PC-3000 is the firmware-level HDD and SSD recovery platform from ACE Lab (founded 1992, Rostov, Russia). It includes Service Area rewriting, bad sector map reset, head map management, and family-based utilities (Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, Samsung, HGST). It is the de facto standard of professional data recovery laboratories.

TL;DR

  • PC-3000 = ACE Lab's PCIe card plus software package (PC-3000 Express, PC-3000 Portable III, PC-3000 SSD, PC-3000 Flash).
  • It reads from and writes to the HDD at the Service Area (the manufacturer-specific system area) level.
  • Logical recovery layer via Data Extractor, physical read control via head map.
  • Family utilities: WD Marvel, Seagate F3, Toshiba MQ, Samsung HM, HGST Travelstar.
  • DSET resolves mechanical and firmware cases with the PC-3000 + PC-3000 SSD + Data Extractor combination.

Detailed answer

What PC-3000 does

A typical HDD communicates only through standard inter-computer interface (SATA, SAS, NVMe) commands. These commands do not grant access to the disk's service area (firmware modules, SMART log, defect list). Using manufacturer-specific "vendor-specific commands" and technological mode, PC-3000 reads from and writes to the disk at a level the standard operating system cannot see. This capability solves the following cases:

  • A disk with a corrupted firmware module (e.g. the Seagate 7200.11 BSY error, WD Marvell ROM loss).
  • A disk whose translator (LBA-PBA translation table) has crashed (especially WD).
  • A bad sector table with a corrupted G-List and P-List.
  • A disk that will not start after service area loss.
  • A disk reporting the wrong capacity over SMART (HPA, DCO reset).
  • An SSD controller lock (Marvell, SandForce, Phison, Silicon Motion family).

The PC-3000 product family

Product Scope Typical use
PC-3000 Express PCIe card + software, desktop lab HDD + SSD + NVMe integrated
PC-3000 Portable III Portable, USB 3.0 Field recovery, at the customer site
PC-3000 SSD SSD-specific module SATA SSD, M.2 SATA
PC-3000 Flash Chip level (chip-off) Monolithic NAND, USB stick
PC-3000 Mobile Pro Mobile device + eMMC + UFS Phone flash IC
Data Extractor Logical layer File system repair after cloning

Typical workflow (DSET field)

  1. Device intake and diagnosis. Visual inspection, PCB review, detection of platter damage or electronic burns.
  2. Test bench connection. The disk is connected to the PC-3000 port; if it does not appear in standard mode, it is opened in technological mode.
  3. Firmware module reading. Critical modules (ROYL, SA modules, system files) are read from the service area. For WD disks, the ROM file is dumped.
  4. Head map management. In a mechanical failure, which read head is working is determined, the bad head is disabled, and work continues with the healthy heads.
  5. Sector-level imaging. Slow, controlled reading to a clone disk or image file via Data Extractor. A bad sector map is maintained, and the skip and retry parameters are tuned.
  6. Logical recovery. The file system (NTFS, exFAT, APFS, ext4, btrfs, ReFS) is rebuilt on the clone.
  7. Verification and delivery. A hash is computed, a file sample is sent to the customer, and after approval the data is written to new media.

What a family utility is

Every HDD manufacturer uses its own firmware architecture. PC-3000 includes "utility" modules specific to these architectures:

  • WD Marvel. For Western Digital disks, the Marvell and Vega families, ROYL/MARVEL/PALMER types.
  • Seagate F3 utility. With F3 (Seagate ATA architecture) commands, the 7200.11, 7200.12, ST3000DM, and Barracuda 2018 families.
  • Toshiba MQ utility. The MK and MQ series mobile disks.
  • Samsung HM utility. The Samsung HM family (before the Seagate acquisition).
  • HGST/Hitachi Travelstar utility. 2.5-inch mobile and enterprise SAS.

For each family it includes bad sector map reset, adaptive parameter copying after a head swap, and SMART threshold rollback functions.

Donor disk use

For mechanically failed HDDs with head stack or platter damage, a donor disk is required. The criteria for a donor match:

  • The same model number (e.g. WD10EZEX-08WN4A0).
  • The same PCB revision (printed on the board).
  • The same firmware revision.
  • If possible, the same production week and factory code.
  • The platter (disk surface) count and head map value (e.g. 4-head, 0235 head map) must be the same.

The donor sourcing time directly affects the duration of the case. With its donor pool, DSET completes this in an average of 2 to 3 days. For a data recovery time table: /blog/veri-kurtarma-kac-gun-surer-gercek-sure-tablosu. For RAID 5 cost and process specifically: /blog/raid-5-coktu-kurtarma-sureci-maliyet. Cost pre-estimate: /araclar/raid-maliyet-hesaplayici.

PC-3000 SSD and modern controllers

SSD cases are more complex than HDD because TRIM, garbage collection, and wear leveling make deletion permanent. Controllers supported by PC-3000 SSD:

  • Marvell (88SS9174, 88SS9187, 88SS1074): WD Green, Crucial M4/MX series.
  • SandForce (SF-2281, SF-2282): OCZ Vertex, Kingston HyperX 3K.
  • Phison (PS3108, PS3110, PS3111, PS5008, PS5012): Kingston A400, Corsair MP510.
  • Silicon Motion (SM2246, SM2256, SM2258, SM2263): ADATA, Crucial BX, Kingston A2000.
  • Intel/Solidigm controllers.

For NVMe cases, the PC-3000 NVMe Support module and the latest Express card are required. In some modern (BGA, monolithic) constructions, a chip-off procedure is performed and PC-3000 Flash is used.

PC-3000 and court evidence

A clone taken with PC-3000 is as forensically admissible as an image taken behind a write-blocker. If a recovery case also requires forensic examination, DSET adds the following steps:

  • The PC-3000 operation log is saved as a file.
  • A hash is taken from both the original device (if possible) and the clone image.
  • If a donor disk was used, the donor serial number and the replaced part are documented in the report.
  • If a firmware module was changed, it is recorded which module was rolled back to which version.

For the forensic report format: /blog/adli-bilisim-raporu-kac-sayfa-cmk-67-standart. For the post-incident IR flow: /rehber/siber-olay-mudahale-playbook-nist-800-61-checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is there an alternative to PC-3000?

DeepSpar Disk Imager, Atola Insight Forensic, and MRT (Dolphin Data Lab) are the main alternatives. PC-3000 holds the de facto standard position with its family utility coverage and long-standing prevalence in the field.

Can every disk be recovered with PC-3000?

No. If the platter (disk surface) is severely scratched or the magnetic layer has come off, no tool can bring the data back. In that case, PC-3000 focuses on recovering the maximum data from the remaining healthy areas.

What is the price of PC-3000?

It is in the band of 15,000 to 50,000+ USD including the annual license, varying by module selection. There are no individual sales; ACE Lab and authorized distributors sell to corporate customers.

Does it require training?

Yes. ACE Lab offers online and on-site training. Unskilled use of PC-3000 can completely ruin a disk; an incorrect service area write operation can lead to irreversible data loss.

Which PC-3000 products does DSET use?

The DSET laboratory actively uses the PC-3000 Express (HDD), PC-3000 SSD, Data Extractor, and PC-3000 Portable III products. For SAS enterprise cases, cross-verification is performed with Atola Insight.

DSET Data Recovery Laboratory Hacettepe Teknokent, Beytepe, Ankara 20+ years of experience · Class 100 cleanroom · PC-3000 Express + SSD + Portable III Phone: +90 536 662 38 09 · Email: [email protected] Free preliminary diagnosis · donor disk pool · emergency service.