Exfat and related issues on usb drive

[AnakSunAmun]

I'm still googling about it and i've searched something similar on this forum with no luck, or doesn't seem to me.
I've bought a WD usb drive and when I plug it appears to be 20 GB instead of 1 TB. Checked with a Win7 pc appears to have an exfat filesystem.
I've searched about it and found it isn't a shareable FS, then I try to give it a new FS like ntfs. Now begins problems because in LMDE still reconize only 20 GB, in Win7 I begin to format it but nothing really happens and after a while win's format tool return available.
In Gnome disk utility it show me 20 GB disk but formatting or zeroing doesn't solve.
With dd appear an input output problem at 29586505+0 record in 29586504+0 record out and stops at 15GB.
Badblocks show me 4 problems : 14793252 14793253 14793254 14793255.
With Fsck I've found there are bad magic numbers in super-blocks. I try to set b option but without luck.
Testdisk show me a 20gb disk with no partition found, even in deeper search.
Could anyone give me some hints? Thanks in advance.

[Spearmint2]

Probably the WD software for the password protection and it's the first partition and because the rest of the drive is protected, that's all you see, the first part.

[AnakSunAmun]

That's make sense. Thanks Spearmint2. How can I get rid of this protection? I mean I just want to use all its space not only 20gb. Am I asking too much?

[Spearmint2]

I'd get all my stuff off it by using the windows computer first, then remove the password program that's on it, make it like a clean internal drive. GParted might do that, but if not then certainly "dd" command will.

[Mute Ant]

''then certainly "dd" command will'' Not if the ATA security is involved, dd won't be allowed to address beyond the 20GB it admits to, the drive will just refuse to access it. This really needs advice from someone who has actually dealt with a locked drive [not me sorry].

It might be damaged, of course; i/o error is not trivial. WD provide a test program for their drives, worth a try while you are waiting.

[Spearmint2]

Maybe low level software direct from WD will let him deal with the problem. However, if "dd" won't do it.....

Here's what he's running into. Looks like low level won't help for this.

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/det ... e-or-solid

Important: If the hard drive includes a Western Digital Virtual CD-Rom (VCD) drive, this partition will not be removed by performing a low-level format on the drive.

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/? ... ilitiesmac

Maybe a solution;
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/passport-vcd.html

And this definitely works!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DluB7YQh_DY

[PatH57]

hi,

could you try gparted and send a screenshot?
a lot of these drives have some protection scheme, but you should still be able to wipe the drive clean, if this is what you want.

[AnakSunAmun]

Sorry guys. I forgot to mention that in Win7 it shows 1TB of space when I tried, now I don't know, probably 20gb or a mess. Yes it shows 1Tb on Win and 20gb on LMDE.
Mute Ant : I download a WD formatting tools for external drive, always for Win puah, and give it a try when I put my hands again on a win pc. Thanks
Spearmint2: It could have a VCD, despite it doesn't have software in it or programs that starts on plugging. We'll see. Thanks for the links, now I have one or two shots to try. Don't mind but I prefer to wait a little and try different solutions before proceeding Miley's style ;-P
PatH57: Yes I tried Gparted. I tried to format, restore data and create new partition table but.. I attach a screenshot below.

I bring you all my progress with your solutions and it's very possible that even if I tried many ways (dd, fdisk, so on) I missed options on them that can resolve, maybe, so I'm open to every test or suggestion you kindly give me. Thanks.

[PatH57]

yes it is protected and best is to use the tool from WD to wipe it.

[eanfrid]

HPA (host protected area) is an ATA hardware feature used to limit apparent capacity and sometimes to hide data to any OS. It seems to be enabled. What gives the following command ?

sudo hdparm -N /dev/sdk

On the currrent kernels hdparm can handle this; no need to use any proprietary software.

[AnakSunAmun]

PatH57 : I've tried tools you and Spearmint2 suggest but unfortunately they need a formatted disk and a letter (like j: ) and can't overcome that so I don't figure it out on how make my usb hd brand new with them.
eanfrid : sudo hdparm -N /dev/sdk return me this :
/dev/sdk:
SG_IO: bad/missing sense data, sb[]: f0 00 05 00 00 00 00 0a 00 aa 55 40 20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
SG_IO: bad/missing sense data, sb[]: f0 00 05 00 00 00 00 0a 00 aa 55 40 20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
SG_IO: bad/missing sense data, sb[]: f0 00 05 00 00 00 00 0a 00 aa 55 40 20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
max sectors = 168296705/1(2?), HPA setting seems invalid (buggy kernel device driver?)

[AnakSunAmun]

Mute ant : I haven't found a test program on WD site. "Support - downloads - element - element portable" give me two format tools and a "data lifeguard diagnostic".
I don't try last one yet but I report results as soon as I can.

[Spearmint2]

EDIT;
This was a mispost, supposed to go to another thread about a USB flashdrive.

[PatH57]

with gparted click on device then create partition table and see what happens.
What was the filesystem before on it?

[AnakSunAmun]

eanfrid: since i'm not sure of doing well I repeat commad you suggest me and now I'm sure of it :

/dev/sdf:
SG_IO: bad/missing sense data, sb[]: 70 00 05 00 00 00 00 0a 00 00 00 00 20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
SG_IO: bad/missing sense data, sb[]: 70 00 05 00 00 00 00 0a 00 00 00 00 20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
max sectors = 0/1, HPA is enabled

[AnakSunAmun]

Spearmint2: I download f3 and watch the video so a question came up to me. Since LMDE see a 20gb disk, every software tried for now see and operate on a 20 gb disk then I guess I have to found something that allow me to get phisical instead of logical to regain a 1tb disk. Am I misunderstanding?

[AnakSunAmun]

PatH57 : Now it's unallocated and unmounted. If I choose it and click on "device - create partition table" gparted warn me that all data on the disk will be erased, then start scan for partitions but nothing happen.
I format it to fat32 and repeat all. It returns unallocated. I feel dumb but I'm only trying not to miss something, that's way I maybe do silly passages.
Initially the filesystem was exfat.

[PatH57]

ok it's exfat
Install exfat-utils and exfat-fuse packages from the official repos:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install exfat-utils exfat-fuse

Reboot your computer:


if you use gparted you should be able to redo the partiton table and see all the space available.
if it doesn't work you may have to attach it to a windows machine and use WD smartware

[AnakSunAmun]

EDIT;
This was a mispost, supposed to go to another thread about a USB flashdrive.

Probably. If some moderator want to change position at this thread I'm happy about it since I don't want to mess up things. I was only trying to specify that all issues I'm encountering have to do with exfat since if it wasn't used I'm not here to bother all, I guess.

[Spearmint2]

For your problem I see only 2 possible solutions.

1) download the WD software from their site and reinstall it on the drive. You can then turn off the VCD and maybe then use it in Linux.

2) Use Dedoimedo's instructions on how to remove the VCD (virtual CD) at the front of the drive and then set it up like a standard hard drive.