please, help convert HGST He10 and He12 to 4kn

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thinking

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Mar 3, 2021
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I attempted to use hugo to 4k format a number of shucked 10TB easystores (WD100EMAZ-00WJTA0), but ended up with ATA security locked drives instead. My VM became unresponsive during the process, I had to reset, and a reboot showed the drives to be locked.

Can anybody offer insight as to how to unlock? Or what I might try? I've searched the 'net high and lo and have not been able to find a solution and have tried: to format again in hugo, sg_format, format via WinDFT (HGST's drive fitness test), ATA security erase via PartedMagic, etc.

via Hugo: (1) scan s -l shows ATA security enabled; (2) attempt to format HDD (fails):



via smartctl: HDD also reported as ATA security locked:
Can hard disk ATA Security be erased with MHDD?
 

svtkobra7

Active Member
Jan 2, 2017
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Hi ... sorry, I've left a few queries un-replied to:

Looking at the eight (8) locked WD100EMAZ-00WJTA0s is a nasty reminder of the 4k format fail and I'd love to either toss them, or if possible, make a final push to unlock (and succeed). While somewhat unorthodox, the HDDs are worth $0 at the moment, therefore it would be my pleasure to offer a bounty of one (1) WD 10 TB HDD (WD100EMAZ-00WJTA0), shipped, to anyone who proposes the solution allowing for them to be unlocked. :) [1]

Do you have the original enclosures? There was a way to convert them to 4kn using the enclosures and the wd formatter utility, but I don't know if they would remain 4kn outside of the enclosures. Nevertheless, it may help you recover the drive from the security lock.
  • I do not have the WD 10TB (locked drives) USB enclosures any longer, but do have plenty of WD 14TB drive enclosures at hand.
  • I might offer that I attempted to interrogate the drives while connected via USB - and using WD Marvel - however, this software was well beyond my understanding/skill level.
Can hard disk ATA Security be erased with MHDD?
  • I came across mention of this utility in my prior research, and my understanding is "no," but I can't cite to authority on the matter (easily).
try parted magic? bootable iso can secure wipe or enhance wipe.

also try a sanitize vs format.
  • I use it every now and again and tried previously with these HDDs, but failed (I can't recall why now).
and have tried to ... ATA security erase via PartedMagic, et

[1] The last three (3) sales on the 'bay suggest a value of $187 for a used, but unlocked, and functional drive.
 

tinfoil3d

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May 11, 2020
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isn't it a good idea to check how exactly the hugo tool works and find out what the password is? did you try obvious 'password' and 'Eins' (absolute majority of websites quote this password from another website)
Tried everything from this article? ATA Secure Erase - ata Wiki
 

Samir

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Jul 21, 2017
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Hi ... sorry, I've left a few queries un-replied to:

Looking at the eight (8) locked WD100EMAZ-00WJTA0s is a nasty reminder of the 4k format fail and I'd love to either toss them, or if possible, make a final push to unlock (and succeed). While somewhat unorthodox, the HDDs are worth $0 at the moment, therefore it would be my pleasure to offer a bounty of one (1) WD 10 TB HDD (WD100EMAZ-00WJTA0), shipped, to anyone who proposes the solution allowing for them to be unlocked. :) [1]


  • I do not have the WD 10TB (locked drives) USB enclosures any longer, but do have plenty of WD 14TB drive enclosures at hand.
  • I might offer that I attempted to interrogate the drives while connected via USB - and using WD Marvel - however, this software was well beyond my understanding/skill level.

  • I came across mention of this utility in my prior research, and my understanding is "no," but I can't cite to authority on the matter (easily).

  • I use it every now and again and tried previously with these HDDs, but failed (I can't recall why now).



[1] The last three (3) sales on the 'bay suggest a value of $187 for a used, but unlocked, and functional drive.
I believe I still have an empty easystore enclosure that I haven't used. I'll try to unlock your drive if you want me to try. :) Just PM me and we'll work out the details. :)
 

tinfoil3d

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May 11, 2020
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Speaking of which, I do have a board from WD101EMAZ. Thought it would serve as a generic usb3 bridge but no, only worked with the shuckled drive. Can probably send that thingy via regular post. I'm just not sure if that can help.
 

Samir

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Jul 21, 2017
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I believe I still have an empty easystore enclosure that I haven't used. I'll try to unlock your drive if you want me to try. :) Just PM me and we'll work out the details. :)
And actually, I was thinking about this in the shower this morning and I'm not going to be doing something that you can't do yourself since you have enclosures. Here's what I was going to do:
  • Install drive in enclosure and connect to my windows 7 system that has WD Quick Formatter 1.2 on it.
  • See if WD data lifeguard sees the drive and run quick test on it to make sure it passes
  • Format the drive using WD Quick Formatter 1.2.
  • Confirm drive formatted correctly.
  • Remove drive from system and enclosure and see if parted magic on another system sees it when connected directly via sata.
 

Samir

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Jul 21, 2017
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So svtkobra7 sent me a drive to try to revive and this is much, much more difficult than I first imagined (tried everything in this thread). But now that I'm here, I want to succeed because the drive is in otherwise perfect (SMART) condition and I know there has to be a solution.

To succeed seems like it will require deep diving into the world of hdd recovery. So far my searches have led me to the following as a solution:

I'd love to hear thoughts, ideas, and other things to try because this seems like the type of problem that may occur in the homelab frequently enough that it would be good to have a solution. Thank you in advance!
 
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Samir

Post Liker and Deal Hunter Extraordinaire!
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@Samir or @svtkobra7 any news on this? Working through the same problem with some He8 drives...
I had to pause working on this (I can't believe it's been this long :eek:). My next plan of attack is to try Victoria from the medicat liveusb once I can fully download it, but it will be a few months since I'm a couple of thousand miles away right now. :(

What I would suggest if you want to try in tandem is to get the medicat liveusb and boot it. There is supposed to be a copy of Victoria that should be able to remove/wipe/reset the lock on the drive.
 

bandit8623

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May 25, 2021
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and stop trying to do this from a vm or docker. use bare metal
 
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