I'm very new to this forum and thinking about purchasing SpinRite. I have a surface 5 with M.2 2230 NVMe SSD drive. Does the latest version of SpinRite available to purchase support this kind of drive ?
Regards
John
Regards
John
Surface 5 with M.2 2230 NVMe SSD
- Thread starter John Doster
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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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No, unfortunately, on two (2) counts.
Firstly, the Surface 5 is a UEFI boot device. SpinRite 6.1 cannot directly boot or therefore run on a UEFI device. There are possible work-arounds however. Please see this link for more info https://forums.grc.com/threads/how-to-run-spinrite-on-a-uefi-only-machine-part-1-of-5.1613/
Secondly, SpinRite 6.1 does not have a native driver for NVMe drives. Thus, if SpinRite 6.1 could be made to run, it would only be able to access the NVMe drive via the BIOS at very s-l-o-w BIOS I/O speeds. Doable but quite +slow.
Thanks Dan
What if I take the nvme drive out and plug it into a nvme external enclosure that lets you connect to a computer via usb-c and then run SR on the computer, will it be able to see the drive and let me run SR on the nvme drive ?
Something like this
What if I take the nvme drive out and plug it into a nvme external enclosure that lets you connect to a computer via usb-c and then run SR on the computer, will it be able to see the drive and let me run SR on the nvme drive ?
Something like this
The screen is glued on, so that would not be fun.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+5+Teardown/92362
I have the surface laptop 5. It not a tablet but the full laptop aka Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 for Business.
This is the one I have
www.ifixit.com
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13.5-inch) SSD Replacement
Use this guide to remove or replace the SSD in your Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13.5-inch). Removing the SSD functions as a battery disconnect and...
www.ifixit.com
Ah, OK. That model is much easier to get into.
Yes, if you remove the SSD you can put it in a different computer that is capable of booting SpinRite. I recommend using a computer with an M.2 port if possible. However, SpinRite's NVMe and USB support relies on the BIOS, and BIOSes are VERY inconsistent across vendors and models. It may work, or it may not. You may end up needing to try multiple computers. If you aren't having any issues with your SSD, then I don't think it's worth the hassle. Make sure you're backing up all of your data, and wait for SpinRite 7.
Yes, if you remove the SSD you can put it in a different computer that is capable of booting SpinRite. I recommend using a computer with an M.2 port if possible. However, SpinRite's NVMe and USB support relies on the BIOS, and BIOSes are VERY inconsistent across vendors and models. It may work, or it may not. You may end up needing to try multiple computers. If you aren't having any issues with your SSD, then I don't think it's worth the hassle. Make sure you're backing up all of your data, and wait for SpinRite 7.
@John Doster This warning needs to be reiterated. Some machine's BIOS/UEFI firmware very successfully operates with SpinRite, and other machines fight you at every step. There's often no way to be certain what experience you will have until you're down there at the DOS prompt scratching your head.
One thing you could do before purchasing SpinRite is check if the machine you think you would use, can boot with GRC's Bootable tool (which confirms the support for Legacy Booting) and then if that works, make a bootable FreeDOS USB stick and see if your NVMe device is visible/usable from FreeDOS.
SpinRite 7 will not be a free upgrade from SpinRite 6.x. So if you don't know that you can use SpinRite 6.1, you probably should hold off until you have the necessary hardware/need. One should never buy a product based on "future plans". I think Steve is great guy, but I also know he's a slow and steady solo developer, and so I can't believe that SpinRite 7 is coming in a hurry, and a lot of things can happen in two or three years, that can change future plans.
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