Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro

loudnoize · 01-25-2009, 03:00 AM

Hey Guys,

I took my 6 month old 750GB hard drive out of a Seagate Free Agent Pro external drive and wanted it in one of my Mac Pro bays but Disk Utility won't see it. No other application (Disk Warrior, Data Rescue II, Tech Tool Pro, etc) will either. I did this simply because my drive wouldn't show on my desktop any longer I was told I had a defective controller in the FreeAgent Pro but they expressed that my Mac Pro will see the drive. After a couple other suggestions (I even tried another external casing with both Firewire and USB and still nothing worked) I'm now no longer hearing the drive spin.

Please.. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated...

Many thanks..

Chris

Mac Pro 2.66 Intel Xeon
OSX 10.5.6

**raptor_pa** · 01-25-2009, 08:14 AM

What is the model of the 750 GB drive. It sounds like the drive has failed. Probable causes are spindle motot, motor control IC or PCB. If you were hearing the device spin when it was first removed from the housing, did you hear the heads seeking at spin up... tapping or clicking noise? and if so was it more than one or two light clicks?

romulluss · 01-25-2009, 09:44 AM

If you cannot even hear the drive spins, it could be firmware issue.
I reckon, you need to send it to a data recovery company so they can test the drive.
Please do not play with it at home, and do NOT open the drive.

loudnoize · 01-25-2009, 03:36 PM

Hey Guys,

Thank you both for the info.. Well the model itself is Seagate's FreeAgent Pro and when I took it out of the case, it did spin for a while and yes I did hear the heads seeking at spin up but now it seems to be turning quite slowly, and I'm not hearing any clicking. I actually won't play this drive until I seek Pro help as I have to much of value on it.

My other question is, what are some of the best drives around?

Thanks again!

Chris

**raptor_pa** · 01-25-2009, 06:09 PM

What is the model of the actual drive, Free Agent is the USB assembly....

loudnoize · 01-25-2009, 11:30 PM

Hey Raptor pa, The drive is the Barracuda 7200.11. I heard they had problems with certain internal drives and the firmware but according to Seagate, the FreeAgent Pro (both Firewire and USB) wasn't one of them.

Thanks!! :)

Chris

**raptor_pa** · 01-26-2009, 01:08 AM

If you check the info Seagate has on the 7200.11 issue there is an app that will identify your drive, you can then compare it to a list of drives affected. These issues have been discussed by data recovery pros for months, two vendors who provide high end DR equipment had come up with fixes several months ago.. Seagate just released their fix and finally acknowledged there was an issue a month or so ago. I would tend to verify the drive itself. I can't imagine that the 7200.11s they used in those enclosures were a different firmware than the OEM and reatil bare drives they sold LOL...

loudnoize · 01-26-2009, 02:15 AM

Well raptor_pa, when I discussed my issue with a tech guy over at Seagate, I really didn't trust what he was telling me. He told me that the External drives were not the ones affected with the failed drives and only the internal ones. As you can see, they are getting slammed big time with failed 7200.11 drives and my drive model is ST3750330AS but the firmware is SD35 and not SD15, 16, 17 or 18 (of which are affected). I still feel the SD35 Firmware is a bug like all others. I'm not quite sure how to go about it or even fight this.

First of, what would happen if I use the updated Firmware on this drive? Would I loose all information? I seriously can't do that as I have very important documents on this drive.

Thank you!

Chris

**raptor_pa** · 01-26-2009, 08:12 AM

You don't want to update the firmware if the revisions don't match. I'm with you tho, I have looked at those drives with suspicion since day one. the one thing that is not normal with the typical 7200.11 problems is the lack of spin up. That doesn't fit with the firmware issues. At this point if the data is critical, then look for a recovery shop that has an in house clean room and the tools to manage firmware and Service Area issues. Minimum costs start around $800. Also look for a shop that has a reasonable evaluation fee and no other charge if no data recovered...

loudnoize · 01-26-2009, 02:33 PM

I was afraid of that.. Thanks for your info raptor_pa.

Cheers,
Chris

loudnoize · 01-27-2009, 04:04 AM

raptor_pa,

May I bother once more regarding this matter. I really do appreciate it!

Just recently, I was given another FreeAgent Pro external drive and I A/B them both today. Now, both will actually start the same way, with a slow to medium spin and both will also have the "normal" boot up clicking sound. The newer one will at some point, click a little more and mount and as you know, the other will not. I never mentioned before but the defective drive is also partitioned. Would that matter? Also I tried mounting it in Windows Vista and even tried Seagates utility tool "Seatools" and it isn't recognized either. This has really gotten me confused..

Thanks you one more time! :)

Chris

**raptor_pa** · 01-27-2009, 08:15 AM

You certainly can - if seatools doesn't see it, then it definitely sounds like an issue of the disk not coming ready. The partitioning shouldn't have any effect on the spin up, that is more related to the OS operation. If you have a windows box available, try running testdisk on the drives as shown in this thread.. Have you "lost" a hard drive, partition or files in your computer?

loudnoize · 01-27-2009, 03:43 PM

Thank you for the information rap and I will certainly give that a go. Until I can get my hands on a PC (own 2 macs) or can I just use the Windows Vista partition on my Mac Book laptop? I guess I can..

**raptor_pa** · 01-27-2009, 04:14 PM

Should be able to, should run a windows app in a command prompt

loudnoize · 01-27-2009, 04:33 PM

Cool! I'll try that out! Thanks rap!

loudnoize · 01-28-2009, 12:18 AM

Well I just gave it my best shot. Nothing seems to work but I almost know for sure that it isn't the head or platter. It's something to either do with the controller or internal logic board because it does boot and it does spin like the other external FreeAgent Pro that I own. Very frustrating!! :(

01-25-2009, 03:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro Hey Guys, I took my 6 month old 750GB hard drive out of a Seagate Free Agent Pro external drive and wanted it in one of my Mac Pro bays but Disk Utility won't see it. No other application (Disk Warrior, Data Rescue II, Tech Tool Pro, etc) will either. I did this simply because my drive wouldn't show on my desktop any longer I was told I had a defective controller in the FreeAgent Pro but they expressed that my Mac Pro will see the drive. After a couple other suggestions (I even tried another external casing with both Firewire and USB and still nothing worked) I'm now no longer hearing the drive spin. Please.. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated... Many thanks.. Chris Mac Pro 2.66 Intel Xeon OSX 10.5.6

01-25-2009, 08:14 AM	#2 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,900 OS: XP	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro What is the model of the 750 GB drive. It sounds like the drive has failed. Probable causes are spindle motot, motor control IC or PCB. If you were hearing the device spin when it was first removed from the housing, did you hear the heads seeking at spin up... tapping or clicking noise? and if so was it more than one or two light clicks? __________________

01-25-2009, 09:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
romulluss Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro If you cannot even hear the drive spins, it could be firmware issue. I reckon, you need to send it to a data recovery company so they can test the drive. Please do not play with it at home, and do NOT open the drive.

01-25-2009, 03:36 PM	#4 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro Hey Guys, Thank you both for the info.. Well the model itself is Seagate's FreeAgent Pro and when I took it out of the case, it did spin for a while and yes I did hear the heads seeking at spin up but now it seems to be turning quite slowly, and I'm not hearing any clicking. I actually won't play this drive until I seek Pro help as I have to much of value on it. My other question is, what are some of the best drives around? Thanks again! Chris Last edited by loudnoize; 01-25-2009 at 03:51 PM.

01-25-2009, 06:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,900 OS: XP	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro What is the model of the actual drive, Free Agent is the USB assembly.... __________________

01-25-2009, 11:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro Hey Raptor pa, The drive is the Barracuda 7200.11. I heard they had problems with certain internal drives and the firmware but according to Seagate, the FreeAgent Pro (both Firewire and USB) wasn't one of them. Thanks!! :) Chris

01-26-2009, 01:08 AM	#7 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,900 OS: XP	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro If you check the info Seagate has on the 7200.11 issue there is an app that will identify your drive, you can then compare it to a list of drives affected. These issues have been discussed by data recovery pros for months, two vendors who provide high end DR equipment had come up with fixes several months ago.. Seagate just released their fix and finally acknowledged there was an issue a month or so ago. I would tend to verify the drive itself. I can't imagine that the 7200.11s they used in those enclosures were a different firmware than the OEM and reatil bare drives they sold LOL... __________________

01-26-2009, 02:15 AM	#8 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro Well raptor_pa, when I discussed my issue with a tech guy over at Seagate, I really didn't trust what he was telling me. He told me that the External drives were not the ones affected with the failed drives and only the internal ones. As you can see, they are getting slammed big time with failed 7200.11 drives and my drive model is ST3750330AS but the firmware is SD35 and not SD15, 16, 17 or 18 (of which are affected). I still feel the SD35 Firmware is a bug like all others. I'm not quite sure how to go about it or even fight this. First of, what would happen if I use the updated Firmware on this drive? Would I loose all information? I seriously can't do that as I have very important documents on this drive. Thank you! Chris

01-26-2009, 08:12 AM	#9 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,900 OS: XP	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro You don't want to update the firmware if the revisions don't match. I'm with you tho, I have looked at those drives with suspicion since day one. the one thing that is not normal with the typical 7200.11 problems is the lack of spin up. That doesn't fit with the firmware issues. At this point if the data is critical, then look for a recovery shop that has an in house clean room and the tools to manage firmware and Service Area issues. Minimum costs start around $800. Also look for a shop that has a reasonable evaluation fee and no other charge if no data recovered... __________________

01-26-2009, 02:33 PM	#10 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro I was afraid of that.. Thanks for your info raptor_pa. Cheers, Chris

01-27-2009, 04:04 AM	#11 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro raptor_pa, May I bother once more regarding this matter. I really do appreciate it! Just recently, I was given another FreeAgent Pro external drive and I A/B them both today. Now, both will actually start the same way, with a slow to medium spin and both will also have the "normal" boot up clicking sound. The newer one will at some point, click a little more and mount and as you know, the other will not. I never mentioned before but the defective drive is also partitioned. Would that matter? Also I tried mounting it in Windows Vista and even tried Seagates utility tool "Seatools" and it isn't recognized either. This has really gotten me confused.. Thanks you one more time! :) Chris

01-27-2009, 08:15 AM	#12 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,900 OS: XP	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro You certainly can - if seatools doesn't see it, then it definitely sounds like an issue of the disk not coming ready. The partitioning shouldn't have any effect on the spin up, that is more related to the OS operation. If you have a windows box available, try running testdisk on the drives as shown in this thread.. Have you "lost" a hard drive, partition or files in your computer? __________________

01-27-2009, 03:43 PM	#13 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro Thank you for the information rap and I will certainly give that a go. Until I can get my hands on a PC (own 2 macs) or can I just use the Windows Vista partition on my Mac Book laptop? I guess I can..

01-27-2009, 04:14 PM	#14 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,900 OS: XP	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro Should be able to, should run a windows app in a command prompt __________________

01-27-2009, 04:33 PM	#15 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro Cool! I'll try that out! Thanks rap!

01-28-2009, 12:18 AM	#16 (permalink)
loudnoize Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Re: Mac Pro not seeing drive after taking it out of the FreeAgent Pro Well I just gave it my best shot. Nothing seems to work but I almost know for sure that it isn't the head or platter. It's something to either do with the controller or internal logic board because it does boot and it does spin like the other external FreeAgent Pro that I own. Very frustrating!! :(