Perfect SpinRite Hardware

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  • BootAble – FreeDOS boot testing freeware

    To obtain direct, low-level access to a system's mass storage drives, SpinRite runs under a GRC-customized version of FreeDOS which has been modified to add compatibility with all file systems. In order to run SpinRite it must first be possible to boot FreeDOS.

    GRC's “BootAble” freeware allows anyone to easily create BIOS-bootable media in order to workout and confirm the details of getting a machine to boot FreeDOS through a BIOS. Once the means of doing that has been determined, the media created by SpinRite can be booted and run in the same way.

    The participants here, who have taken the time to share their knowledge and experience, their successes and some frustrations with booting their computers into FreeDOS, have created a valuable knowledgebase which will benefit everyone who follows.

    You may click on the image to the right to obtain your own copy of BootAble. Then use the knowledge and experience documented here to boot your computer(s) into FreeDOS. And please do not hesitate to ask questions – nowhere else can better answers be found.

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G

gdalgliesh

New member
Sep 29, 2020
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Wondering if anyone has suggestion for the perfect SpinRite bench motherboard/system. My current machine that I have used for this is not up to the SATA performance that I believe the new 6.1 will be able to take advantage of and I am looking for a new bench system for media repair and maintenance without breaking the bank. Any thoughts?

Thanks
 
If you're planning to buy the latest new hardware, you're probably already close to too late for SpinRite 6.1, which will not support UEFI Class 3 motherboards. I donno how you can know which motherboards support a CSM and Legacy Boot, and which do not. Intel has indicated that UEFI is the future, starting in 2020, and Legacy Boot is no longer to be supported in 2021. (See https://forums.grc.com/threads/the-end-of-legacy-booting.165/ )

SpinRite 7 is planned to support UEFI booting, but it is probably still a couple of years away.

Thinking of PC's I have to hand, that have cost effective hardware, I have a Ryzen 7 2700X on this motherboard https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/PRIME-B350-PLUS/ and it has a CSM and Legacy Boot and works well with the current AHCI test program. (Even allowing the M.2 to show up in the BIOS.) It was a value board, and it's older now, so it might be hard to find, donno about that.

Since the MOBO provides video outputs, you could use an APU so you wouldn't need to invest in a standalone GPU. I think this machine would be quite happy to run a Ryzen 5 2400G or even a 3400G. That wouldn't have it being a killer gaming machine or anything ;) but it should run SpinRite just fine.
 
It would also be interesting to get an answer with the cheapest/smallest form factor possible. It would be nice to have a small dedicated machine in the corner of my home office.
 
oupi said:
cheapest/smallest form factor possible
Click to expand...
My friend built a server out of one of these with the dedicated case... I wonder how it would like being a SpinRite box?
www.seeedstudio.com

ODYSSEY - X86J4125800 v2 - with Linux and RP2040 Core

ODYSSEY - X86J4125800 v2 features Quad-core Intel® Celeron® J4125 and RP2040 co-processor, equipping dual 2.5GbE interfaces and multiple wireless connectivities, supporting 4K output, carrying sufficient storage capability, equipment expandability, operated by multiple OS, all of which indicate...
www.seeedstudio.com www.seeedstudio.com
I believe he ordered his from Amazon.

I have a mini Ryzen system. The DeskMini A300 with a Ryzen 5 3400G in it. I ordered my parts from NewEgg,
https://www.asrock.com/nettop/AMD/DeskMini A300 Series/
They also make newer DeskMini form factor PCs for Intel and for Ryzen Renoir (4xxx) but those Renoir CPUs are very difficult to find right now because of AMD only releasing them to OEMs.

Either of these are going to be too small to install a desktop HDD in, and I don't know if the Odyssey can internally have anything but the M.2 form factor. They both have USB though, once SpinRite supports that.
 
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Personally I'm looking forward when I can attach to USB 3.0 / 3.1 to SATA connectors to virtually any PC with two such ports and recover data from one drive to the other.

Past that I doubt that the choice of CPU, RAM or motherboard will really make that much difference 😉
 
Simon Zerafa said:
Past that I doubt that the choice of ... motherboard will really make that much difference
Click to expand...
Well other than Legacy Boot support, I would agree with you. I've been waiting a looong time to be able to really use SpinRite because I have large drives, NVMe drives and/or UEFI only hardware. Eventually SpinRite should handle all these and USB too, in version 7, but if you're buying today to plan for 6.1 then you do have to avoid the newest and greatest hardware without Legacy Boot.
 
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