After reports that its 1TB Barracuda drives are failing at an unusually high rate, Seagate says it has isolated a "potential firmware issue" that would seem to be the cause of this worldwide plague.

The company will provide a free firmware upgrade for those affected by the problem, and if you've lost data thanks to this firmware issue, it will provide free data recover services as well.

In a statement, Seagate says the firmware problem affects "some" Barracuda 7200.11 hard drives and "related drive families based on this product platform." And it explains that "In some circumstances, the data on the hard drives may become inaccessible to the user when the host system is powered on."

You can determine whether your product is affected by visiting the Seagate support site here.

Support is available through Seagate’s call center, which can be reached by dialing: 1-800-SEAGATE (1-800-732-4283).

Seagate also says that customers can expedite assistance by sending an email (discsupport@seagate.com). The company asks that you include your drive's model number, serial number, and current firmware revision.

The company does not believe that the firmware problem will cause data loss. But data has been lost, it promises to help find it. "There is no data loss associated with this issue, and the data still resides on the drive," Seagate's statement reads. "But if you are unable to access your data due to this issue, Seagate will provide free data recovery services. Seagate will work with you to expedite a remedy to minimize any disruption to you or your business."

You'll find a list of international telephone numbers for Seagate Support and alternative methods of contact here.

Seagate emphasised that there is no safety issue with these products. ®

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