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    /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.)

Wonky SSD - Fixed by SpinRite :-)

#1

Cozmo

Cozmo

I'm guessing this might be another candidate for any recovery that I can get to running...


1609376408672.png


#2

Steve

Steve

@Cozmo : Yep. There's definitely some fixing that SpinRite will be able to do. If you didn't mind running the entire drive through a refresh, others have found that running a SpinRite Level3 (Refresh) will bring the drive back. In the future, SpinRite will be able to selectively re-write slow (and probably endangered) regions to restore their speed.


#3

Cozmo

Cozmo

1609440816889.png


@Steve - I ran SpinRite for about 4h15m on the drive and all I can say is ... "wow ?!?" But now, a few questions :

- How long should this "restoration" hold ?
- Or when could I expect the numbers to drop off again significantly ?

Thanks a bunch, will try and retest periodically...


#4

Steve

Steve

@Cozmo — Cool results! And the short answer is: We don't know yet.

What happened was that while working to create a proof-of-operation for SpinRite's next-gen low-level hardware drivers, that proof-of-operation took the form of a benchmark. And as a side effect of that, we discovered something quite unexpected. But I remain laser focused upon the immediate-term goal of getting SpinRite v6.1 into everyone's hands as quickly as possible. Because then, even though it would still be a blunt instrument, a Level3 scan of an SSD could be performed much more quickly.

When we WANT, however, is to learn much more about exactly what's going on and to have a surgical precision SpinRite that's able to intelligently (or at least heuristically) use SSD read timing to spot trouble long before it becomes a danger and then surgically re-write and thus repair only specific SSD "soft spots."


#5

Cozmo

Cozmo

@Steve - Ok thanks for that !

Reading between the lines here, I guess this sort of result/reaction to a Level 3 scan of SpinRite only applies to SSD's, right ? No such luck with HDD's ?


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