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Solidata SSD IDE Drive Not Formatting


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#1 maj001

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Posted 17 August 2010 - 08:41 PM

Dear Fellow Members

This site could be my last resolve and I hope you could assist.

The situation is as follows:

1. Installed a SSD IDE drive in my laptop.
2. Then installed Ubuntu v9.01. The laptop worked 100%.
3. Then installed a distro called Sebayon to work simultaneously with Ubuntu.
4. Sebayon installed GRUB.
5. Then deleted Ubuntu, as I preferred Sebayon.
6. Now want to reinstall Ubuntu but Sebayon cannot be deleted from the SSD.
7. Even Gparted, DOS Fdisk or MBRWizard cannot delete the Sebayon partition and restore my MBR.

Thank you and best regards,

MAJ

#2 steve6375

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Posted 18 August 2010 - 05:54 AM

Can you give some details when trying to delete the partitions - when you try x, the y happens, etc.

#3 maj001

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Posted 18 August 2010 - 07:23 AM

Thank you, steve6375.

I have tried to do a host of things starting from:

1. deleting all the partions using Gparted and the reply is - unable to delete the partitions.

2. deleting all the partions using Fdisk and the reply is - unable to delete the partitions.

3. MBRWizard has also failed to delete the partions, although it has recreated and found the MBR.

All I wish to achieve is a clean and formatted SSD drive. There is no information to save or to retrive.

Thank you for your assistance.

#4 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 18 August 2010 - 09:37 AM

A semi-random thought. :cheers:

Are SSD's fullly ATA/ATAPI compliant? :smiling9:
If yes, what happens if you issue an ATA erase?

See here:
http://cmrr.ucsd.edu...cureErase.shtml

The tool is also in the UBCD:
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

:(
Wonko

#5 maj001

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Posted 18 August 2010 - 10:34 AM

Thank you "wonko the sane"
It is a Solidata SSD IDE and fully ATA compliant.
I will try ATA erase.
Thank you.

#6 ksanderash

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Posted 18 August 2010 - 11:56 AM

Try Victoria 4.46b for Windows, by S. Kazansky. It can erase anything (SSD/UFD), and as fast as it possible.

If something unclear, I'll explain how to use it.

#7 maj001

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Posted 25 August 2010 - 09:03 PM

Hi Voyager,

I tried Victoria 4.46b for Windows.
I linked the SSD drive via a USB adpater to my current Win XP 64bit PC.
Initiated the Victoria program.
First error - "PortTalk drive not installed! Available only API access." I clicked on OK.
Victoria recognised the SSD drive as a USB drive.
I then tried to do the "Tests".
Second Error message - "Privileged Instruction".

Please advise. Thank you.

#8 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 09:52 AM

Please advise. Thank you.


NOT necessarily relevant to your problem, but you have to understand that API access (through USB port) and even simply running Victoria or any other similar tool under Windows (i.e. through the NT HAL) is the LEAST advised thing: if you have some kind of low-level problem it should be solved (hopefully) at low-level.

QUICK TEST:

Let say you want to try and pick-up a needle from ground, which tool do you choose for the chore? :):
  • a pair of fine pointed tweezers:
    Posted Image
  • a pair of high temperature gloves:
    Posted Image


Assign yourself 10 points if you chose answer #1 and -1,247,312 (minus onemilliontwohundredfortyseventhousandsthreehundredstwelve) if you chose answer #2.

:)
Wonko

#9 maj001

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 10:28 AM

Hi Wonko the Sane,

I tried Secure Erase (called HDDErase on UBCD) over a month ago.
After 12 hours of erasing the partion with Sebayon (Linux distro) could not be erased.
I have screenshots that I can forward to you so as to see the error messages.
Please advise.
Thank you and best regards,

#10 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 11:13 AM

Hi Wonko the Sane,

I tried Secure Erase (called HDDErase on UBCD) over a month ago.
After 12 hours of erasing the partion with Sebayon (Linux distro) could not be erased.
I have screenshots that I can forward to you so as to see the error messages.
Please advise.
Thank you and best regards,

I really have no experience with SSD drives and definitely NOT with erasing a "stubborn" one.
Anyway there are reports:
http://www.sevenforu...-ssd-drive.html
that the Secure Erase does work on them, so, it is possible that you have a hardware problem of unknown nature.

What would happen if you test it with software like:
http://www.alex-is.d...ds.php?cat_id=4

Doesn't the manufacturer provide a testing utility?

What happens if you just open it up in a disk editor and fill, say, first 100 sectors with 00's?

:)
Wonko

#11 ksanderash

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 11:50 AM

Wonko the Sane
Never came across problem with Victoria. But you right, the task may be done in a simpler way.

maj001
You can try Microsoft DiskPart utility. Get yourself into any heavy packed Windows LiveCD (that has DiskPart utility -- comes with any desktop Windows by default).
Start > Run > DISKPART. Then:
DISKPART list disk

DISKPART sel disk [...]

DISKPART clean
Last command can be clean all, that will erase the whole surface, unlike simply clean, that erases 1Mb from beginning, and 1Mb from the end of the drive.

If it will not help, it seems that your SSD is seriously damaged, consider to return it via warranty procedures.

#12 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 12:32 PM

Last command can be clean all, that will erase the whole surface, unlike simply clean, that erases 1Mb from beginning, and 1Mb from the end of the drive.


Any reference for the red bolded part? :)

OT :), but not much :), it also depends on the actual OS:
http://support.micro...kb/952630/en-us

:)
Wonko




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