Can Spinrite be run with a wireless keyboard?

[DanR]

I have just downloaded a fresh copy of SpinRite 6.1 and generated the boot USB drive running as administrator. The resultant drive still shows just EDIT.COM and SPINRITE.EXE .

The files are there. They are hidden.

In Windows 10 Explorer, if I click View then over to the right I see two boxes checked: "File name extensions" and "Hidden Items".

I see 8 files in my SpinRite boot drive. If I clear the cheek box for "Hidden items" I see only spinrite.exe and edit.com.

You do not have hidden files properly unhidden.

 

[Rog7]

The files are there. They are hidden.

In Windows 10 Explorer, if I click View then over to the right I see two boxes checked: "File name extensions" and "Hidden Items".

I see 8 files in my SpinRite boot drive. If I clear the cheek box for "Hidden items" I see only spinrite.exe and edit.com.

You do not have hidden files properly unhidden.

 

[Rog7]

I have Spacesniffer which displays a map of all files on a drive. It does show all 8 files on SpinRite USB and I've discovered that if I right click a file I can edit it with Notepad. Now I'll boot it and try the keyboard.


That's great, but why are they always hidden to Explorer?
...and having edited and resaved files, they are visible in Explorer.

That hasn't improved the situation. Still can't use a keyboard after booting SpinRite drive even at the C: prompt.

 

[DanR]

How many USB ports does your device have?

Where/how are they physically located?

 

[Rog7]

How many USB ports does your device have?

Where/how are they physically located?

6 I think at the back and difficult to get to, 2 probably USB2 the rest USB3. There's an extension from one of the USB3 to a USB3 hub (3 with power, 4 without) on which there is the dongle for the wireless keyboard and mouse (the wired keyboard it works fine in Windows from here), also one goes to the monitor. The monitor itself is HDMI but it has 2 USB ports, unused, which are fed from the USB hub.

On the top are 2 USB3 one of which I use for the SpinRite drive. (the wired keyboard it works fine in Windows from these)

I have also tried the SpinRite drive in the USBhub, it boots OK but the keyboard, in one of the 2 on top, does not.

I'll try connecting the wired keyboard to one of the USB2 at the back. It'll take me a while, get back to you within the hour.

 

[Rog7]

Hello again DanR,

Not a great success.
I didn't know my PC as well as I thought. The two USB sockets on the top are USB2, not 3 as I thought.
On the back are two USB 3.2 blue and two USB 3.2 red. Also two USB2 beside the PS/2 socket so I tried one on these.

Wired keyboard worked fine in Windows but not at all in SpinRite.

I have a PS/2 to USB adapter arriving tomorrow or Tuesday, let's hope the PS/2 works.

 

[miquelfire]

As I said, in Folder options, there's a "Hide protected operating system files" that you need to uncheck. You most likely haven't unchecked it (I normally keep it checked because I normally don't have a reason to mess with files it keeps hidden)

 

[Rog7]

View attachment 1740
As I said, in Folder options, there's a "Hide protected operating system files" that you need to uncheck. You most likely haven't unchecked it (I normally keep it checked because I normally don't have a reason to mess with files it keeps hidden)

Thank you so much, miquelfire, I thought I'd checked that setting but I clearly hadn't.
All visible now.

 

[DanR]

Not a great success.
I didn't know my PC as well as I thought. The two USB sockets on the top are USB2, not 3 as I thought.
On the back are two USB 3.2 blue and two USB 3.2 red. Also two USB2 beside the PS/2 socket so I tried one on these.

Ouch! The BIOS predates USB 3 thus the BIOS does not know USB 3 so USB 3 will not work.

I have a PS/2 to USB adapter arriving tomorrow or Tuesday, let's hope the PS/2 works.

That sounds like your best hope. PS/2 would be BIOS compatible.

 

[PHolder]

@Rog7
Perhaps I'm just crazy... but... it feels to me that any respectable BIOS would use the same keyboard support in the BIOS as it does in a legacy OS. Are you able to use your keyboard to get into your BIOS and navigate around?

 

[Rog7]

The USB2 to PS/2 adapter arrived today but it made no difference.
Actually I think the adapter may be the problem because the keyboard is never recognised, not even in Windows, when using the adapter.
Windows does recognise it when plugged into a USB socket.
I'll either have to get another adapter (from a different source) or find someone who can lend me a PS/2 keyboard.

 

[DanR]

The USB2 to PS/2 adapter arrived today but it made no difference.
Actually I think the adapter may be the problem because the keyboard is never recognised, not even in Windows, when using the adapter.

You might consider taking a look at the BIOS settings to see the PS/2 port is disabled?

 

[AlanD]

On some machines, the PS/2 ports are only scanned at a cold start. If something is plugged in later, it is not seen until a complete powerdown/restart cycle.

 

[peterblaise]

Corerct, PS2 sockets are not intended to be
hot pluggable, in my experience:

https://www.google.com/search?q=PS2+sockets+are+not+intended+to+be+hot+pluggable

Set everything up.

Then attach the power cord.

Then turn it on.

 

[Rog7]

I'm tearing my hair out here, seem to be going backwards:

I've now got a genuine PS/2 wired keyboard which works fine in Windows.

My MoBo is a Gigabyte Aorus B450 which has shown an Aorus splash screen, for the past 5 years. Today I see a Chillblast splash screen (I got the PC from them), I have no idea why.

Moreover, with the SR USB set to boot #1:

• I boot the system (the SR USB's light remains on),
• the Chillblast screen comes up,
• the SR USB's light goes off,
• then it boots Windows.

So, now that I have the means (keyboard) to run and use SR, the MoBo refuses to boot it.

 

[DanR]

Retry booting without the PS/2 keyboard plugged in. Does SpinRite then boot up?

Again, I think you need to go into the BIOS settings and look for anything related to PS/2. And also look at the boot settings. Something changes when the BIOS detects the PS/2 keyboard.

 

[peterblaise]

SImplify.

In Windows delete SRSPLASH.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT from the
SpinRite boot USB.

Power off.

Unplug the Windows boot HDD.

Power on and boot into CMOS BIOS.

Configure CMOS BIOS to boot yada yada USB Legacy, Secure Off,
whatever.

Power off.

Power back on, wait or hot-key to boot to the SpinRite boot USB.

Something like that.

If you move the SpinRite boot USB around, power off in between,
until you find a USB port that it will boot from.

If and when you finally successfully boot to a SpinRite boot USB,
decide what to do - power off and re-add the Windows HDD,
whatever, and try to boot to the SpinRite USB again.

- - - - -

Test the SpinRite boot USB in another computer - can it boot
anywhere?

 

[Rog7]

SImplify.

In Windows delete SRSPLASH.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT from the
SpinRite boot USB.

Power off.

Unplug the Windows boot HDD.

Power on and boot into CMOS BIOS.

Configure CMOS BIOS to boot yada yada USB Legacy, Secure Off,
whatever.

Power off.

Power back on, wait or hot-key to boot to the SpinRite boot USB.

Something like that.

If you move the SpinRite boot USB around, power off in between,
until you find a USB port that it will boot from.

If and when you finally successfully boot to a SpinRite boot USB,
decide what to do - power off and re-add the Windows HDD,
whatever, and try to boot to the SpinRite USB again.

- - - - -

Test the SpinRite boot USB in another computer - can it boot
anywhere?

Good suggestion but unplugging the Win10 SSD is impractical as it's a NVMe SSD and I'd rather not touch it.

 

[peterblaise]

I understand, I have an HP Stream laptop where the SSD is soldered in
place on the main system memory bus board and cannot be gotten
out of the way to simplify the computer while attempting to teach it
to boot from a SpinRite boot USB drive in order to troubleshoot
another USB drive.

Perhaps change CMOS BIOS to prefer booting from USB, deprecating
booting from SSD - anything to stop Windows intruding as the go-to
default?

The goal is booting from USB, and if we cannot simplify the computer
one way, we must try another.

Or, of course, another computer.

Used computers that can run SpinRite are cheap and free - ask
everyone if they have an old computer in their closet that you can
cleanup and 'donate' or recycle for them.

;-)

 

[Scott]

If I were in your shoes, I'd:

1. Download Rufus if you don't have it already https://rufus.ie/en/
2. Use Rufus to create a USB with MS-DOS. Rufus will go and fetch the last version of MS-DOS (the one that was embedded in Windows ME) and install it onto a USB. That will just boot to a DOS prompt.
3. Change whatever settings in your BIOS that you need to in order to successfully boot from that USB and have your keyboard working
4. Make another USB with Rufus and select FreeDOS as the operating system. Again, Rufus should download FreeDOS and create the USB.
5. Double check that it boots and keyboard works with FreeDOS
6. Once you've validated that, try the SpinRite USB.