You can view the DFL case studies and FAQs here so that you can understand how to use the DFL data recovery tools better

This data recovery technical document is one case study introducing how DFL-WDII hdd repair tool is used to repair damaged WD hdds which are working very slow with many regular bad sectors without clicking noises.

For this kind of problem, we usually consider it’s caused by the ID module or translator problem.

The hdd is one WD SATA 1TB hdd whose model is WD10EVDS-63U880. Luckily the hdd can reach readiness status.

The response was very slow and the hdd was detected after some time.

The user went to scan the HDD and found a lot of regular and typical bad sectors. Read more

It’s sometimes very useful to fix clicking hard drives with a small scratched area by using one of the new features of in DFL-WDII hdd repair tool version 2.4-adding defects by LBA range.

For some clicking hard drives with a small scratched area, they are still detected and the hdd can become ready in DFL-WDII.

When users scan these patient hard drives, users can find red squares which are read-failed sectors within the scratched area and send loud clicking noises. Read more

For WD PCB1698 series, it’s one difficult data recovery job if the hard drive is not detected or keeps busy. So far it’s almost not possible for any other firmware repair tools to repair this kind of drive and get lost data back.

Situation becomes worse if these kind of PCB1698 hard drives don’t have the cache loader-module 13 and if the module dir is missing or damaged without backup, no other tools except DFL-WDII can repair such kind of hdd failure and recover the data.

Here in this article let’s discuss how to repair undetected or un-ready WD PCB1698 hard drives with DFL-WD II hdd repair tool.

Option 1: Users can use the universal loader-module 11 and ROM offered by Dolphin Data Lab deal with the patient hard drives.

With the offered loader and ROM: If the hdd can reach readiness, users can access the hdd, load the module 11 and then the program will automatically detect the dir module and give users to import one dir module or the DFL program will search it from the tracks users assign. Read more

To Upgrade DFL-DE Data Recovery Tool Hardware Console is the very basic step to upgrade DFL-DE to the latest version Version 1.3.

This is one major upgrade which will tremendously enhance the performance of DFL-DE in its disk imaging module, file recovery module and common hdd repair solutions module.

The following are instructions and steps to upgrade the DFL-DE hardware console:

  1. Connect the USB cable to PC;
  2. Connect the power adapter to the hardware console and power it up.

After you connect properly, users need to make sure the device drivers are working well and within your PC Device Manager, users can find the DFL-DE Device, users can find the two DFL channels: ATA_0 DFL-DE USB Device and ATA_1 DFL-DE USB Device. Read more

With DFL-WDII hdd repair tool, users can repair the bad sectors caused by bad heads, it’s easy to find out the damaged heads and cut the damaged heads so that the patient hdds can work again.

The following case study is to tell how to find out the bad heads and cut them.

Scan the hdd and users can find the intensive bad sectors;

Write Down the LBA value of the bad sectors, the starting LBA and ending LBA of the bad sectors;

Go to Menu Common–>CHS LBA Translate; Read more

It’s one very common hdd repair case that the PCB is burnt but we require important data from the hard drives.

Is it as simple as swapping with one good PCB to the burnt hard drives to recover the lost data? The answer is ‘No’!

If users want to recover data from WD hard drives with Burnt PCB, users need firstly to find one donor PCB with the same PCB number, detailed PCB swap guides and tips are available here within Dolphin Data Lab user-only forums. Read more

To repair hard drive bad sectors, it requires the users to diagnose the hard drives first to find out what are the real causes of the bad sectors you are going to repair.

Bad Sector Types And Repair Solutions

  1. Bad sector type 1: logical bad sectors due to some logical errors and not many sectors, users can scan and add to plist or glist or merge from glist to plist;Then format with plist.
  2. Bad sector type 2: due to bad or downgraded head and the read is not stable, at this time, users need to cut heads and then perform format with plist;
  3. Bad sector type 3: If the bad sectors are caused by adaptive parameters, users can run ARCO 46 and then format with plist;
  4. Bad sector type 4: if it’s a small physical sctatch, users can use add to p-list by LBA or cut zones and then run format with plist.
  5. Bad sector type 5: if it’s due to dirty heads, usually clients need to do this way by cleaning the heads.
  6. Bad sector type 6: if there’re too many bad and irregular sectors, need to run arco optimize and 28 selftest. Read more

This document is to tell how to regenerate ROM automatically for New WD HDDs of PCB 1640, 1692, 1698 and other newer series without reading the traditional necessary SA ROM modules like modules 102-108, because these modules are already empty in these newer WD hdds and they are useless in helping regenerate the original ROM. Besides, the traditional method to regenerate ROM is limited to recognized hdds but for undetected hdds, the ROM cannot be generated at all. DFL-WDII hdd repair tool regenerates ROM for undetected hdds with the following simple steps: Read more

DFL-WDII Format and Translator Regeneration, Selfscan and Servo Calibration Looking Inside.

Servo Calibration is used to generate module 49 and 4A, it is used only when the 49 or 4A is damaged. When 49 and 4A are damaged, users may get full disk bad sectors when scanning the hdd. Read more

This article is to demonstrate the hdd repair functions of DFL-WD II hdd repair tool on how to repair western digital PCB 1698 and newer series hard drives.

The following is one new hdd repair case study but if users want to recover the data from this hdd, it’s required the users have a backup of the original firmware modules, at least the key data recovery modules of this hdd. In the end of this case study, the hdd is restored and then write back the key data recovery modules, the data can be recovered. Read more