Western Digital WD50NDZW Data Recovery

Western Digital WD50NDZW data recovery service by Zero Alpha. This is a 5TB hard drive commonly found in external enclosures such as My Passport drives. While known for its storage capacity and reliability, it is not immune to data loss issues. Below are the most common problems that may require data recovery services:

western digital WD50NDZW-11BHVS1 data recovery

Common WD50NDZW Problems

1. Physical Damage

  • Dropped Drives:
    Accidental drops can damage internal components, including the read/write heads or platters.
  • Water or Liquid Damage:
    Exposure to water or other liquids can cause corrosion and failure of internal electronics.
  • Damaged Connectors:
    USB connectors or the SATA-to-USB bridge can become damaged, making the drive inaccessible.

2. Logical Errors

  • File System Corruption:
    Improper ejection or sudden power loss during data transfers can corrupt the file system, making files inaccessible.
  • Partition Loss:
    The drive may show up as unallocated in Disk Management due to a corrupted partition table.
  • Accidental Formatting:
    Users may inadvertently format the drive, wiping the file structure.

3. Firmware Issues

  • Firmware Corruption:
    Problems with the drive's firmware can cause it to stop functioning or become undetectable by the system.
  • Locked USB Enclosure:
    Some WD external drives use hardware encryption through the USB bridge. If the enclosure fails, the data cannot be accessed even if the drive itself is intact.

4. Bad Sectors

  • Surface Degradation:
    Over time, sectors on the platters may become unreadable, leading to slow performance or file access errors.
  • Reallocated Sectors:
    The drive reallocates bad sectors, but too many reallocations can signal impending failure.

5. PCB (Printed Circuit Board) Failures

  • Burnt Components:
    Power surges or electrical issues can damage components on the PCB, causing the drive to fail.
  • ROM Chip Damage:
    The ROM chip on the PCB contains drive-specific information. If it’s damaged, the drive will not function without specialized repair.

6. Noise and Mechanical Failures

  • Clicking Sounds:
    Clicking noises often indicate a failure of the read/write heads or an inability of the heads to read the platters.
  • Grinding Sounds:
    Grinding or buzzing noises can signify severe internal damage, such as head crashes or platter issues.

7. Software or Operating System Issues

  • Drive Not Detected:
    The drive may not appear in Windows Explorer or Disk Management due to driver conflicts or software errors.
  • Corrupted Files:
    Files may appear corrupted or refuse to open, often caused by logical damage or bad sectors.

8. Overheating

  • Excessive Heat:
    Prolonged use or poor ventilation can cause the drive to overheat, potentially damaging internal components and leading to failure.

WD50NDZW-11BHVS Data Recovery Caselog

27Jun24 Clicking hard drive . 8100067 pcb. SED Unlock ROM. Sata Convert. donor is spyglass3. 

WD50NDZW-11MR8S1 Data Recovery Caselog

06APRIL2023: UTILITY ACCESS VIA UART

data recovery from failed Western Digital WD50NDZW-11MR8S1 usb hard drive

Techno mode key
Techno mode key......................... : Techno key error: unexpected error: Drive is not ready
 
HDD Status sector....................... : Ok
 
RAM:
System controller (SoC)................. : 88i1047F0 0x(5450)
HDD Info reading........................ : Ok
Heads number............................ : 10
Cyl Count............................... : 384
 
ROM:
Read ROM................................ : HDDs ROM reading error VSC Command sending error; Device Error Detected: "SED DRIVE LOCKED"
 
Relocations............................. : 0 (0)
 
Service area:
Power up log reading.................... : RAM Table reading error VSC Command sending error; Device Error Detected: "SED DRIVE LOCKED"
SA dir reading (ID)..................... : Ok
Dir items loaded........................ : 0
HDD has been prepared for data recovery
 
SA Access............................... : Copy 0,Copy 1
 
Configuration reading................... : Module ID 02 reading error VSC Command sending error; Device Error Detected: "SED DRIVE LOCKED"
 
Drive ID reading errorr COM PIO data in command sending error Drv error detected 50(00). VSC Err code: 0001

FIRMWARE UNLOCKED 06 APRIL 23

Techno mode key
Techno mode key......................... : Ok
  
HDD Status sector....................... : Ok
 
RAM:
System controller (SoC)................. : 88i1047F0 0x(5450)
HDD Info reading........................ : Ok
Heads number............................ : 10
Cyl Count............................... : 384
 
ROM:
Read ROM................................ : Ok
ROM Data size........................... : 512 Kb
Flash ROM dir reading................... : Ok
Flash ROM dir reading (Ext)............. : Ok (Active)
Modules directory address............... : 800 965
SA regions address...................... : by default
SA regions address (RAM)................ : by default
Module 02 access........................ : Granted
 
SA SPT.................................. : 2136
 
SA Translator loading................... : Ok
SA defects assigned..................... : 10
 
ROM Modules:
ROM version............................. : 02.0AS
ROM F/W version......................... : 0002000A
Overlay F/W version..................... : 02.0BS
Servo F/W version....................... : 03.7B
 
Heads configuration..................... : by map
Heads number............................ : 10
Heads number in use..................... : 10
Switched off heads...................... : No
Heads map............................... : 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
 
Relocations............................. : 0 (2 442)
 
Service area:
Power up log reading.................... : Ok
Dir data................................ : Yes
Permanent overlay....................... : Yes
CFG data................................ : No
SA dir reading (ID)..................... : Ok
Dir items loaded........................ : 656
 
SA Access............................... : Copy 0,Copy 1
 
Configuration reading................... : Ok
CFG tech mode lock...................... : No
Self encryption drive................... : Yes
SED Info read........................... : Ok
Master Password......................... : Yes
User Password........................... : No
SED tech mode lock...................... : No
UA writing.............................. : Granted
 
Resource master copy creation in DB
Read ROM
Into DB folder.......................... : /SpyGlass2/WDC WD50NDZW-11MR8S1 02.01A02 WD-WX52D6158FXK/ROM
ROM Data size........................... : 512 Kb
Ok
 
Read ROM modules
Into DB folder.......................... : /SpyGlass2/WDC WD50NDZW-11MR8S1 02.01A02 WD-WX52D6158FXK/ROM
Module : 0A............................. : Ok
Module : 0B............................. : Ok
Module : 20B............................ : Ok
Module : 181............................ : Ok
Module : 30............................. : Ok
Module : 47............................. : Ok
Module : 0D............................. : Ok
Module : 4F............................. : Ok
Module : 1A2............................ : Ok
Module : 1B6............................ : Ok
Module : 1B0............................ : Ok
 
Reading modules
Into DB folder.......................... : /SpyGlass2/WDC WD50NDZW-11MR8S1 02.01A02 WD-WX52D6158FXK/Modules
Module : 62............................. : Ok
Module : 35............................. : Ok
Module : EF............................. : Ok
Module : 102............................ : Ok
Module : 104............................ : Ok
Module : 106............................ : Ok
Module : 1B8............................ : Ok
Module : 19B............................ : Ok
Module : 123............................ : Ok
Module : 124............................ : Ok
Module : 125............................ : Ok
Module : 126............................ : Ok
Module : D002........................... : Ok
Module : D003........................... : Ok
Module : D004........................... : Ok
Module : D005........................... : Ok
Module : 193............................ : Ok
Module : 194............................ : Ok
Module : 195............................ : Ok
Module : 196............................ : Ok
Module : 18D............................ : Ok
Module : D010........................... : Ok
Module : 18E............................ : Ok
Module : D009........................... : Ok
Module : 52E............................ : Ok
Module : 19C............................ : Ok
Module : D000........................... : Ok
Module : D001........................... : Ok
Module : 127............................ : Ok
Module : D006........................... : Ok
Module : 13A............................ : Ok
Tech On................................. : Techno key error: unexpected error: Operation aborted
Module : 2529........................... : Operation aborted
Module : 2500........................... : Ok
Tech On................................. : Techno key error: unexpected error: Operation aborted
Module : 103............................ : Operation aborted

WD50NDZW-11BCSS0 Data Recovery Caselog

14Jan25: This 5tb hard drive was accidently dropped on a hard floor by the customer. The symptoms are that it spins up and immediatly spins down. The lid was damaged by the spindle on the inside. We replaced the heads and modified the pcb to get data access again. This was a very difficult job and had a lot of files and folders that we successfully recovered.Â