Hard drive present at Disk Utility but doesn't show up at Gparted -after secure erase

Nicle · 10-21-2011, 10:22 PM

Hi guys.

Can anyone give me a hand here?

I have secure erased my HDD disk through Internal (write zeros) Erase Disk app on Parted Magic. Now I don't have access to the disk...

However I can see the disk present at Disk Utiliity app, but it doesn't show up at Gparted (allowing me to create a visible partition). At the Disk Utility app I can't even format it because he tells me that "daemon is inhibited".

I don't know why is this going on like this. Can anyone help me?

BTW I'm using Mint 11 OS, installed on another disk.

Thanks.

syg00 · 10-21-2011, 11:02 PM

Well I guess you can't complain that it wasn't truly secure ....

What does "sudo fdisk -l" show ?.

Nicle · 10-21-2011, 11:22 PM

Hi syg00

Well, now I'm at Parted Magic, trying to solve this thing out.

But no can do.

I ran fdisk as you asked me.

Quote:

root@PartedMagic:~# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders, total 312581808 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd6767147

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 2048 312580095 156289024 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Disk /dev/sdc: 2017 MB, 2017984000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 245 cylinders, total 3941375 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x001327fd

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 63 3941374 1970656 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
root@PartedMagic:~#

The "sdb" it is all right and where I had the Mint11 installed and I have formatted already.
The "sdc" is the pen drive where I'm running Parted Magic.

The "sda" is the the disk that I can't see but it is present...

AS YOU CAN SEE: lshw graphical scan

Quote:

ATA Disk
/0/100/1f.2/0

product: WDC WD5000AAKS-4
vendor: Western Digital
bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0
logical name: /dev/sda
version: 58.0
serial: WD-WCAS87453183
size: 465GiB (500GB)

configuration:
ansiversion: 5

syg00 · 10-22-2011, 02:47 AM

What (command) did you do for the erase ?
What does "ls -al /dev/sd[ab]" show ?.

Nicle · 10-22-2011, 06:44 AM

I did the ERASE DISK @ Parted Magic and I have chosen:

"INTERNAL: SECURE ERASE COMMAND WRITES ZEROES TO ENTIRE DATA AREA"

I choose the "sda" disk and I have made a secure enhanced format. The password at the time was NULL as the app advised me. And then I chose the secure enhanced format and waited for 2 hours.

When it finished I couldn't see it on gparted as I stated because I wanted to create a partition for the disk to become visible, but I could see it on Utility Disk.

RUNNING YOUR COMMAND:

Quote:

root@PartedMagic:~# ls -al /dev/sda
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 0 Oct 22 12:10 /dev/sda
root@PartedMagic:~# ls -al /dev/sdb
brw-rw---- 1 root plugdev 8, 16 Oct 22 12:10 /dev/sdb
root@PartedMagic:~#

What does the zero on the "sda" means?

I must add some information here.
* If I boot the computer with that SATA disk plugged in and the RAID configured in the BIOS, it doesn't boot: freezes at the INTEL MATRIX STORAGE CONTROLLER, asking me for a password. I can't even enter the BIOS config to switch BOOT or deactivate the disk.
* If I boot with the disk unplugged with RAID configured in the BIOS, I start Parted Magic and hot-plug the disk within the system and I can manage to see it or make those kind of commands you asked me to do it.
* If I config BIOS to AHCI then I don't have any problem booting with the disk plugged in.

Anyway, I just want to create a primary partition in the disk for it to become visible on any OS.

BTW, I ran hdparm with the correct parameters (that I can't recall now) to see if there was any password blocking the disk but it returned me that the password="". In other words, there's no password associated with the disk.

Thanks.

Nicle · 10-22-2011, 06:55 AM

Adding more information about the hdparm command:

NOW IT'S "sdc" and not "sda" BECAUSE I HOT-PLUGGED THE DRIVE IN THE SYSTEM.
But we are always talking about that WESTERN DIGITAL 500GB DISK.

Quote:

root@PartedMagic:~# hdparm -I /dev/sdc

/dev/sdc:

ATA device, with non-removable media
Model Number: WDC WD5000AAKS-40YGA1
Serial Number: WD-WCAS87453183
Firmware Revision: 58.01E02
Transport: Serial, SATA 1.0a, SATA II Extensions, SATA Rev 2.5
Standards:
Supported: 8 7 6 5
Likely used: 8
Configuration:
Logical max current
cylinders 16383 16383
heads 16 16
sectors/track 63 63
--
CHS current addressable sectors: 16514064
LBA user addressable sectors: 268435455
LBA48 user addressable sectors: 976773168
Logical/Physical Sector size: 512 bytes
device size with M = 1024*1024: 476940 MBytes
device size with M = 1000*1000: 500107 MBytes (500 GB)
cache/buffer size = 16384 KBytes
Capabilities:
LBA, IORDY(can be disabled)
Queue depth: 32
Standby timer values: spec'd by Standard, with device specific minimum
R/W multiple sector transfer: Max = 16 Current = 0
Recommended acoustic management value: 128, current value: 128
DMA: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 udma5 *udma6
Cycle time: min=120ns recommended=120ns
PIO: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
Cycle time: no flow control=120ns IORDY flow control=120ns
Commands/features:
Enabled Supported:
* SMART feature set
* Security Mode feature set
* Power Management feature set
* Write cache
* Look-ahead
* Host Protected Area feature set
* WRITE_BUFFER command
* READ_BUFFER command
* NOP cmd
* DOWNLOAD_MICROCODE
Power-Up In Standby feature set
* SET_FEATURES required to spinup after power up
SET_MAX security extension
* Automatic Acoustic Management feature set
* 48-bit Address feature set
* Device Configuration Overlay feature set
* Mandatory FLUSH_CACHE
* FLUSH_CACHE_EXT
* SMART error logging
* SMART self-test
* General Purpose Logging feature set
* WRITE_{DMA|MULTIPLE}_FUA_EXT
* 64-bit World wide name
* Segmented DOWNLOAD_MICROCODE
* Gen1 signaling speed (1.5Gb/s)
* Gen2 signaling speed (3.0Gb/s)
* Native Command Queueing (NCQ)
* Phy event counters
* DMA Setup Auto-Activate optimization
* Software settings preservation
* SMART Command Transport (SCT) feature set
* SCT Long Sector Access (AC1)
* SCT LBA Segment Access (AC2)
* SCT Error Recovery Control (AC3)
* SCT Features Control (AC4)
* SCT Data Tables (AC5)
unknown 206[12] (vendor specific)
unknown 206[13] (vendor specific)
Security:
Master password revision code = 65534
supported
enabled
locked
not frozen
not expired: security count
supported: enhanced erase
Security level high
128min for SECURITY ERASE UNIT. 128min for ENHANCED SECURITY ERASE UNIT.
Logical Unit WWN Device Identifier: 50014ee201933a0e
NAA : 5
IEEE OUI : 0014ee
Unique ID : 201933a0e
Checksum: correct

It seems it is locked. Damn... :s

Nicle · 10-22-2011, 07:03 AM

OK I GOT IT! DAMN. I'M TIRED... :s

Everyone who has the same problem can search it here:

Quote:

http://tinyapps.org/docs/wipe_drives_hdparm.html

I just ran the unlock commands as the author tells to do it. And then I tested the device for the locked or not locked state.
After the commands, using the NULL password, the state was "not locked". Lucky me. lol

SOLVED.

THANKS sy00 for your time!

syg00 · 10-22-2011, 07:11 AM

Beaut, glad you got it fixed.
This is why I asked what command you had used - so many tool use terminology in different ways. You can't fix things unless you know (exactly) the problem.