ST8000DM003 Can't Write System File 93

[Jared]

So I've got this ST8000DM003 drive that's driving me crazy now. On first power up after swapping heads (donor was 100% perfect match in every way) the drive first ID'd and had sector access, but as soon as I tried to generate a headmap it got stuck busy. After power cycle this is what I get in terminal:

Tech Unlock Handshake: 0x33693C60
Reply: 

Rst 0x0100MAF00550001    
No HOST FIS-ReadyStatusFlags 0002A1A1
IDLE1

I can work fine in terminal, but i get no ATA readiness at all. I can read all system files just fine it seems. I'm trying to modify system file 93 to disable all the usual suspects, but no matter how many times I re-write it in terminal it never changes. It acts like it writes just fine, but when I read it back nothing has changed.

Any ideas?

 

[pclab]

Maybe heads not writing?
Have you tested it?

 

[Jared]

That's what I'm thinking, but the drive was literally from the same shipment of drives. Only a few serial numbers off, three days off on manufacture, 100% match. The customer had bought them the same day from the same store, so they're as exact as you can ever hope for.

So I can't see any compatibility reason why they wouldn't be writing.

 

[Jared]

It's interesting that if i try to turn of some of the functions using the F command it does get to the (D) SATA Reset, but ATA status never leaves BSY and I just get this in terminal:

F3 T>F"RWRecoveryFlags",00,22

Drive AMPS Configuration has been modified from compiled defaults.
Drive must be re-initialized to controller firmware defaults by re-downloading controller firmware
DO NOT SHIP WITHOUT FIRST RE-DOWNLOADING CONTROLLER FIRMWARE OR RESETTING TO DEFAULTS!

Update Capacity and Save
Update HPA Cap and Save
(D) SATA Reset

RAW OFF
 PASSByte:0092:       RWRecoveryFlags = 00

 

[Jared]

So I've finally exhausted all other options but to try regenerating the translator by following the Ace method on this blog post: http://blog.acelaboratory.com/pc-3000-h ... error.html

Now it's getting past the (P) SATA Reset message and spitting out a ton of "MCMT table is corrupted" messages. After sitting for around 10 min it even gets to the point where the ATA registers go to DRD DSC, but I still can't do anything over ATA. It just goes to ERR if I even try. Working in terminal, still can't modify system file 93 at all.