Incorrect size detection/interpretation from CMOS

[CerealUK]

Hi

Some weeks ago I purchased a Seagate ST320011A Baracuda ATA IV second hand knowing about the following problem, I wonder if any of you guys can help:

This is a 20GB OEM drive (so I can't claim on the warranty) that has somehow lost the ability to detect it's own size!! When I plug it into the IDE port it detects the drive as being 136GB. In another test I programmed the drive in the BIOS to accept the limit of CHS (8455) and formatted the drive to 8.4(ish)GB in Windows 2000, so I don't think there is anything wrong with the physical device itself. I know its not the BIOS because I have an IBM GXP120 80GB drive as my primary.

I have been trying to get hold of the 1.75 Seagate firmware in the hope that this might solve the problem of any corrupt software in the drive, has anyone got a URL for this?
More to the point, has anyone ever come accross this problem before? if so, how did you fix it?

Regards

 

[Skark166]

When you configure your drive manually try using the information provided by seagate (you can obtain at seagates website, which I've done for you in case you don't have it)

C 1023
H 256
S 63

This would hopefully override the auto config settings in the hard drive.

You can also download and run the seagate diagnostic utility, here's the URL...

http://www.seagate.com/support/npf/disc_ata/flow_diagnostic_run.html

Last, but surely not least. Double check the warranty status. I've bought a number of OEM drives and all of them were under warranty. You can check warranty status at Seagates website. Here's a link for the procedure for warranty replacement...

http://www.seagate.com/support/service/procedure_drive.html

Good luck! Scarecrow

 

[danclark]

Whats your BIOS Version? Check the manufacture's website for an upgrade?

Cheers
Dan Clark
Network Manager
Scarfies.Net Ltd

 

[lewat]

ISSUES-have u fdisk drive on compter without 8ogb drive-if not-do so.
Are you piggy backing this drive 2 ibm -or are sure u have set jumpers on drive 2 slave
or on ide2 hdd it will need 2 b masteror OS PROBLEM - CHECK MS SITE FOR FIX

 

[CerealUK]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the suggestions, heres the outcomes from the advice I have been given so far:-

Stark166:
I've tried the settings you have given me there. I end up with a 512Mb HD?? The trouble with CHS is you cannot progam for drives any bigger than 8.4GB because of address limitations (so I'm told!). After the 8.4 limit the BIOS will start using LBA -which I cannot program because it's all done in secret between the drive and the motherboard.
I have tried the Seagate diagnostic utility but it only deal with data on the drive and not the internal software. Seagate how just recently changed their warranty conditions to not cover OEM equipment -but I'm still going to give it a try Very grateful for the suggestions though.

Bigfulla:
I have the latest BIOS version for my M/B. It's supposed to take devices up to 180GB -or something stupidly big!!
Thanks for the suggestion as well.

Lewat:
I don't think this will work. The problem is the BIOS will not recognise the drive as being 20GB -it instead thinks it's 130GB. Since the BIOS size translation routines are at the heart of any software you run on your computer, chances are 'fdisk' would pick the drive up as being defective.
I have the Seagate drive on a different chain (IDE1), the CMOS knows the HD is there it just wont work properly.
Thank you for the suggestions as well.

Any more ideas people??

CerealUK

 

[gargouille]

Looking at the manual it says that the drive should have
39,102,336 sectors. Is there a setting that matches that in the BIOS?
The OEM scheme may be what's different, keeping the drive from self-discovering.
Tried downloading Disc Wizard from the Seagate site and installing that way?
The alternate capacity jumper is in the correct setting?

 

[RICHINMINN]

Try installing this drive in a different system (a friend's?) You can install it as a slave on the primary IDE channel, or as either a master or slave on the secondary IDE channel. Just make sure that there is no other device using this combination of primary/secondary channel and master/slave device settings. You don't need to change anything else on the system. Then boot the system and see if this system can detect the correct configuration of your hard drive. Just to be sure, go into the BIOS setup and have it auto-detect the hard drive. If this system can correctly identify your hard drive, then there's nothing wrong with the drive itself. Check at the motherboard manufacturer's website to see if there is an upgraded version of the BIOS for your particular model motherboard, and if there is, download it and follow its instructions to "flash" your BIOS. Often, an older BIOS cannot recognize a newer hard drive.

Good luck!

Rich (in Minn.)

 

[CerealUK]

I have installed this HD in three of the other systems that I have hanging around in so many different configurations I've run out of fingers to count! The BIOS on my M/B should not be a problem, like I mentioned earlier in this thread my BIOS is late 2002 and the newest one available. Plus the IBM drive I have is much younger than this. What's also quite annoying is that if you press Auto detect three times or more then it reports the drive as 0GB.

I gave Seagate a call this morning and they were as much use as...!!! I think the PC that this drive came must have had a BIOS with custom 'user' figures installed, so you could select 20GB manually.

If I try to install Win2K on the drive, it reports the capacity as 838GB -I wish!. FDisk reports the drive as 53GB. This HD has ISSUES.

Thanks to all for suggestions.

Regards

 

[roamer1]

it really sounds as if you are SOL.

One thing to try:

http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/drivers/discwiz.html

Use the boot floppy version and attempt to 0write the drive.

**Drive should be the ONLY IDE and on Primary IDE0 set as master/single** with S.M.A.R.T OFF in Bios.

0write utilities are stupid and will write till they can't no more, so it may just fix it. After Fdisk/Format you will need to run Scandisk or NDD (from DOS) with a thorough scan to re-map any bad blocks. Also, pay attention to the indicator during surface scan and watch the flutterings of the indicator. Speed is not as important as consistency. Patterns of inconsistency will indicate untrustworthyness (likely to tip over again).

 

[dinosnake]

This is a very sticky subject. I'm dealing with this in another way right at this moment - I'm trying to recover a FAT32 partition for a client which was attacked by the CIH virus. For those who don't know that wipes the first 2048 sectors of the hard drive, essentially destoying the data stucture. But since it's FAT32 the positions of the data aren't the same as FAT16, so with a direct disk hex editor I found the remnants of the data structures and are putting this disk back together by hand (yes, I'm twisted! But I've recovered drives before).

The problem is that the hardware says one thing on a drive, the BIOS reads another, and FDISK reads a third. Confused? You should be. For instance, a 30GB drive, Maxtor 5T030H3:

Hardware: 59554 cylinders
16 heads
63 sectors
60,030,432 LBA sectors

BIOS: 58135 cylinders
16 heads
63 sectors
58,600,080 LBA sectors

FDISK 58124 cylinders
16 heads
63 sectors
58,588,992 LBA sectors (CHS data interpreted from LBA data)

Based upon your hardware specs your drive should be (assuming the standard 16H 63S so that the BIOS can do 'standard' /16C, *16H multiplication)

38792 cylinders
16 heads
63 sectors

The BIOS usually divides the cylinders by 16 and multiplies the head count by 16 to get the figures into more managable smaller integers.

But what does your BIOS want for the drive?? Who knows. You can try the above numbers, subtracting a figure from the cylinder count to allow for tolerance.

It sounds like the diagnostic cylinder is corrupt, unreadable or unaddressable by normal means. This is a special hidden area on the drive which contains the drive data that the BIOS reads to get its information, along with having other data such as keeping track of read times and failures and themal calibration data. This is how the S.M.A.R.T. system know that a failure will happen in the future - the drive keeps track of its past performance and in interprets the future.

Try the settings I have given you, minus say 100 to 150 cylinders and see if it works. If not then Seagate will have to provide clues, like a utility to edit and repair the diagnostic cylinder (they are indeed available). Good luck.
Your mileage may vary...

 

[dinosnake]

Correction:

Try subtracting up to 1700 cylinders from your 38792 spec when entering the data into the BIOS. It could be even more. On that Maxtor the BIOS subtracts 1419 cylinders from the hardware spec to get it to work. Your mileage may vary...