Hard disk (seagate) firmware upgrade.

English Hardware
#1

Hi,

I got a new 3TB hard disk from Seagate. Running smartctl on it, I get
this info:


==> WARNING: A firmware update for this drive may be available,
see the following Seagate web pages:
http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/207931en
http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/223651en

I go there, and I see this notice:


> Model Number    Part Number     Capacity        Firmware Downloads
> ST3000DM001     9YN166          3TB             CC4H in .exe format See Document ID: 004559 for instructions on updating your firmware in Windows using this .exe file.

From hdparm -I I get this info:


Model Number:       ST3000DM001-1CH166
Serial Number:      *********
Firmware Revision:  CC27
Transport:          Serial, SATA 1.0a, SATA II Extensions,
SATA Rev 2.5, SATA Rev 2.6, SATA Rev 3.0

I understand that I have the problematic model number, but with a
different “part number”. The problem one is “9YN166”, and mine seems to
be “1CH166”. This is the part I’m not completely sure, how to identify
the “part number”.

So I say: “sigh…”.

I boot my laptop with Windows 7. I connect the disk via external docker,
via usb (it is a desktop disk, no way to connect it inside, even if I
wanted to). Disk is formatted already but devoid of data. Windows, so
nice of it, says that it is empty and do I want to format it? No, of
course. (sigh!).

I open the Seagate page, download the offered windows program to check
the firmware (Drive Detect), which promptly checks the internal hard
disk of the laptop. No way to tell it to test the external disk instead.
Not that I can see, anyway.

Anyway, I go and read the instructions of the firmware installer. It is
a Windows program (of course), but the thing, at the business end of the
process, RUNS LINUX!

But nowhere do I see how to check and upgrade external disks. Or where
is that Linux system of them installed. It could be a Live iso, for all
I know… There should be no need to use a Windows exe to install it.

It is apparently named “SeaTools Express”.

I’m baffled.

Apparently I do not need that upgrade, but I’m not sure.

How would some one, wanting to upgrade a batch of bought disks, go about
patching them all? Would he need to install them internally, one by one,
perhaps installing Windows on each one previously to run the firmware
patcher? Seems daft to me.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

#2

I have a similar HD.

In order the firmware update to work, the HD must be internally installed and perhaps be the only HD in the computer. For that purpose, I have a SATA cable + power delivery connected with one end to motherboard and to power supply, with the the other end looking slightly out of a PCI slot opening in the back of the computer. The SATA HD is connected to that connector, being outside of the case. Unfortunately, I have to open the case and disconnect all other HDs.

Live Updater (however they call it) on bootable CD works in this arrangement.

Often there is no actual update available, even though Seagate’s website may say that there is. This is caused by confusion with hardware version numbers, but the Updater is able to figure that out.

There are several subversions of 9YN166. They fall roughly into two groups: designed for internal use and for external storage. Firmware-wise, they are quite different.

Seagate’s forums provide useful information, probably they have a dedicated staff member answering users’ questions.

A popular need is to prevent the frequent head parking if the drive was designed for external storage. This can be accomplished by a script at boot time, doing hdparm -B 255 /dev/sda

#3

On 2014-02-28 22:08, Carlos E. R. wrote:

> I understand that I have the problematic model number, but with a
> different “part number”. The problem one is “9YN166”, and mine seems to
> be “1CH166”. This is the part I’m not completely sure, how to identify
> the “part number”.
>
>
> So I say: “sigh…”.
>
> I boot my laptop with Windows 7. I connect the disk via external docker,
> via usb (it is a desktop disk, no way to connect it inside, even if I
> wanted to). Disk is formatted already but devoid of data. Windows, so
> nice of it, says that it is empty and do I want to format it? No, of
> course. (sigh!).
>
> I open the Seagate page, download the offered windows program to check
> the firmware (Drive Detect), which promptly checks the internal hard
> disk of the laptop. No way to tell it to test the external disk instead.
> Not that I can see, anyway.

In the end, what I did was this:

Those two disks are replacements for older disks. So I replaced one, and
used the old one to install Windows 7 on it (sigh!), on my main desktop
machine. I told it to use just 60 GD of that, the rest remains empty. At
the point where Windows asks for the registration code, and you don’t
have it, it gives you 60 days to provide one… so I understand that I
can legally try Windows for that period. Ample enough.

First I had all Linux disks disconnected (I was not taking risks). Then
I installed W7 ultimate (why use just the “home” version?). I
disconnected Internet on the router, just in case. Windows took long
time to install, really long. Once it finally boots, I disabled ALL
updates (else Service Pack 1 would find out that the copy is not
registered and set a black desktop. I installed “putty” and “winscp” in
order to connect to my Linux laptop and transfer files. Then I installed
Avira, and Firefox from old copies. I reconnected the router to Internet
and I let them update.

Finally I got “drivedetect.exe” from Seagate page. I powered off to
connect again the two new drives, and booted to Windows again (selected
in BIOS, not grub).

Running drivedetect it sees all disks, models, release, firmware, and
has a button to check if there are updates for each disk. It opens a
page that asks for your country, and then proceeds to check. It gave me
a page of information that basically said that there was no firmware
update for my disks - GOOD!

Firmware

Name: No Newer Firmware available

Importance: -------

Version: -------

Release Date: 04-Apr-14

Short Description: A field update is not available for this serial
number. See if CERTIFICATE Firmware Update is shown below. Please help
us to improve the Download Finder - More…

Downloads and Actions: Please read…

The “CERTIFICATE Firmware Update” section I don’t know what it means.
The section reads:

Name: Barracuda (GrenadaBP) Firmware Update

Importance: Important

Version: CC29 or CC49

Release Date: 30-Jul-13

Short Description: Barracuda (GrenadaBP) firmware update More…

Downloads and Actions: Click here Email Me

I then took the chance to download seatools for Windows (which wanted me
to first install .NET 4.0) and run the full check (short and generic
(long)). No problems detected. Good.

And now, I removed that Window disk, reconnected my Linux disks, and
rebooted back to normality!!!

Sometimes I hate the Windows world. I needed to view the PDF report (the
firmaware data above) I had generated from FF, so I installed “Foxit”
instead of acrobat. This thing, after it was running, downloaded and
installed “tuneup”, without even asking (one of those Windows cleaning
tools). I noticed it when suddenly I got a prompt for administrative
rights to run the application.

I immediately uninstalled it. Windows applications often ask you to fill
a survey form asking you why on earth you want to remove their wonderful
app. I told them that I considered their application to be SPAM, as I
did not request it, nor was asked for my permission to install it.

While I was uninstalling it on the control panel module, I noticed a
second app with foxit on the name, called “foxit cloud”. I googled a bit
to find out what that was, and found out that some people were asking
the same thing. Apparently, it is a tool to store your PDFs on the
cloud, and that you can remove it as well - and I immediately did so.
And I had to fill another survey (I said about the same: I had not
request its installation; even if the app is wonderful, I did not ask
for it).

Of course, to be fair, it is possible that on a fully updated Windows
this would not happen. Dunno. But I hate the mindset that they can
install anything on your system, with the excuse that it is free,
without even asking. And the system contributed by not asking the admin
rights to install an application.

Ah, Linux, home sweet home!! Back home! :-)))

A shame that Seagate does not publish how to update their hard disk
firmware without using Windows.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

#4

On 2014-02-28 23:56, ZStefan wrote:

> Live Updater (however they call it) on bootable CD works in this
> arrangement.

Where do you get that from? :-o
I mean, download it? I did not find out.

> There are several subversions of 9YN166. They fall roughly into two
> groups: designed for internal use and for external storage.
> Firmware-wise, they are quite different.

How do you find out which one you have?

> Seagate’s forums provide useful information, probably they have a
> dedicated staff member answering users’ questions.

Hum.

> A popular need is to prevent the frequent head parking if the drive was
> designed for external storage. This can be accomplished by a script at
> boot time, doing hdparm -B 255 /dev/sda

I guess I don’t have that need. Smartctl says:


>   9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       482
>  12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   020    Old_age   Always       -       92
> 192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       14
> 193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       795

I’m unsure if the factor is Power-Off_Retract_Count or Load_Cycle_Count :-?

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

#5

I used no source other than Seagate’s website. Should have got from there, but probably some time ago.

In three ways.

  1. I remember having pulled out the HD from an enclosure.
  2. smartctl shows unusually high number of head parking events (compared to other HDs) per year.
  3. One can actually hear the click when the head is parked. Happens often, but I cannot remember now how often. To check that it is the Seagate making the click, disable the HD for some time.

Maybe. Compare the number (event rate) to other hard drives’ rates.

I think it is the # 193, because this number was rapidly increasing in my HD:


193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   067   067   000    Old_age   Always       -       58308