How to use the RS232 Serial Tool

Basic Setup

Driver Setup

Instructions for driver setup on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7

HyperTerminal / PuTTY Setup

Instructions for using HyperTerminal (Windows 2000 / XP)

Instructions for using PuTTY (All Windows versions)

Using the Repair Tool

For Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 Drives

Symptoms: Drive spins, doesn't make strange noises, but cannot be detected by the computer, or is detected as 0MB. Usually the problem is the firmware, but sometimes it could be problems with physical parts on the drive (circuit board, platters, etc).

Instructions for fixing this problem

For Seagate Barracuda 7200.12, Momentus 5400.6, Momentus 7200.4 Drives

Symptoms: Drive spins, doesn't make strange noises, but cannot be detected by the computer. Sometimes it is the firmware, oftentimes this can be caused by other parts of the drive, however.

Instructions for fixing this problem

Note

The firmware brick problem is a well known problem for Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 and later drives, and the information gathered here are from a variety of excellent sources, for example: https://sites.google.com/site/seagatefix/

While these procedures are straightforward, they do carry risks. If you are uncomfortable, please stop and seek a data recovery professional!