Seagate Hdd Tools
HDDScan is a free hard drive testing program for all types of drives, no matter the manufacturer. It includes a SMART test and a surface test. The program is easy to use, is completely portable, supports almost all drive interfaces, and seems to be regularly updated. Use HDDScan in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Windows Server 2003. Write zero is a method of formatting a hard disk whereby the formatter overwrites the disk contents with zeros. It is also called zero fill erase or zero-fill. As the data is manipulated at the most basic level, this method is considered as low-level format. You may demand to write zeros to Seagate hard drive for the following reasons.
| Created Date | Updated Date | Affects versions | Fix version |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | N/A |
After starting an erasure, in case your erasure does not start (no activity or stuck at 0%) or errors start counting under the drive (Erasure-step, Advanced-mode) or the software seems unresponsive, the problem can relate to one of the following reasons:
A firmware erasure is ongoing:
- Check if the drive has remapped sectors (there is a “REMAPPED: X” yellow icon under the drive, X > 0) and if the erasure option “Erase remapped sectors” is enabled: if this is the case, the first step that is started is a firmware command that erases the remapped sectors. The command duration can vary based on the drive size and interface, from a few minutes (on new SSDs) to a few hours (on large HDDs). During the time of the erasure, the erasure progress will be stuck at 0% and it is recommended not to interact with the drive (do not unplug the drive under any circumstance, do not attempt to pause or cancel the erasure, do not attempt to refresh the list of drives… most of these recommendation are at least valid for any Drive Eraser version prior 6.3.0).
- Since v6.3.0, there is an animation indicating that a firmware command is ongoing.
Bad cable connection:
- Check that the drive is properly connected to the machine (power cable and interface cable). Lack of proper connection can result in read/write errors.
'OPAL' Lock:
- 'OPAL' is a misnomer for a Trusted Computer Group (TCG) security feature available on data storage devices (OPAL security feature). TCG as variants such as “TCG Opal” or “TCG Enterprise” (other variants exist).
- OPAL locks can be enabled by the computer manufacturer or by the computer owner and can prevent all read/write operations on the drive:
- Blancco Drive Eraser supports TCG detection and TCG Crypto Erase commands on ATA drives since v6.8.0 and on SCSI/SAS drives since v6.11.0. A drive that supports TCG commands may display the icons “TCG OPAL”, “TCG ENTERPRISE”, “TCG OPALITE”, “TCG PYRITE” or “TCG RUBY”. A drives that is locked via the TCG security feature may display the icon “TCG LOCKED” or “TCG PASSWORD”.
- If an OPAL lock is present on the drive level, it has to be removed before an erasure is attempted. In order to remove this security feature, a PSID Revert command has to be issued to the drive. This command returns the drive to its factory state where it can be erased as normally. The PSID Revert command requires a software tool, as well as an access to the PSID (Physical Security ID) which is printed on the drive’s label. The software tool that issues the PSID Revert command depends on the drive manufacturer/model. Below is a list of tools that are required for specific manufacturer's drives:
- Western Digital/SanDisk drives: Crypto Erase Tool
- Seagate drives: SeaTools
- Samsung drives: Samsung Magician
- Intel drives: SSD Pro Administrator
- Micron/Crucial drives: Storage Executive
- Kingston drives: SSD Manager
- SK Hynix drives: Drive Manager
- If these links do not work, try googling for example: “PSID Revert Crucial” to get information on the procedure for Crucial drives.
- On some occasions, if the drive has an OPAL lock, the first erasure (if firmware-based) will fail, but after rebooting the machine the second erasure (also firmware-based) will succeed.
Seatools Erase Track Zero
Other reasons may exist and they should be checked case by case. Make sure that you save a Blancco Drive Eraser / Blancco 5 issue reportafter witnessing the problem and then contact the Blancco Technical Support.