Initial Hard Drive Information
Model: ST373454LW
Interface: SCSI
Size: 73Gb
P/N: 9X5005-041
Notes: Customer describes that drive doesn’t recognize any longer. Drive beeps quietly when connected to power supply.
Initial Data Recovery Diagnostic
Step 1: Drive connected to three different SCSI controllers. Two controllers do not recognize at all, one (Adaptec 39320A) shows drive but with 0 byte size and returns error of imminent failure. Drive assumed to have translator issue.
Step 2: Boot to DOS and attempt to run plscsi.exe to send custom SCSI commands (Had to order compatible SCSI card with DOS driver. Adaptec AIC-7890 AB card)
Step 3: Boot to DOS, load Adaptec SCSI card driver and run plscsi.exe. Input command: “plscsi -w” (drive identified in list of connected devices)
Quote Customer: $750 for repair / recovery. (Approved 5/23/2014)
Data Recovery Update 5/27/2014
Step 1: Boot back into DOS, load drivers, run plscsi.exe
Step 2: Manually input SCSI Commands to Regenerate translator.
Step 3: Allow drive to sit for ~5min to complete translator regeneration
Step 4: Power cycle drive (does not beep this time)
Step 6: Boot system to Linux, verify that device is visible and shows correct size (successful)
Step 7: Image drive to another using ddrescue (data recovered with only 53Kb of unread data in ten areas of bad sectors)
Recovery 99.99% success.