Storing and Retrieving Data Slowly

  • SpinRite v6.1 Release #3
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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.

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matt_waterson

New member
Jan 8, 2021
1
0
Given the benefits of storing & retrieving data more slowly on optical media, I discovered that using tools that can limit the read speed of hdd copy jobs (eg. rsync) allowed me to recover otherwise unreadable data from a failing hdd recently; it's certainly not infallible but allowed me to recover a fair amount more data than I otherwise could.

I wondered if Spinrite might employ any speed limiting techniques during its sector scans?

In contrast to the insatiable focus on pushing performance boundaries, I'm also curious to know whether limiting the write speed to either an hdd or ssd may also be beneficial for long-term archival data storage, as it can be for optical media?