in VLAT drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.13. 7K80, PLAT drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011 Table 25. PLAT family models
11
1
7K80, PLAT HDS728080PLAT20 80 160,836,480
HDS728040PLAT20 40 80,418,240
Table 26. PLAT family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code PF
Attention! Calculation of ECC bytes for the PLAT drive family is not implemented in the utility yet! The drive
performs ECC for NV-RAM while recording it on its own.
Fig. 9.12. External view of the controller board in PLAT drive family.
Fig. 9.13. Location where the probe should be connected to unlock a HDD.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.14. 7K400, KLAT drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 27. KLAT family models
7K400, KLAT HDS724040KLAT80 400 781,422,768
HDS724040KLSA80 400 781,422,768
Table 28. KLAT family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code KF
Fig. 9.14. External view of the controller board in 7K400- KLAT drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.15. 7K500, KLAT drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Tabe 29. KLAT family models
7K500, KLAT HDS724050KLAT80 500 976,773,168
HDS724050KLSA80 500 976,773,168
Tabe 30. KLAT family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code KF
Fig .9.15. External view of the controller board in 7K500, KLAT drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.16. T7K250, DLAT drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Tabe 31. DLAT family models
HDT722525DLAT80 250 488,397,168
HDT722520DLAT80 200 390,721,968
HDT722516DLAT80 160 321,672,960
T7K250, DLAT
HDT722525DLA380 250 488,397,168
HDT722520DLA380 200 390,721,968
HDT722516DLA380 160 321,672,960
Tabe 32. DLAT family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code DF
Fig. 9.16. External view of the controller board in T7K250, DLAT drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.17. 25GS, DARA drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Tabe 33. DARA family models
DARA DARA-225000 25.3 49,577,472
Tabe 34. DARA family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
Drive family code
NV-RAM No
Fig.9.17. External view of the controller board in 25GS, DARA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.18. 18GT, DARA drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
DARA DARA-218000 18.1 35,433,216
DARA-215000 15.1 29,498,112

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
Drive family code
NV-RAM No
Fig. 9.18. External view of the controller board in 18GT, DARA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.19. 12GN, DARA drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
DARA DARA-212000 12 23,579,136
DARA-209000 9 17,660,160
DARA-206000 6 11,733,120

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
Drive family code 2.5"
Spindle motor rotational speed
Size 4200
Fig. 9.19. External view of the controller board in 12GN, DARA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.20. 20GN, DJSA drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Tabe 39. DJSA family models
20GN, DJSA DJSA-220 20 39,070,080
DJSA-210 10 19,640,880
DJSA-205 5 9,767,520
Tabe 40. DJSA family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
Drive family code J2
NV-RAM No
Fig. 9.20. External view of the controller board in 20GN, DJSA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.21. 30GT, DJSA drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
30GT, DJSA DJSA-230 30 58,605,120

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
NV-RAM No
Fig. 9.21. External view of the controller board in 30GT, DJSA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.22. 32GH, DJSA drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
32GH, DJSA DJSA-232 32 62,506,080

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
NV-RAM No
Fig. 9.22. External view of the controller board in 32GH, DJSA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.23. 30GN, ATDA drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1 Table 45. ATDA family models
15GN, 30GN, IC25T048ATDA05 48 93,759,120
48GH, ATDA IC25N030ATDA04 30 58,605,120
IC25N020ATDA04 20 39,070,080
IC25N015ATDA04 15 29,498,112
IC25N012ATDA04 12 23,579,136
IC25N010ATDA04 10 19,640,880
IC25N007ATDA04 7,5 14,651,280
IC25N006ATDA04 6 11,733,120
IC25N005ATDA04 5 9,767,520
Table 46. ATDA family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
Spindle motor rotational speed 4200 RPM, 5400RPM для IC25T048ATDA05
NV-RAM No
To unlock the HDD, connect the probe to the same location as with ATCS drives (see Fig. 9.25).
Fig. 9.23. External view of the controller board in 30GN, ATDA drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.24. 40GN, ATCS drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
Table 47. ATCS family models 111101
011
11
Drive family: Model Capacity, GB Maximum LBA 1
40GN, ATCS IC25T060ATCX05 60 117,210,240

IC25N040ATCS04 40 78,140,160
IC25N030ATCS04 30 58,605,120
IC25N020ATCS04 20 39,070,080
IC25T060ATCX05 10 19,640,880
Table 48. ATCS family parameters

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
Spindle motor rotational speed 4200 RPM, 5400RPM для IC25T060ATCX05
NV-RAM NONE
Fig. 9.24. External view of the controller board in 40GN, ATCS drive family.
Fig. 9.25. Location where the probe should be connected to unlock a HDD.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.25. 80GN, ATMR drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
Table 49. ATMR family models
11
1 Drive family: Model Capacity, GB Maximum LBA
80GN, ATMR IC25N080ATMR04 80 156,301,488
IC25N060ATMR04 60 117,210,240
IC25N040ATMR04 40 78,140,160
IC25N030ATMR04 30 58,605,120
IC25N020ATMR04 20 39,070,080
Table 50. ATMR family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
To unlock the HDD, connect the probe to the same location as with HTS548 drives (see Fig. 9.13).
Fig.9.26. External view of the controller board in ATMR drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.26. 5K80, HTS548 drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
Table 51. HTS548 family models 111101
011
11
Drive family: Model Capacity, GB Maximum LBA 1
5K80, HTS458 HTS548080M9AT00HT 80 156,301,488

S548060M9AT00 60 117,210,240
HTS548040M9AT00 40 78,140,160
HTS548030M9AT00 30 58,605,120
HTS548020M9AT00 20 39,070,080
Table 52. HTS548 family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
Fig.9.27. External view of the controller board in HTS458 drive family.
Fig.9.28. Location where the probe should be connected to unlock a HDD.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.27. 7K60, HTS726 drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
Table53. HTS726 family models
11
1 Drive family: Model Capacity, GB Maximum LBA
7K60, HTS726 HTS726060M9AT00 60 117,210,240

Parameter Purpose
Size 2.5"
To unlock the HDD, connect the probe to the same location as with HTS548 drives (see Fig. 9.28).
Fig.9.29. External view of the controller board in HTS726 drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.28. 4K40, HTS424 (HTS424M9) drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
Table 55. HTS424 family models
4K40, HTS424 HTS424040M9AT00 40 40,007,761,920
HTS424030M9AT00 30 30,011,642,880
HTS424020M9AT00 20 20,007,761,920

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
Drive family code M7
NV-RAM 512 bytes
Fig.9.30. External view of the controller board in 4K40, HTS424 (HTS424M9) drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.29. 5K100, HTS541 (HTS541G9) drive family
11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
5K100, HTS541 HTS541010G9AT00 100 195,371,568
HTS541080G9AT00 80 156,301,488
HTS541060G9AT00 60 117,210,240
HTS541040G9AT00 40 78,140,160
HTS541030G9AT00 30 58,605,120
HTS541020G9AT00 20 39,070,080
HTS541010G9SA00 100 195,371,568
HTS541080G9SA00 80 156,301,488
HTS541060G9SA00 60 117,210,240
HTS541040G9SA00 40 78,140,160
HTS541030G9SA00 30 58,605,120
HTS541020G9SA00 20 39,070,080
Table 58. family specifications

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
NV-RAM 512 bytes
Fig.9.31. External view of the controller board in 5K100, HTS541 (HTS541G9) drive family.

01010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110
100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011001101010101100110101010110011010101011011010101011
10101010110011010101011011010101001101010100110101101101101010100101
1011010101100110011010101011010101111010111
9.30. 7K100, HTS721(HTS721G9) drive family 11010101101101010100111110
1101110110110011
0111011110
111101
011
11
1
7K100, HTS721 HTS721010G9AT00 100 195,371,568
HTS721080G9AT00 80 156,301,488
HTS721060G9AT00 60 117,210,240

Parameter Purpose
Size 3.5"
NV-RAM 512 bytes
Fig.9.32. External view of the controller board in 7K100, HTS721(HTS721G9) drive family.


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PC-3000 EXPRESS / UDMA / PORTABLE 

 ACE Laboratory Hitachi-IBM

PLAT, ATDA, ATCS, ATMR, HTS548, HTS726

2. Basic options for repair of Hitachi-IBM ............................................................................................................... 3

3. Preparing for work ................................................................................................................................................ 3

4. Architecture review of Hitachi-IBM HDD ............................................................................................................ 3

5. Launching utility ................................................................................................................................................... 9

6. Utility features ..................................................................................................................................................... 13

7. Diagnostics of malfunctions ................................................................................................................................. 17

ACE Laboratory Ltd Russia

ACE Laboratory Ltd Russia

2. Basic options for repair of Hitachi-IBM

3. Preparing for work

4. Architecture review of Hitachi-IBM HDD

4.1. Drive firmware

Fig. 4.1. The structure of drive service information in Hitachi-IBM.

1 – Some HDD, e.g., the ATDA drive family, have no NV-RAM.

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 Firmware version CODE is identical for ROM, NV-RAM, and SA overlays

4.2. Compatibility of electronic printed circuit boards

Fig. 4.2. Electronics PCB label at IDE connector.

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Fig. 4.3. Viewing utility status.

4.3. Service data modules

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Table 1. Functional purpose of some «closed» modules in 3.5" drives.

Table 2. Functional purpose of some «open» modules.

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Table 3. Functional purpose of some «closed» modules in 2.5" drives.

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Fig. 4.4. Translation schemes.

4.5. Critical modules for drive data

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5. Launching utility 11010101101101010100111110

Fig. 5.1. Utility start-up dialog.

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Fig. 5.2. Custom drive family configuration dialog.

 Section name defines the section title in IBMOverride.ini.

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 The «Save section» button stores modifications in IBMOverride.ini.

5.1. Removal of ATA password lock

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Fig. 5.3. Appearance of the «ATMR, HTS548, HTS726» prob.

5.1.4. Removal of ATA password lock using a short-circuit of NV-RAM contacts

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6. Utility features 11010101101101010100111110

Table 4. Hot keys for utility-specific features.

Mode Hot key

6.1. The «Tests» menu

6.1.2. Service information

6.1.2.2. Work with NV-RAM

6.1.2.3. Reading ROM

6.1.2.4. Work with SA

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6.1.2.5. Work with DB

6.1.3. HDD formatting

6.1.4. Logical scanning

6.1.5. Defect list