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  • A Patch for SpinRite 6.0's Division Overflow
    Please see my blog posting for the whole story!

Low Cost / Small PC Platform for SpinRite 6

#1

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

I am a Mac user with a need to run SpitRite on some SATA HDs from my Synology. Does anyone have a recommendation for a small PC that I can attach my SATA drives to? My son does have a Windows laptop, but I'm not sure if I can connect the drives since it doesn't have a SATA connection.


#2

P

PHolder

If you ONLY need a system that can do SpinRite and nothing else, then perhaps you don't even need a full PC. A motherboard that supports an iGPU, a low end CPU with integrated GPU, some RAM, and a PSU is all you technically need. You could spring for a cheap case, of course, but since you're not going to be using it all the time, you could just as easily run the whole thing sitting on a table with the motherboard still in the box it came in. You wouldn't even need a boot SSD/HDD because you could boot off of USB. An AMD AM4 system with a 5600G could work nicely. The CPU is around $150 right now. ( https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Ryzen-5600G-12-Thread-Processor/dp/B092L9GF5N )


#3

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

PHolder said:
If you ONLY need a system that can do SpinRite and nothing else, then perhaps you don't even need a full PC. A motherboard that supports an iGPU, a low end CPU with integrated GPU, some RAM, and a PSU is all you technically need. You could spring for a cheap case, of course, but since you're not going to be using it all the time, you could just as easily run the whole thing sitting on a table with the motherboard still in the box it came in. You wouldn't even need a boot SSD/HDD because you could boot off of USB. An AMD AM4 system with a 5600G could work nicely. The CPU is around $150 right now. ( https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Ryzen-5600G-12-Thread-Processor/dp/B092L9GF5N )
Click to expand...
Thanks. I thought about this. I am looking at Ebay now as well since I would like to keep this as cheap as possible (ideally < $200) total. I see a lot of micro PCs in that range, but they don't have SATA.


#4

P

PHolder

I went through PC Part Picker and chose the lowest priced items that had a brand name I would consider. Here's the summary:

PC Builder - AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, Rosewill FBM-X2 MicroATX Mini Tower - PCPartPicker

PC Builder - AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, Rosewill FBM-X2 MicroATX Mini Tower
pcpartpicker.com pcpartpicker.com

If you put it in a case, I would additionally look for a single bay drive sled that supports hot swapping the drives you want to test, just to make your life easier.


#5

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

PHolder said:
I went through PC Part Picker and chose the lowest priced items that had a brand name I would consider. Here's the summary:

PC Builder - AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, Rosewill FBM-X2 MicroATX Mini Tower - PCPartPicker

PC Builder - AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, Rosewill FBM-X2 MicroATX Mini Tower
pcpartpicker.com pcpartpicker.com

If you put it in a case, I would additionally look for a single bay drive sled that supports hot swapping the drives you want to test, just to make your life easier.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed help.


#6

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

I found an old Dell PC on Ebay with 4 SATA ports that should work great for this. < $85 delivered. Thanks for the help.


#7

miquelfire

miquelfire

For those who has the same issue as the OP, one thing to note, does AMD have a point where you only have UEFI and no BOIS? I think with Intel, it was 8th (9th?) gen that was the last one to support it.


#8

P

PHolder

miquelfire said:
does AMD have a point where you only have UEFI and no BOIS?
Click to expand...
That's technically up to the MOBO manufacturer. I haven't yet heard of an AMD MOBO that doesn't support a CSM/BIOS but I'm sure someone will get there sooner or later. It would make sense on the AM5 break to do this, because of the switch to PCI5 and DDR5 and USB4, etc... as well as the new enclave project with MS... lots of new changes so why not throw one more in.


#9

Dave

Dave

If it wasn't written in assembly language, I would half-jokingly ask Steve for a Raspberry Pi port of SpinRite. :)


#10

P

PHolder

Dave said:
Raspberry Pi port
Click to expand...
Actually, even cheaper, might be a Pico (from the Raspberry Pi Foundation). It's meant for embedded devices, so not meant to have a screen or anything, but you CAN add a touch screen for a few bucks. I'm sure you could probably add a disk controller for a few bucks too. The nice thing about it is that it's very small, not very powerful, so not a lot of cooling needed, and very cost effective. I envision a Spin Rite dongle that you could connect to any PC... and it would work like a VM to house the low level code in a way it can work with any other PC.

@Steve, how about this for an idea...? I know you went the way of the RTOS so you could have a Windows feel... but maybe you don't need to deal with booting on specific PCs and just built an API for talking to a "dongle" and a Windows user of said API as the example that the FOSS community could port to Mac's, Linux and phones and tablets.


#11

magnificent_starfish

magnificent_starfish

PHolder said:
Actually, even cheaper, might be a Pico (from the Raspberry Pi Foundation). It's meant for embedded devices, so not meant to have a screen or anything, but you CAN add a touch screen for a few bucks. I'm sure you could probably add a disk controller for a few bucks too. The nice thing about it is that it's very small, not very powerful, so not a lot of cooling needed, and very cost effective. I envision a Spin Rite dongle that you could connect to any PC... and it would work like a VM to house the low level code in a way it can work with any other PC.

@Steve, how about this for an idea...? I know you went the way of the RTOS so you could have a Windows feel... but maybe you don't need to deal with booting on specific PCs and just built an API for talking to a "dongle" and a Windows user of said API as the example that the FOSS community could port to Mac's, Linux and phones and tablets.
Click to expand...

I have seen a similar idea executed around MHDD (a DOS based tool):


Hdd-Test-Gereedschap-Harde-Schijf-Reparatie-Tools-Test-Machine-Draagbare-Mobiele-Mhdd-Dos-Test...jpg


I have seen similar ones with more elegant boxes around them, typically found at ebay.


#12

magnificent_starfish

magnificent_starfish

Or uglier FTM, matter of opinion I guess ..

H56fd71a9bbff4a17a39439ae4707cfc3Y.jpg


#13

D

Dakar Dad

I picked up a Dell like this off eBay for $75 and it rips through drives being an I7 processor and it is not very big at all.

Dell Computer
dell.jpg


#14

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

Dakar Dad said:
I picked up a Dell like this off eBay for $75 and it rips through drives being an I7 processor and it is not very big at all.

Dell Computer
View attachment 556
Click to expand...
Yeah, that is essentially what I did. Computer is supposed to come today, so we'll see.


#15

D

Dakar Dad

MarkGoddard said:
Yeah, that is essentially what I did. Computer is supposed to come today, so we'll see.
Click to expand...
Works great, just hit F12 a few times and it will give you boot menu.


#16

P

PHolder

I guess it should be noted that @Steve mentioned this device in the newsgroups as possibly being suitable. He has ordered one (coming on a slow boat from China) to test it out. This is pretty close to the level of a RPi, so it might be just the ticket for someone who wants something not too expensive and no fuss.


#17

miquelfire

miquelfire

This was posted to a teams group at my job. The jump of two generations for the Intel makes it hard to tell if it's better for Spinrite use or not. How much does the processor really matter with Spinrite anyway? I wonder if the processor (at least the core Spinrite uses) ends up spending 90% of the time just idling?


#18

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

Dakar Dad said:
Works great, just hit F12 a few times and it will give you boot menu.
Click to expand...
The Dell I got is working fine. Then I ran into the drive size limitation :-(


#19

rfrazier

rfrazier

It's been a long time since I've built a PC, but are you talking about the 2 TB limit? Maybe you can partition the drive into multiple 2 TB chunks and they would show up as separate drives in SR. If that's all wet, please forgive.

May your bits be stable and your interfaces be fast. :cool: Ron


#20

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

rfrazier said:
It's been a long time since I've built a PC, but are you talking about the 2 TB limit? Maybe you can partition the drive into multiple 2 TB chunks and they would show up as separate drives in SR. If that's all wet, please forgive.

May your bits be stable and your interfaces be fast. :cool: Ron
Click to expand...
Yeah I might try that later, but I was hoping to avoid erasing the disk. I ordered a restore from BackBlaze and a replacement drive, so once I am back in business I might try that.


#21

C

cyberzod

Mark et al,
Don't neglect your local garage sales and thrift stores. These are often excellent sources of gently (and harshly) used PCs.


#22

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

cyberzod said:
Mark et al,
Don't neglect your local garage sales and thrift stores. These are often excellent sources of gently (and harshly) used PCs.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I got a great PC from EBay. Now just dealing with the limitations of V6.


#23

Happenstrance

Happenstrance

Copy/pasting directly from SN #892 shownotes (I just ordered one with the additional Y SATA cable):

What I think I’ve found here, with this ZimaBoard, is Steve’s Dream SBC –
Single Board Computer.
(podcast video timestamped here)
It is 100% Intel chipset with the exception of its dual Gig network adapter, which is a Realtek
8168 chip. That’s perfect for my development needs, since I have DOS network drivers for that
chip. It has a pair of 6 gigabit SATA 3 connectors with a cable to provide power for one drive.
And it has a pair of USB 3.0 ports. So SpinRite will be able to run drives attached to either. And
it has a single PCIe x 4 connector for the expansion of anything else. That could be a PCIe to IDE
adapter if SpinRite needed to repair any older IDE drives, or an NVMe adapter if SpinRite needed
to be run on NVMe drives once that’s supported. It has built-in video through a mini DisplayPort
which can do 4K video at 60hz.

And critically, the ZimaBoard offers both UEFI and traditional BIOS support. It has a very
comfortable Award BIOS with all of the bells and whistles, drive boot order and so forth, so that
SpinRite v6.1 will be able to boot FreeDOS and run without trouble. It could boot from an
attached USB thumb drive if you wanted to leave the Debian-derived CasaOS Linux that’s
shipped with the board in place, or FreeDOS and SpinRite could be installed onto the board’s
built-in roomy 16GB eMMC drive. That’s what I’ll be doing. Either way, I’ll be able to use the
same platform for SpinRite’s future development under UEFI. So it’s perfect for both now and for
what’s next.

There are three ZimaBoard models which vary in speed and size, but the smallest of the three is
what I purchased. I have two of them, one for each of my locations. As I mentioned, the
smallest of the three contains a 16 gig eMMC drive which is preloaded with a Debian Linux
variant which they call CasaOS. The board is broadly compatible, able to run any Intel OS, Linux,
Windows, pfSense, OpenWRT, NAS software and anything else.

If you click on the “Order Now” button on the home page, and then again on the page that
comes up, you’ll get to the place where you set the quantity and model number you want. If you
scroll down that 3rd page to the bottom, you’ll find a “BUY ONE GET ONE FREE” offer that
explains “Buy ZimaBoard and get a free 12V/3A Power Adapter!” which you’ll need. So that’s
what I would recommend. There’s also a 10% off discount coupon available but you probably
cannot use both. As I mentioned, the ZimaBoard comes with cabling to supply power to a single
SATA drive. But there’s an optional dual SATA cabling, for $4, that you may want if you intend to
power two SATA drives from the board. That’s also what I’m doing.

So I now have a terrific answer to the often asked question “What does GRC recommend for
running SpinRite standalone.”

www.zimaboard.com

ZimaBoard - World's First Hackable Single Board Server

ZimaBoard is world's first hackable single board server. It is a hybird of micro server and SBC (single board computer). It's designed for building a low cost NAS, media server, and software router as your home automation and entertainment center.
www.zimaboard.com www.zimaboard.com


#24

MarkGoddard

MarkGoddard

That looks cool. I worked through the drives I had using the old Dell, but will keep this in mind for when v6.1 is released.


#25

R

RickWhiteley

I recently purchased a ZimaBoard. I plan to use it only for running SpinRite 6.1
Steve mentioned blowing away the OS and making it boot directly to SpinRite.
Any tips on how to do this?


#26

P

PHolder

RickWhiteley said:
Steve mentioned blowing away the OS and making it boot directly to SpinRite
Click to expand...
A helpful YouTube video


#27

R

RickWhiteley

Thanks! exactly what I was looking for.


#28

R

RickWhiteley

Worked like a charm! Though I am realizing I'm very rusty in DOS.

Question - How can I download the current Alpha release of SR 6.1?


#29

P

PHolder

RickWhiteley said:
How can I download the current Alpha release of SR 6.1?
Click to expand...
If you have downloaded it previously, use the same URL with your transaction code from your purchase. If you have not downloaded it previously, I'm afraid, for now, Steve requests you join his SpinRite newsgroup to participate in the Alpha testing. You can learn about the newsgroup here: https://www.grc.com/discussions.htm


#30

R

RickWhiteley

Thanks. I read through the overview.
Decided to download NewsTap on my iPad.
Clicked on connect to news.grc.com
Message says Connecting to Serer, but nothing happens.
Do I need to wait until I'm somehow added to the newsgroups?

Sigh. Such a newbie

Rick


#31

P

PHolder

Steve's newsgroup server had an issue with TLS which he chose not to work on because he was focused on SpinRite. Make sure your client is not trying to use a secure connection. (I know that sounds wrong, but hey.)


#32

R

RobAllen

You can't be "added" to the server. I realize that you've already read the "Newsreader Configuration" section on the Discussions page and successfully contacted "news.grc.com", but the following should be the only critical settings to obtain a connection:

1. Set the server address (host name) to "news.grc.com".
2. Set the port number to 119 (should be default) and disable any option to use a secure connection. <== CHECK THIS

With that much configuration, your reader should be able to contact the server and obtain the group list and headers (confirmed with XNews). If it still doesn't work, then something is definitely wrong. Other NewsTap users might be able to help, but the server doesn't care about your configuration to read anonymously so long as you access the right port. A firewall could technically block access, but I've not heard of one doing so by default.

As Paul said, the biggest problem at present is that the server refuses to allow secure connections so make sure that NewsTap is not trying to use port 563.


You then need a CECIL-ID to post and cancel messages:

3. Set the login method to "Username and Password" and enter identical strings into the Username and Password fields to serve as your CECIL-ID. Pick something unique and stick with it as the first 29 characters becomes your server identity.
4. Set your posting Name to whatever you'd like to use.


Remaining non-critical steps would include:

5. Set your E-Mail address to some string. Many people enter a fake e-mail address here, such as "yourname@email.invalid"
6. Optional: Enter or Add a "Reply-To" field containing a real e-mail address, if you wish.

I don't know whether spammers still bother to scrape NNTP, but I've used steps #5 and #6 for 25 years or more and have never received a single spam e-mail at my "Reply-To" address.


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