Done in SpinRite 6.1.
Always download the current version ( Release 4 at the
moment ) before running so we know we've got as good
as it gets, see
https://www.grc.com/upgrade.htm
Here in SpinRite 6.1 screens:
[ Select Drive(s) For Operation ],
the
[ drv technology: ]
line tells us what the drive reports, here
[ supports trimming ],
for example.
Note that it's up to the drive itself to report whatever
technology it is using internally.
Internal cache wise, it's invisible to external scrutiny, and
may only be 'reported' in vendor's documentation.
Maybe by inspecting chip labels and looking up chip
manufacturer references, but it's up to firmware if any
chip gets used in any way.
I'd love a heuristic tool to deduce internal resources and
structures . . . if anyone has any insights on insight.
- - - - -
We can also see free GSMARTControl
https://gsmartcontrol.shaduri.dev/downloads and other
tools to help identify even unlabled drives, or even
labeled drives.
Free alternatives are CrystalDiskInfo, HD Tune, HDDScan,
smartmontools, Hard Disk Sentinel, DataNumen Disk
Image, EaseUS Partition Master, Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool,
UUByte ISO Editor, AccuHash, Darik's Boot and Nuke,
DiskDeleter, DiskGenius, DMDE, FCleaner, and so on.
Many have a DOS version suitable for use 'next' to
SpinRite 6.1 for FreeDOS.
I know of NO drives that say 'SMR' on the label, as if that
would have a particular meaning to end-users ( such as
"not intended as boot operating system or cache drives"
perhaps? ), but some identify SMR in their on-line and
PDF specifications.
- - - - -
'Warnings' wise, SpinRite 6.1 offers additional
information
before a Level 3, 4, or 5 full re-write, and mentions the
"drv technology" on the 5th line of the "hardware" tab:
'Warnings' are NOT necessarily only about risk of
damage,
or supposedly 'wearing out' our drives.
For me, and SMR warning reminds me that I'm about to
spend way more time than expected, because SMR drives
my take
longer than non-SMR drives, and may perform
redundant work.
But there is no
damage running SpinRite 6.1 Level 5 on an
SMR drive . . . except maybe overheating if we do not
keep supplemental cooling fans exhausting the drive's
heat as it works full time.
Anything working at 100% is considered 'heavy duty', so
cool appropriately.
SMR drives have what I might call a square-wave data
transfer rate, for example, see these graphs from free
HDDScan, 2.5" drive on the left, 3.5" drive on the right
( yes, 2.5" drive often offer only half the data transfer
rate of 3.5" drives ):
Meaning: read and re-write differ when tracks overlap,
and entire tracks and groups of adjacent tracks need to
be over-written in sequence together when even one
of their sectors is called on to be re-written, hence the
'warning' that re-writing an entire SMR drive in
one-pass may actually cause repeated internal
re-writings along the way, hence the rather odd
dynamic response curve where apparently multiple
redundant writing is going on in response to ONE write
request - no damage, just lots more time than expected.
- - - - -
I see SpinRite as a tool,
not a decision maker.
SpinRite's goals are:
data recovery ( in place )
drive maintenance
It's totally up to me as the end user to decide what those
two terms mean to me.
Some of us have no problem running SpinRite Level 5 on
SSDs and SMR drives.
Some of us hesitate.
I know of no one who has testimony and evidence of
damage from SpinRite Level 5 run on anything, including
multiple runs on µSD chips!
Tell us more, let us know what you do and what you
observe as you deal with whatever you're dealing with.
