jaclaz

Answer is simple too : No. http://homepages.tesco.net/J.deBoynePollard/FGA/questions-with-yes-or-no-answers.html BUT you should have NOT non-backed up data ANYWAY. jaclaz

Sure it does not . It was in fact, and as clearly stated, related to this: and nothing else. If you want to know whether the line Yzöwl posted is "more efficient" than the one you suggested, you may ask so. (but that would be ANOTHER question). In fact I don't see a "\" (backslash) after "C:\Documents and Settings\Elkian\Local Settings\Temp" and before the ":", and AFAIK/AFAICR the ":" is not part of a path nor of a filename. (actually colon is not an accepted character in *any* file/directory name under Windows, so it probably comes from the output of the unreferenced antivirus) jaclaz

JFYI: (just to put everything in some perspective) The label on the disk says what firmware was put on the disk in the factory. The Seatools tells what firmware is currently on the disk. It is very possible that the firmwre was updated (by Maxtor or by the whomever actually assembled the disk drive in the external case) If you have SD3A to WHICH firmware would you want to upgrade? (SD3B should be the latest? ) (cannot say if it applies to your specific model) If you want to live dangerously, have a look at this, too: jaclaz

It is something worth a try. Read the original post by Aviko: it seems to me clear enough. See these ones also: Please understand how this is NOT "exact science" (basically because we have NO actual idea what the issue with those drives is, i.e. we have NOT a "diagnosis") and because we have no idea how exactly the cure (IF the cure is appropriate to the disease) works. Imagine that you have an initial stage of pneumonia, and you take some aspirin instead of going to the doctor and get an appropriate diagnosis and corresponding cure. The aspirin won't make you any harm, and if you are strong enough (and lucky) it may also cure the pneumonia (or contribute to the self healing). jaclaz

Try running DEL /?. You will notice how: DEL [/P] [/F] [/Q] [/A[[:]attributes]] names the red part is inside square brackets. Would this mean anything? jaclaz

@All Be VERY AWARE of Rule #1.a of this board: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules jaclaz

Some info. The bla-bla-bla about clean-rooms is exactly that (bla-bla-bla). There is not any actual need for a clean room to open and close a drive (we are not talking about reconditioning/buliding a disk drive, we are talking about having the disk work for the few hours needed to get the data from it). You can get away with a poorman clean room (making one using an aquarium or a barbecue, or something like that, is easy, see an example here: http://hardmaster.info/eng/articles/30-05-2009.html Swapping platters is easily doable on SINGLE platter disks only. On multiple platters disks (and expecially with the recent Seagate ones) it is simply NOT possible to do it without specific alignment tools and A LOT of experience. Even "parking" the head outside the disk surface is a very delicate chore that needs a specific tool and/or, AGAIN, LOTS of experience. Here is one specific tool for the Seagates heads: http://forum.hddguru.com/hddsurgery-seagate-7200-read-write-head-change-tool-t17926.html Here is one of the traditional "platters exchange tools": http://www.hdrconline.com/platter-exchanger-tool.php And here is the"newish approach" (transplant the whole spindle): http://forum.hddguru.com/hddsurgery-spindle-replacement-tool-for-seagate-manual-t20514.html jaclaz

It is possible or probable that the two disks simply suffer from "something" else that may (or may not) be fixable. (see previous page for some comments on other commands). From the little you say the #1 may still contain data, we have seen disks that needed to be recovered, an example is here: the fact that #2 is "slow" should mean (beisdes whether it "contains data" or not) like a yet to be resolved issue, or simply a "gone" disk drive. If you need help with examining the data (yes, there is definitely some data on them, only it may be inaccessible or unreadable) start a new thread, please. jaclaz

As said before "nice" is very personal, but robocopy GUI's do exist: http://www.sh-soft.com/front_content.php?idcatart=156 http://betterrobocopygui.codeplex.com/ http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2006.11.utilityspotlight.aspx http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.04.utilityspotlight.aspx http://copyrite.dyndns.biz/ jaclaz

If we assume it's too expensive to send the bricked HD to a data recovery company: OBVIOUSLY. But since you (and I) have NO idea of the amount of damage that issuing such a senseless (in the sense of "since we do not know exactly what it does nor a way to undo", thus senseless) command may provoke, it should NEVER be advised, EVEN if the disk is going to be given to a PRO anyway. I mean, the diffference between (say) 500$ (drive with problems BUT NOT with some internal tables wiped) and (say) $1000 (or NO way to recover) is too big to be underestimated. No. What I am saying is that we know FOR SURE that a given set of commands is capable of reviving a bricked disk IF the bricked disk is suffering from a certain given issue (actually two of them) AND IF the cause of such issue(s) derives from a given firmware problem. We also know that in some cases the same fixing procedures, since they represent a kind of "reset" for the disk, may help also with a few different issues. We know nothing (or not enough) about different procedures, it is IMNSHO irresponsible to suggest something that you don't know for sure what is and how it works unless you know FOR SURE that it is NOT "desctructive". We are supposed to be here helping people solving problems, NOT inducing them to create some (see the previous issues about swapping boards, you plainly suggested something that was plainly wrong AND dangerous for the integrity of the device). You are perfectly free to suggest everything that you think fit, as well I am free, EACH TIME you will IMHO post something dangerous or senseless or both, to SCREAM about this VERY ALOUD. If the procedures in the Tutorial by CarterinCanada + a few other NON DESTRUCTIVE command do not work, it means that the issue is outside our (very limited) sphere of competence. jaclaz

If needed; DO NOT EVEN THINK of EVER using/suggesting/mentioning the M0,1,1 command! In the best case it will completely wipe the hard disk, MOST probably it will also render the disk UNUSABLE! Once you set apart the spite, Gradius collected and translated some info, while Aviko knows what he is talking about BUT by chance or by design he posted half truths or incomplete info. This is among the reasons why the tutorial by CarterinCanada is advised (by me), it may not cover all issues but it covers the specific one without any deceiving or dangerous instructions. jaclaz

I don't think that you will find *any* bad sector. On modern hard disks, the disk firmware should re-locate the bad sector mapping (and increase one of the S.M.A.R.T.) registries. But no, you don't have to re-scan the disk, not even with old controllers, unless of course, but it really is a VERY rare occasion, the bad sector "appears" in the short time between your check and the re-partitioning. jaclaz

And, with all due respect , you completely fail to listen to his/her requests. What you suggested (BTW containing a lot of "common sense" ) are UNrelated to the question. Now, OP may have asked the "wrong" question allright , but your answer - again very senseful - is to ANOTHER question. Carpenter's comparison: Q. How do I nail some plywood to close a broken window? A. You put the plywood on the wall, than you place on it a nail with point on the plank and head facing you, then you hit the nail head with a hammer several times until the nail is fully inseerted in the plank and wall, repeat for a few more nails.. Your answer: So you want to build a wall. For this you will need cement, sand, a mixer, and a few blocks ...... Cement block walls are safer than plywood. jaclaz P.S.: you can get the cement blocks for very lttle (and some masonry advice ) from this guy on Craigslist : http://www.collegeslackers.com/pictures/craigslist_cement_blocks

I guess some lines need to be drawn *somewhere*. Having the pagefile on a "separate" partition BUT on the "same" disk, makes sense in some situations (as an example multi-boot). Having an auto-managed pagefile is IMHO "pure folly", BUT if you really want to have it auto-managed, having it on a separate partition, makes some sense. 10 Gb for the pagefile is - this time IMNSHO - "pure folly". This said, I would love to know the arguments you used (the ones that your colleague was NOT convinced by). Usually? I have observed over the years two kind of opposite behaviours, one by Admins/Network manager in big companies, the other in small, almost unmanaged businesses, both of which could be connected to "ignorance" and "arrogance/supponence", relating to security: "since I am the Admin I block everything, I don't care about what is needed by the people that actually work, this way I won't have security problems" "since it is a small firm, I don't need any security, "they" won't target me, hence I don't need an antivirus, let alone block ports or protocols Another couple ones (same sources): "it's not possible" (no matter what the question was) "no problem" (no matter what the question was) Explanation: Admins in big companies tend to be less friendly than ones in smaller one, but often both have no idea of whatever the problem is or what a suitable solution to it would be. jaclaz

....and maybe if you ask the wall nicely it could move a little bit and let you pass..... jaclaz

You won't like the answers. A1. There is "NO" *best* tool that I know of. Whether a disk will develop bad sectors and whether bad sectors are going to spread and/or will be relocated automatically by the disk firmware is something that no program can forecast reliably and anyway you cannot do nothing about it. BTW, if you want to unneededly put additional stress on a disk you may want to run from time to time Victioria, here: http://majorgeeks.com/Victoria_for_Windows_d5688.html though it won't probably run on 64 bit and, if you choose the "wrong" settings, you can easily botch a hard disk for good. It is a tool that is more suited to check a disk when attempting reconditioning it than a "periodical check". A2. There is "NO" *best* tool that I know of. There are dozens of similar tools that read S.M.A.R.T. data. It's the S.M.A.R.T. mechanism that is the issue, IMHO. See here: A3. Benchmarking a disk makes very little sense (unless you are trying to publish a disk speed comparison). A benchmark is only useful as "comparison" metrics. Real life (and real data transfer) is very different from what any bechmark reports, for a quick idea of what is happening I normally use Atto, though since it is aging, probably it is not fully reliable on newish disks/OS.I guess that if you want such an app you shoud check published disk benchmarking tests and see what they use. jaclaz

I don't want to seem grumpier than I normally am, but SEVERAL ramdisk "options" have been listed (and most if not all of them will "normally" work). BUT you put so many "limits" that it is very possible that such a tool, you want Win2k AND >3 Gb AND NOT use /PAE simply does not exist. Would they work under 2K? You try and report. Would any of them work with /PAE or without /PAE? You try and report. I pointed you to a possibility (UNTESTED by me) which is NOT IMDISK, but rather IMDISK in connection with AWEALLOC. Will it work "under 32-bit Windows" ? Up to you to try and report, but please do report EXACTLY, with DETAILS. I.e. a report like this has NO USE whatsoever. I suggested you to try using IMDISK+AWEALLOC, you do not answer "Yeah, I already tried IMDISK". Just for the record, the whole "catalog" (AFAIK) of Filedisk/Ramdisk drivers that work "under some versions of NT based 32-bit Windows (and possibly with different features available under different versions of NT based 32-bit Windows) is here: http://reboot.pro/1507/ jaclaz

NO, it does NOT . What the readme says is (I KNOW, as I have actually written it ): You asked for it, you are wrong! If you use the SAME adapter CarterinCanada used, that specific adapter is powered at 5 V AND works at 3.3 V TLL level. If you use the SAME specific adapter used in first post of this thread (Sparkfun SMD shifter) listed in the read-me-first as EXCEPTION, that will output 3.3 V TTL level (good) IF powered at 3.3V BUT 5V TLL level (bad) IF powered at 5V. A number of other adapters should be powered at 3.3V (actually as said anything *around* 3V will do) in order to produce 3.3V TLL levels. Another number of other adapters should be powered at 5V (actually these may work as well with anything *around* or above 3V will do) in order to produce 3.3V TLL levels. Another number of other adapters should be powered at 5V (actually these will require anything *around* 5V or exactly 5V) in order to produce 3.3V TLL levels. You have to understand that one thing is the power Voltage Vcc and another is the Logic Level (go back to read-me-first and re-read it). Particularly, re-read pont #6 AND ALL the links posted under: It is the same thing as if you ask which fuel goes in *a* car. A normal gasoline (US) car will need petrol (in the UK) or Benzin in Gemany. A Diesel car will need Diesel fuel. But if you mounted on your car a jet turbine you will need probably Aviation kerosene or Flugbenzin (which is NOT the same thing). If you have an adapter that is supposed to be powered at 5V in order to provide a 3.3V TTL level, you power it at 5V, if you have an adapter that is supposed to be powered at 3.3V in order to provide a 3.3V TTL level, you power it at 3.3V. If you find/build an adapter supposed to be powered at 9.83V in order to provide a 3.3V TTL level, you power it at EXACTLY 9.83V..... jaclaz

No. You got it wrong. An "ordinary" MBR is 512 bytes long, NO MATTER sector size of the hard disk. The BIOS will read first 512 bytes of the hard disk, NO MATTER sector size of the hard disk. *ANY* bootmanager/bootloader may be longer than 512 bytes AND has to provide code to read beyond the 512th byte, NO MATTER sector size of the hard disk. AS AN EXAMPLE of such kind of MBR bootloader/bootmanager I cited grub4dos and it's grldr.mbr. That PARTICULAR, SPECIFIC EXAMPLE uses bytes 512÷1023 to store a backup of previous - if any - MBR. In normal operation the grldr.mbr code (within the first 512 bytes) "jumps over" the second 512 bytes and continues to read up to where it is instructed to, in the specific case not beyond the end of it's code which is in total 9216 bytes. You are falling in the usual "generalization" error. *any* makes no sense, as well as "ordinary". In theory yes, *any and all* MBR codes and bootmanager/bootloaders, including "ordinary" and "rather uncommon" and "exceptionally good" ones will work allright, NO MATTER sector size of the hard disk. BUT: YMMV. It is not an "international" standard, it was a "practical consequence" of the initial completely botched approach (in the sense of not enough "open" to future increasing in size of hard disks) which is (was) the CHS addressing scheme AND for historcal reasons (actual way hard disks were initially made). If you think of a common floppy, it has a geometry of 80x2x18 AND it actually has 2 Heads (Sides) and actually each side has 80 cylinders, each containing 18 sectors. Early hard disks were the same. Very soon physical geometry lost each and any resemblance with logical geometry. You will need to go all the way through this to understand this "evolution" and to understand WHY the nx255x63 geometry became a "standard". http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/bios/size.htm Be warned that the mentioned site goes through ALL historical size barriers (no matter which was the cause) whilst you are interested in those that are BIOS/IDE/ATA related only, BUT you need to read them all to understand the path taken. jaclaz

The Pololu will obviously work though please DO READ the page about LC spikes when using "longish cables": http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/126 (this is always good advice: "keep it short" ) The "Droids" one really cannot say, being MAX3238: http://www.maxim-ic.com/datasheet/index.mvp/id/1517 http://datasheets.maxim-ic.com/en/ds/MAX3238.pdf from the Datasheet it seems like it uses lower TTL level (which should be compatible). For less than 1 € difference, I would get the one that is known to be working. Yes/yes. Yes, if you review the guide, you will see this thingy: which is the "equivalent" to the thingy called "5/12V StromKabel SATA" in your picture, BUT that has an additional (old "floppy" type) connector, from which CarterinCanada gets the power (0/+5 V)for the adapter, see here: Since you don't have this second connector, you will need to solder two wires to the "5/12V StromKabel SATA" wires or use on of these thingies here: or peel off the insulation of the wires and connect to them *somehow* the two wires needed to power the Pololu (or whatever) adapter. jaclaz

So, in any case, you will have a bottle-neck in the network transfer, so actual speed of the PCI card should be irrelevant. Even if you have a "Gigabit ethernet" network, it's speed will be slower than ATA100 (and very few hard disks, even if they "sport" ATA133 can actually reach ATA100 speed, they are more likely to be around the 40/50 Mb/s mark) Have a look at this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gigabit-ethernet-bandwidth,2321.html And you have the PCI bus overhead, and what not (including the OS you will be running). Being notoriously cheap I would go for anything you can get with the smallest price tag. jaclaz

Yes/No. http://reboot.pro/15911/ YMMV and "under 32-bit Windows" is slightly less INaccurate than "under an OS" jaclaz

64 x 512 = 32768 bytes (=8 times 4K sectors) Unless otherwise specified, 512 bytes/sector. Well, with disks of hundreds of Gigabytes, 1 Mb is not that much. If you think about it, older (much smaller) disks always had a bunch of unused sectors at the end, as the "steps" or "size increment/decrement" for any partition was 1 cylinder, i.e. 1x255x63x512=8,225,280 bytes, depending on a few factors there has always been this unused space in the theoretical range 0÷8,224,768, but often nearer to the upper limit. No, you got this part wrong. We thought for years that the BIOS accessed first (512 byte) sector and that that (first seector) was the MBR. It is simply not like this. The MBR is the first 512 bytes of the first sector, NO MATTER sector size. There are already more than a few (grub4dos as an example) bootmanagers/bootloaders that use several (512 bytes) sectors after the first one (grub4dos' grldr.mbr uses, if I recall correctly, first 18 sectors of a hard disk (512 bytes each) or if you prefer, it is 9,216 bytes in size. The grub4dos' grldr.mbr contains in the first 512 bytes, i.e. what is actually READ during booting some code that makes the BIOS read from 513th byte onwards (actually normally from 1025th, as second block of 512 bytes is a backup of the previous MBR if any) up to 9,216th. jaclaz

My very scarce German tells me that "5 V-TTL" translates in English to "5V-TTL" . Compare with point #10 of read-me-first: You want 3.3V TTL, NOT 5V TTL. These are seemingly suitable (BUT do check with the seller): http://de.futureelectronics.com/de/technologies/interconnect/usb-to-ttl-rs232-rs422-rs485-cables/Seiten/1177955-TTL-232R-3V3-WE.aspx http://parts.digikey.de/1/1/1398465-module-usb-srl-3-3v-ttl-conv-ttl-232r-3v3-pcb.html http://www.tme.eu/de/details/ttl-232r-3v3-aj/ftdi-module/ftdi/ttl-232r-33v-aj/ http://www.ebay.de/itm/FTDI-USB-UART-seriell-Adapter-AVR-PIC-TTL-RS232-/270748929489 This one has several types listed: http://www.unitronic.de/index.php?id=ftdi-r TTL-232R-3V3 (TTL-232R mit 3,3V IOs) good TTL-232R-AJ (Audio Jack connector, 5V IOs) bad TTL-232R-3V3-AJ (Audio Jack connector, 3.3V IOs) good TTL-232R-PCB (Populated PCB from the TTL-232R USB connector, 5V IOs) bad TTL-232R-3V3-PCB (Populated PCB from the TTL-232R-3V3 USB connector, 3V3 IOs) good TTL-232R-WE (No connector at serial end, 5V IOs) bad TTL-232R-3V3-WE (No connector at serial end, 3.3V IOs)good This may help you (together with the read-me-first) understand the issue: http://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/Pegelwandler jaclaz

Well, I am. The hard disk in the link seems an OLD (possibly a 40 or 80 GB IDE "Calypso" series. I can teach you how to completely disassemble and re-assemble (with nothing but a set of spanners, screwdrivers and a few other tools included in the set you get with the bike) a 1938 BMW motorcycle (actually you could do this as well up to R65 or R70 series, in the '80's ). Now you try doing the same with the S1000RR. ..... Problems reading? Click on the 7200.11 board listed there: http://www.hdd-parts.com/10110501.html It is perfectly possible, with the APPROPRIATE TOOLS to read the data from a "dead board" (if the chip is "OK") and transfer it's contents on another identical board. Only noone exception made from the pro's have this kind of specialized hardware, and the only "poor man's choice" is to de-solder the chip and transplant it on the identical board. BTW, professionals have at their hands also tools like the PC-3000 that comprises both the hardware and software to (among a zillion other things on every hard disk ever made) fix the BSY or LBA errors on a 7200.11. A PC-3000 should sell for something like US$ 3,000,00. The info in this thread allows to fix the SPECIFIC Seagate stoopid thingy for less than US$ 30,00. By swapping PCB's WHICH CANNOT BE DONE WITHOUT TRANSFERRING THE FIRMWARE on this SPECIFIC model, you risk to fry the PCB or the disk, or both, for good. Please, DO NOT post info about something that you are not very sure about, and that NOT ONLY CANNOT WORK, but that can also make things worse. Cannot say specifically about the 7200.10. IT WILL NOT WORK on a 7200.11 (check the title of this thread, please) A video among the "related" on that youtube page: jaclaz