Quattroporte/QP 2009 Bose NIT Silverbox: Suspected HDD Failure

Keano - that is exactly what we need to get my (and others') system working again. It would help me and any other 2009-2010 QP owner with Bose systems (there are at least 3 who have PMd me with the same problem).

Once I have a working original image I have the official upgrade CDs for System Update 1 and 2 and think I can update the maps and Gracenote database (to 2019) too but need to test at home on my own car before suggesting to others.

I have sent you a PM.
 
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Hello All, I have an 09 Bose NIT that just displays a blue screen (with a picture of a CD and a spanner on it...) I shall watch this closely and hopefully you'll be able to sort out a viable solution for all of us with problems with this system. Thank you!!
 
Zep said:
Sorry to thread crash, but would one of those be good for copying the hd in my Sky box onto a new one?
Click to expand...
If you want a lend let me know, we rarely use it. Standalone solution to dupe drives. No need to connect to a computer.
 
As an update I am still working on this problem.

The good news is I can now fix this problem but only by using a new, mechanical Toshiba HDD. Dead Bose NITs can be brought back to life - this has not been done before. Also I can upgrade the software from v1.07 to v2.00 software and take Gracenote from 2008 data to 2009.

The bad news is I am as yet unable to do this on a SSD nor enact any of the hacks I want. Bose and Maserati have all refused to help multiple times. This has all been borne from tenacity and the kindness of Keano lending a (mostly) working drive.

To cut a 6 week/200 hour sweat, blood, toil and tears story to a nutshell: Bose used a proprietary military grade filesystem (?!?!). It was done for redundancy to ensure read-write survivability in high-end use cases and you see similar in HF trading databases. The result however is there is NO way to see/recover/fix a corrupted drive. I identified and have spoken with the Bose & filesystem lead software developers from the time. I have spent a lot of time at hex-level/raw data (which is how I discovered the filesystem type in the MBR). No software recognises the MBR or partitions because to the rest of the world they do not exist. We cannot buy/access the proprietary filesystem drivers to mount the system.

While we cannot see into a filesystem I do have a working v1.07 system. I also have the official update disks Maserati made based on UBoot images. I am hacking an official Maserati update CD to create a new ISO to inject a 2014 Gracenote database (instead of 2009) to see if we can have a v2.00 image with 2014 gracenote data. There is no visibility on the navigation data in order to inject new data.
 
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This subject interest me, and I'm searching for a A2DP system that could work in my 2008' quattroporte.
I just found this KiriNavi system on the web today and wonder if it couldn't be the graal :
https://h5.fr.aliexpress.com/item/32960717954.html
Some expensive, but if it allows to set up the watch and other car systems like the NIT BOSE : it would be the best discover I made this year ;)
Maybe somebody knows this KiriNavi?
 
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Fixing this goes on and thanks to @Keano we have learnt more.

The HDD stores the navigation information & graphics and stored music. In the absence of a failing HDD (which will cause the system to freeze completely) you can use the NIT if you remove the HDD but only the radio and no other functions.

One thing I previously suspected (because the HDD jumper settings were odd - slave) has now been confirmed by Keano's help is that within the NIT unit and separate from the HDD is a (flashable) ROM that stores the core operating system. While we know the HDD has a unique proprietary filesystem (so no files can be accessed or amended) there may be some hacks possible to the ROM (although that would mean risking a NIT unit which I'm not sure any of us is keen to do! Maybe is we put in $200 each and buy a second hand one to try this?).

While we have a working i.e. fixed NITS with mechanical Toshiba drives the use of a flashdrive is proving harder. I have a theory on how we fix this looking at the underlying hex on the drive and will try it when I get time.
 
Hi MaseratiGent,
I have posted regarding this issue on the Maserati Forum at https://www.maseratilife.com/threads/bose-nit-ssd-upgrade.132120/#post-1054079
I was hoping for some insight here. How did you copy the drives? I was planning to possibly use a drive duplicator. I've just purchased a used NIT for experimentation. Being that you are in UK, I don't believe temperature gets cold enough for ssd temp range to be a problem but here in NY a regular ssd WILL be a problem.
Thanks in advance
 
Did anyone find a fix here. I am looking to solve the frozen maserati screen on the BOSE NIT unit. I have just had an issue after a long drive.
 
Your problem is that your hard drive is bad. I've been looking into this extensively as of late. PM me, I will try to help you out. You will need a new drive with the image already on it
 
Ssds won't work here BTW, the specs for an automotive grade drive in ide don't match what we need. Fortunately the original drives are still available
 
Hi all, first of all, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. I was able to save my NIT by writing an uncorrupted image file on the existing HDD (my data were corrupted, not the drive :)). Problem, the configuration of the car that provided the image is not the same as mine and I lost the TV option and see a front radar option that I don't have. I was wondering if that can be solved with a proxi alignment and if the only way to do this is by using Maserati Diagnosi or SD3 ?
 
I have never noticed that but if an option was changed, I assume that a Proxi alignment would resolve the issue but I think you would also have to go into SD3 and confirm that the options are enabled or not. Just my 2 cents, again I have never seen that occur with any of the units I worked with
 
Hi all,
My '10 QPV GTS started developing similar symptoms: 4 out of 5 boots hang at the maserati splash screen then go dark. The lucky fifth boots properly, but the navigation data is missing (dark map). All other functions seem to work properly.

Read the few threads on the topic and it seems that some were successful in fixing their units, while others not.
Is there a consensus that this is the behaviour of a failing HDD? If so, is there a store where I can buy a replacement?
 
Hi

Replacement drive must be the same specification - larger or SSD will not work. Drive used by BOSE/Maserati has higher shock and temperature tolerances.

MK4036GAC - Toshiba 40GB
UK vendor - https://harddiskdirect.co.uk/mk4036...atapi-ide-100-2-5-inch-laptop-hard-drive.html

US vendor - https://primelec.com/products/toshi...4200rpm-8mb-internal-2-5-hard-drive-mk4036gac


System uses a File system PJFS 178 which is described here https://ghs.com/products/safety_critical/integrity_178_extensions.html#pjfs_file. Files and Partitions cannot be seen by typical OS so you need to use software to image the new disk and the one I used was HDD Guru.

HDD Guru - HDD Raw Copy Tool is a utility for low-level, sector-by-sector hard disk duplication and image creation. HDD Raw Copy tool makes an exact duplicate of a SATA, IDE, SAS, SCSI or SSD hard disk drive. Will also work with any USB and FIREWIRE external drive enclosures as well as SD, MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash media.
The tool creates a sector-by-sector copy of all areas of the hard drive (MBR, boot records, all partitions as well as space in between). HDD Raw Copy does not care about the operating system on the drive – it could be Windows, Linux, Mac, or any other OS with any number of partitions (including hidden ones). Bad sectors are skipped by the tool.
Download Windows Installer (most people will want this option): HDD Raw Copy ver.1.10 setup
Download Windows Executable (works without installation): HDD Raw Copy ver.1.10
portable
 
Thanks a lot, Keano. Great info, will proceed with the hdd purchase.
In case my original HDD is corrupted and cloning it is not an option, then what can be done? Can an image from a different NIT be used, followed by a proxy alignment at the dealer?
 
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