ValiDrive run on Kindle and any other USB-attached SSD or even HDD

[peterblaise]

From https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-1038-notes.pdf "... In another note, ​

Brian also asked: Hi Steve, you had casually mentioned on episode ​

1035 about running SpinRite on a Kindle device. Can you explain in a ​

future episode how that is accomplished.? Is it done in the native boot ​

environment or does it require VirtualBox and a special device driver? ​

I have a "BlackFriday" special Android tablet that has been getting ​

very slow and sludgy, even after multiple factory resets. I would like ​

to run spinrite on it before I give up and toss the thing. Thanks for ​

any tips you may have? I can't wait to try out the DNS Benchmark ​

Pro once it gets released. All the very best, Brian in Schenectady ..."​

I run ValiDrive on my Kindles, and on any other device that appears as
a USB drive, no problem, and to great results, often reawakening slow
and sloggy devices.

As far as I understand, ValiDrive runs the equivalent of a SpinRite 6.1
Level 5 on ~8MB of an attached drive divided across 576 regions from
end to end.

Although that's not complete, it's better then nothing, and just might
reawaken our SSD devices - and USB HDDs and tablets, also.

ValiDrive is a tool - USE IT!

Let us know what you find.

 

[DanR]

As far as I understand, ValiDrive runs the equivalent of a SpinRite 6.1 Level 5

TOTALLY wrong!!! Complete misinformation!!!

There is NO similarity whatsoever between ValiDrive and SpinRite level 5.

ValiDrive is a simple tool to perform simple reads, writes, reads on external devices (typically USB) to verify that they are legitimate and not faked scam devices. Period.

 

[peterblaise]

On topic, I was pointing to someone's request to test a USB-connected
storage device.

Folks seem to be tying themselves in knots trying to get SpinRite 6.1 to
see and work on USB storage devices.

Completely forgetting ValiDrive, which was designed exclusively to test
USB-attached storage devices.

So, hey, remember ValiDrive?

Anybody?

- - - - -

"... ValiDrive and SpinRite level 5. ValiDrive is a simple tool to ​

perform simple reads, writes, reads on external devices (typically ​

USB [ <-- ONLY USB ! ] ) to verify that they are legitimate and ​

not faked scam devices ..."​

That's what SpinRite 6.1 Level 5 and ValiDrive do:

1 - read and store the original data from a block of sectors,​

2 - overwrite a test pattern to those sectors,​

3 - read and compare the test pattern,​

4 - write the original stored data back,​

5 - read and compare that rewritten original data.​

SpinRite 6.1 Level 5 does that - a sequence of 5 reads and writes and
compares.

ValiDrive does that- a sequence of 5 reads and writes and compares.

Hence ValiDrive is like a mini-SpinRite 6.1 Level 5.

"Mini" in that ValiDrive works on less than the total storage of a drive,
and only reads a total of ~8MB regardless of total drive storage size.

And "mini" in that ValiDrive does that on only 576 blocks of sectors
across a USB drive from end to end regardless of the total number
sectors on the drive.

If we wrote a command line script for SpinRite 6.1, we could direct it to
do the exact same as ValiDrive - perform a Level 5 - 5 reads and writes
and compares - on only 576 blocks evenly randomly spread across a
drive, totaling ~8 MB 'original' data area.

- - - - -

Let's review some pros and cons:

Actually, ValiDrive does more in finding fakes, something SpinRite does
not do as well.

ValiDrive can scan the entire breadth of a US drive; SpinRite often can't
even see a USB drive, let alone see and work on the entire storage of
larger USB drives.

I'm not saying one is better or worse than the other.

I'm reminding folks to not forget to use BOTH!

- - - - -

But, let's explore.

What did you or anybody think ValiDrive does, compared to SpinRite
6.1 Level 5?

Thanks.

 

[DanR]

That's what SpinRite 6.1 Level 5 and ValiDrive do:

1 - read and store the original data from a block of sectors, 2 - overwrite a test pattern to those sectors,3 - read and compare the test pattern,4 - write the original stored data back,5 - read and compare that rewritten original data.
SpinRite 6.1 Level 5 does that - a sequence of 5 reads and writes and
compares.

ValiDrive does that- a sequence of 5 reads and writes and compares.

Hence ValiDrive is like a mini-SpinRite 6.1 Level 5.

Totality wrong!!!

Complete misinformation!!!

What did you or anybody think ValiDrive does, compared to SpinRite
6.1 Level 5?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!

There is No comparison between ValiDrive and SpinRite whatsoever.

ValiDrive cannot do inverted writes.

ValiDrive cannot scan more than a very small portion of an external drive.

ValiDrive cannot recover data.

ValiDrive cannot effect any drive repairs whatsoever.

ValiDrive is not SpinRite in any way.

 

[peterblaise]

Right-ish, as I said, and thanks for comparing the incomparable
ValiDrive and incorporable SpinRite to each other.

@Steve Gibson declines to publish some proprietary details of
VaiDrive's test procedure, so whether or not it uses inverted writes is
unknown.

So perhaps refine the comparison of ValiDrive to a mini
SPINRITE LEVEL 5 NOREWRITE .

More comparisons?

That ValiDrive can identify a fake drive where SpinRite may not is a
clue that ValiDrive may actually have a savvy advantage regarding
the accuracy of read write verify storage test, so there's that.

As stated from the get-go, ValiDrive is like a mini SpinRite 6.1 Level 5,
mini in that it tests only ~8 MB in 576 blocks, not the whole drive.

There's a comparison.

In this case, where SpinRite may not even see the drive at all, let
alone SpinRite may not see the entire storage of the drive, so there's that.

There's another comparison.

Remember, the opening challenge is to somehow get to test a USB
device, and having struggles getting SpinRite up to the task.

So I suggest to try free ValiDrive as a first inspection of the drive.

Why not?

I write from experience.

Recovery and repair wise, yes, ValiDrive has 'awoken' sleepy sloggy
USB drives for me, drives that Windows could not read, drives that
Windows errored out on.

Considering that ValiDrive may work on a drive that SpinRite can't
even see, well, that comparison is useful, and the reminder to use
any and every tool available stands.

How has ValiDrive 'worked' on old, sloggy, unreadable USB drives
for you, or for anyone visiting this thread?

Got ValiDrive?

https://www.grc.com/validrive.htm

Give it a roll around your box of old USB drives, including Kindles
and tablets that show up as USB storage devices, and tell us what
you find.

Got SpinRite?

https://www.grc.com/cs/prepurch.htm
https://www.grc.com/cs/prepurch2.htm

Give it a roll around your box of old USB drives, including Kindles
and tablets that show up as USB storage devices, and tell us what
you find.

And compare 'em to each other, and tell us more.

Thanks for adding to the comparison litany - good stuff.

 

[PHolder]

@peterblaise I think you need to take into account the audience for these forums are not interested in minutia to the level that you are. I'm sure you're well aware that your posts are frequently very long and contain details that most people don't need nor want. In the future, as you post, please consider the audience here as you compose your posts... if you want to be minutia-man, I guess you should stick to the GRC newsgroups. In any case, enough bickering about this specific ValidDrive vs SpinRite topic. They're different tools that do some of the same things for very different purposes and it's really inadvisable to confuse people into thinking ValiDrive is going to help them recover a problem drive... even if it might accidentally do so.