How to Run Spinrite 6.1 on USB Floppy Disk Enclosure

[anuneznyc]

I need to recover some files from a 3.5 floppy disk drive.

I have no old computers with a built-in floppy drive, so I purchased an external TEAC FDD enclosure that I can plug into any USB port on my Lenovo desktop PC.

The Lenovo BIOS does recognize the enclosure b/c when I hit F12 to access boot options, the FDD enclosure is listed as one of the boot device options.

Unfortunately, Spinrite does not recognize the FDD enclosure. It only gives me the option to run on my internal HDD.

I emailed GRC support and in their reply, they explained that the appropriate drivers for the TEAC would need to be loaded by Spinrite before it could recognize the external FDD.

They recommended looking at the info on http://www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm but unfortunately the DOS driver files hosted there are only available after making a Paypal purchase of $4.00. I would be happy to pay that, but the Paypal payment fails every single time. I suspect the Paypal account is locked or revoked.

I tried searching for drivers at https://teac.jp/int/support/ but had no luck.

If anyone has any suggestions on how I might be able to get Spinrite to run on the FDD inside this TEAC enclosure, please let me know.

Thank you in advance.

 

[ColbyBouma]

I emailed GRC support and in their reply, they explained that the appropriate drivers for the TEAC would need to be loaded by Spinrite before it could recognize the external FDD.

I'm surprised Greg told you this, because it's wrong. SpinRite 6.1 does not support floppy drives at all. You need to acquire an older version of SpinRite, preferably version 5.

https://www.grc.com/sr/faq.htm

You can get version 5 from here:
https://www.grc.com/cs/customerservice.htm

 

[anuneznyc]

I'm surprised Greg told you this, because it's wrong. SpinRite 6.1 does not support floppy drives at all. You need to acquire an older version of SpinRite, preferably version 5.

Thank you so much for clarifying this!

 

[anuneznyc]

I was able to download the sr5.exe file. But when I try to run that file on my Win 10 PC, I get the error, "This app can't run on your PC. To find a version for your PC, check with the software publisher."

I tried modifying the Compatibility Settings for the file, setting to run under Win 8 and then also Win 7, but I still get the above-error message.

 

[ColbyBouma]

Oh yeah, I forgot that version 5 doesn't have the dual-mode Windows/DOS thing. You should be able to copy it to the drive you created with 6.1 and run it from there. Once you boot the PC, exit 6.1, then launch version 5 by typing sr5 and hitting Enter.

 

[anuneznyc]

Oh yeah, I forgot that version 5 doesn't have the dual-mode Windows/DOS thing. You should be able to copy it to the drive you created with 6.1 and run it from there. Once you boot the PC, exit 6.1, then launch version 5 by typing sr5 and hitting Enter.

Thanks. I followed your suggestion. But when I exit 6.1 and then type sr5, I get an error. "SpinRite has detected a LOADING ERROR which may have been caused by a virus. This file is not safe to use. Please renew your copy from ORIGINAL source."

 

[ColbyBouma]

That's weird. Try downloading it from grc.com again. It should be 95 KB.

 

[DanR]

I followed your suggestion. But when I exit 6.1 and then type sr5, I get an error. "SpinRite has detected a LOADING ERROR which may have been caused by a virus. This file is not safe to use. Please renew your copy from ORIGINAL source."

It sounds like something has happened to the file, perhaps when attempting to run it as a Windows app.

As Colby suggested, try downloading it again.

 

[anuneznyc]

That's weird. Try downloading it from grc.com again. It should be 95 KB.

OK. I downloaded it again. It's working now.

Thank you!

 

[peterblaise]

ValiDrive!

 

[ColbyBouma]

ValiDrive!

I don't think running ValiDrive on a disk you're trying to recover data from is a good idea.

 

[peterblaise]

ValiDrive is a mini-SpinRite Level 5 running on 576 'regions' on a
USB-attached drive, saying:

All data SHOULD be preserved​

​

ValiDrive has been thoroughly tested and it is very careful to restore
the data in the 576 regions it tests. No data has ever been lost
during extensive pre-release testing. But it's conceivable that a
damaged drive might fail during ValiDrive's testing. So, if you have
critical data on the drive that's about to be tested it might be best to
copy it elsewhere for absolute safety.​

SpinRite Level 5 is a superb data recovery routine, so it ought to be
beneficial, right?

I wonder if, under Windows, ValiDrive will even 'see' a USB floppy as
a testable drive.

After connecting a USB floopy drive with a diskette in it:

ValiDrive just sits there:

... and takes no action.

Windows sees and enumerates, and allows access to the diskette
drive contents, no problem.

So, a dead end.

But it would be GREAT if ValiDrive could work on a diskette.

Supposedly, ValiDrive tests about 8 MB, so a 360 KB <-- KB would
be a challenge.

I remember ValiDrive may have a minimum USB drive size
threshold - we have to dig deep in our ancient collections to find
old USB drives smaller than 8 MB to confirm any limit - my smallest
USB drives are 64 MB, not anywhere near 8 MB let alone 360 KB
... I'll keep digging.

It would be nice if ValiDrive said something when it saw something.
such as "I see USB activity, enumerated as TEAC UFB000x, but it
does not contain a flash drive meeting ValiDrive's target criteria".

That ValiDrive works SPLENDIDLY on HDDs in USB adapters is a
terrific feature, which I use frequently to quickly confirm that a stack
of HDDs are still usable.

But here, my speculation doesn't play out.

Good exploration, though - I'm smarter now. ;-)

Thanks.