1.When sorting out the faults collected in recent months, we found that some new Seagate models have a totally new firmware lock with firmware version EB01, currently, whose models include, but are not limited to, ST1000LM035-EB01-AF, ST2000LM007-EB01-AF, ST1000LM048-0001-AF, ST2000LM015-0001-AF, and other family models with 0001 firmware version.

For these models of new firmware lock, we have previously studied a set of methods that can be used to unlock the firmware in conjunction with related operations, but after experiments we found that this method still has certain limitations. To this end, we try to explore from the direction of direct unlocking, and finally a breakthrough has been achieved in recent days, and a new unlocking algorithm has been successfully developed.The algorithm has achieved initial results. The test hard disk at hand has been successfully unlocked. The support of more models needs to be tested in the coming researches.

The current algorithm still needs to be optimized.In order to better cooperate with the use of this function, some related functions also need to be improved to facilitate future updates to better help solve this type of hard disk failure!

2.Seagate's firmware structure has undergone some changes in the firmware version in the past two years. The most obvious fault manifestation is that the media cache problem is becoming more and more prominent, which shows that the status of media cache is becoming more and more important!

In the firmware registration information, we can see some features of the hard disk.One of them is the same as the 8C and A5 family of hard disks.The new family AF hard disks also support the SMR feature.

This is a relatively phased transition technology that improves disk storage utilization and sacrifices some performance. By collecting some new hard disk models of Seagate and Western Digital in recent years, we found that the technology, which was originally used more concentratedly to certain series models and large-capacity models, is gradually extended to more families of hard drives and low-capacity hard drives.It is speculated that hard disks that support this technical feature will appear more in the repair market.At the same time, the application of this technology will make the performance of failures more and more difficult.

The most frequent ones are LED fault and MCMT damage, plus new firmware locks that appear in the new family, and the difficulty of data recovery will increase exponentially!

As a technology research and development company, we certainly need to start researching and solving some difficult problems.At present, we have broken through the unlocking algorithm of the new firmware lock, and subsequent support is still being optimized.

In response to LED problems, including but not limited to the AF family of hard disks, we hope that users can contact us if they cannot handle similar failures, and send the hard disks to this department if allowed, in order to save valuable user data. At the same time, the original failed hard disk can also be provided to facilitate the development of new features!

3.Since Seagate has begun to apply new firmware locks, we cannot rule out more complicated new firmware locks in the future. When there are unsupported families or models that are unable to be unlocked, users are also requested to properly communicate with customers and send hard drives to this department. In order to support the new family or firmware unlocking. Of course, if conditions do not allow, users are kindly requested to inform the relevant hard disk information for us to collect!