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  • Be sure to checkout “Tips & Tricks”
    Dear Guest Visitor → Once you register and log-in please checkout the “Tips & Tricks” page for some very handy tips!

    /Steve.

  • 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.

    (You may permanently close this reminder with the 'X' in the upper right.)

SpinRite V6.1 Pre-Release Access

#1

C

ccdanieldb

Hello All,

I found a PNG file at https://www.grc.com/dev/SpinRite/Alpha-Download.png that seems to indicate there is a SpinRite V6.1 Pre-Release Access download somewhere. Can anyone point me in the right direction.

Alpha-Download.png


#2

M

Mervyn Haynes

Not yet AVAIlABLE! Maybe before the end of this month. When it is "AVAIlABLE" this forum will be buzzing. Also you may want to join the Gitlab group.


#3

Tech323

Tech323

Mervyn Haynes said:
you may want to join the Gitlab group.
Click to expand...

This one: https://gitlab.com/GRC-Community

or another one?


#4

D

DanR

ccdanieldb said:
Can anyone point me in the right direction.
Click to expand...
It's too soon yet!

The pending Alpha release will be a semi-private release only for the SpinRite development News Group for NG members who are also registered SpinRite owners. This will expose the Alpha release to a much wider array of hardware than Steve has in his lab. This is expected and intended to find flaws and issues that Steve's significant testing to date has not found.

Once the Alpha phase is complete, and issue fixes, code improvements, etc. are all in the code, then Steve Steve will prepare a Beta release for wider public testing by any interested SpinRite owners. Steve will announce that here in the Forum with appropriate instructions for accessing it. Until then, please sit tight. It is coming! It is no longer that far away. But, sorry, no availability dates can be reliably predicted :(.

This software will be fully functional, hence the restriction to registered SpinRite owners.

As with any Alpha/Beta software, bugs and flaws should be expected. Therefore, this software should not be be run on any drive that contains important data!


#5

ColbyBouma

ColbyBouma

No, not that one! I set that up before Steve set up his own at https://dev.grc.com. You can find instructions for joining that server in GRC's newsgroups: https://www.grc.com/discussions.htm


#6

C

ccdanieldb

Hello again,

Where do I sign up for an account. When I go to https://gitlab.com/GRC-Community and click on (Don't have an account yet? Register now) I just get another password protected sign in page. Please see below. Any help would be great.
Screen Shot 2022-11-25 at 10.58.13 AM.png


#7

Tech323

Tech323

ccdanieldb said:
Hello again,

Where do I sign up for an account. When I go to https://gitlab.com/GRC-Community and click on (Don't have an account yet? Register now) I just get another password protected sign in page. Please see below. Any help would be great.
View attachment 595
Click to expand...


Same issue.


#8

A

AlanD

Steve's post in the Spinrite development newsgroup dated 22 Dec 2021 entitled "GRC's GitLab Instance" gives details of how to get an account.
I have deliberately NOT posted the details here as it is part of his anti-robot defences.


#9

Tech323

Tech323

AlanD said:
Steve's post in the Spinrite development newsgroup dated 22 Dec 2021 entitled "GRC's GitLab Instance" gives details of how to get an account.
I have deliberately NOT posted the details here as it is part of his anti-robot defences.
Click to expand...
THANKS!!


#10

Happenstrance

Happenstrance

DanR said:
The pending Alpha release will be a semi-private release only for the SpinRite development News Group for NG members who are also registered SpinRite owners.
Click to expand...
Okay so if I'm a NG member using a different email address than the email I used to purchase SpinRite, how do I go about linking the two addresses for the purpose of accessing the alpha release?

EDIT: I see Steve created a history page listing the alpha releases at https://dev.grc.com/Steve/spinrite-v6.1/-/wikis/Alpha-Release-History so I'm hoping to test at least #2 by next week if not #3 whenever I figure out how to get a copy.

Alpha-Release 1:​


  • Our first release with some successes, random problems, and mostly keyboard troubles.
Alpha-Release 2:

  • Since so many people were having keyboard trouble, and since I probably knew what was going on, I quickly switched alpha-release 1 to alpha-release 2 with a (hopeful) fix for the keyboard troubles. The first report back from someone (mc) who had serious keyboard trouble reports that AR-#2 resolved it for him.
Alpha-Release 3:

  • No plans yet, but there will definitely be one!
Click to expand...


#11

D

DanR

Happenstrance said:
Okay so if I'm a NG member using a different email address than the email I used to purchase SpinRite, how do I go about linking the two addresses for the purpose of accessing the alpha release?
Click to expand...
All you need is either your SpinRite serial number or your purchase transaction code; both appear on your purchase receipt.

Your copy of SpinRite will display the serial number when it starts up. SR 6.0 shows it on the second screen for me.


#12

Happenstrance

Happenstrance

DanR said:
All you need is either your SpinRite serial number or your purchase transaction code; both appear on your purchase receipt.

Your copy of SpinRite will display the serial number when it starts up. SR 6.0 shows it on the second screen for me.
Click to expand...
Yes I have those. I'm guessing I don't post them publicly to the newsgroup, so what's the next step?


#13

D

DanR

Read this post of Steve's:

Happy Thanksgiving and...
11/25/2022, 3:20 PM

About 3/4 of the way down that post there is a link to the prerelease page. On that page enter either the serial number or the transaction code to get your download.


#14

Happenstrance

Happenstrance

DanR said:
Read this post of Steve's:

Happy Thanksgiving and...
11/25/2022, 3:20 PM

About 3/4 of the way down that post there is a link to the prerelease page. On that page enter either the serial number or the transaction code to get your download.
Click to expand...
Thank you! The sheer influx of posts to the group meant I wasn't thoroughly reading them all and that one needed a lot of scrolling to find. Time for me to get testing!


#15

C

ccdanieldb

AlanD said:
Steve's post in the Spinrite development newsgroup dated 22 Dec 2021 entitled "GRC's GitLab Instance" gives details of how to get an account.
I have deliberately NOT posted the details here as it is part of his anti-robot defences.
Click to expand...
Thank you.


#16

P

PHolder

ccdanieldb said:
Where do I sign up for an account. When I go to ht tps:// gitlab . com/ GRC-Community (mangled URL to prevent it from being clicked) and click on
Click to expand...

That's the wrong URL. There was some confusion above, and I have removed the confusing post. Please check for the correct info above. You need a special password that Steve documents in the newsgroups (this is to reduce spam and bots.)


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