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I dropped my hard drive (a 320 GB WD Scorpio Blue, model number WD3200BEVT) and I want to create a Device Configuration Overlay over the bad sectors.

The highest LBA on the drive is 6xxxxxxxx , and the bad sectors start around 4xxxxxxxx; I figure I can use around 210 GB of drive.

I purchased and installed a new Seagate notebook drive, and connected the old, damaged drive via USB. I copied my files off the damaged disk.

In the olden days, I could create a DCO using HDAT2. As a test, I tried to remove a preexisting DCO, but I couldn't remove it with HDAT2. I was able to remove it with Ubuntu's hdparm utility. I then tested the sectors to come up with a range of good sectors.

Now I want to create a new DCO, but I'm unable to. HDAT2 doesn't recognize SMART or SATA commands. I tried Ubuntu, but I can't find any commands on hdparm to create a DCO.

The damaged hard drive is unusable because it is too slow. When I remove access to the bad sectors via DCO, it should speed up.

What can I do to create a DCO in this situation?

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  • take backup & replace it.
    – Sathyajith Bhat ♦
    Oct 6, 2013 at 12:17
  • :\ i replaced with seagate sshd. i just want add dco and use it.
    – user260243
    Oct 6, 2013 at 13:17
  • and what does "add dco" mean?
    – Sathyajith Bhat ♦
    Oct 6, 2013 at 13:24
  • it is my bad english
    – user260243
    Oct 6, 2013 at 13:26

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2

Connected old drive via usb
…
Now I want re enable dco. But I can't. Because hdat2 not necgonized s.m.a.r.t and s-ata commands.

That’s why.

In general, SMART data and advanced or non-standard settings and commands are just not supported when connected via USB or RAID.

There are a (very) few drive+controller+software(OS/driver/program) combinations that will work for this, but unfortunately yours doesn’t seem to be one of them.

You will need to connected it directly to the SATA controller, enable the DCO, then connected it back to the USB adapter.

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  • I understand.I currently searching how i can enable dco on linux. it seems to i can make it only on linux
    – user260243
    Oct 6, 2013 at 13:54
  • That’s certainly possible. Windows is limited for advanced things like this and most tools are for Linux (or even DOS). But hdat2 is available for Windows. (You’ll still have to connect it directly to the SATA controller either way.)
    – Synetech
    Oct 6, 2013 at 14:01
  • Any commands or programs on linux ? Hdparm can only remove dco
    – user260243
    Oct 6, 2013 at 14:56
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Synetech's point is valid - your USB controller may not be able to pass through these advanced commands to the drive.

You seemed to imply, however, that you were able to remove the DCO/HPA over USB using hdparm. If this is indeed the case, you should be able to add a new one like so:

sudo hdparm -N p400000000 /dev/sdb

Where:

  • 400000000 is the maximum usable sector (empirically determined)
  • /dev/sda is your damaged hard disk (you may need to change this, depending on your setup)
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  • Thanks. Tried but drive doesnt support hpa :(. root@ubuntu:/home/ubuntu# hdparm --yes-i-know-what-i-am-doing -N p400000000 /dev/sdc /dev/sdc: setting max visible sectors to 400000000 (permanent) READ_NATIVE_MAX_ADDRESS_EXT failed: Input/output error READ_NATIVE_MAX_ADDRESS_EXT failed: Input/output error
    – user260243
    Oct 6, 2013 at 15:15
  • @UğurKırçıl, did you remove the DCO before or after you put it in a USB adapter?
    – Synetech
    Oct 6, 2013 at 15:18
  • Yes. I was removed DCO
    – user260243
    Oct 6, 2013 at 15:24

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