Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site think.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!think!ejb From: ejb@think.ARPA (Erik Bailey) Newsgroups: net.micro.pc Subject: Re: hard disk monitor Message-ID: <2892@think.ARPA> Date: Sat, 28-Sep-85 13:40:28 EDT Article-I.D.: think.2892 Posted: Sat Sep 28 13:40:28 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 29-Sep-85 08:31:49 EDT References: <5141@allegra.UUCP> <1816@gondor.UUCP> Reply-To: ejb@think.UUCP (Erik Bailey) Distribution: net.micro.pc Organization: Thinking Machines, Cambridge, MA Lines: 39 Summary: In article <1816@gondor.UUCP> schuler@gondor.UUCP (David W. Schuler) writes: >> when ms-dos has a problem reading a sector from a floppy or from >> the hard disk, it retries up to 5 times. trouble is, it does not >> warn you when it recovers after, say, 3 or 4 attempts. one would >> like to know when this is going on, since it is an early warning >> of disk problems. >> >> one of the pc magazines published a short article with code to patch >> ms-dos so that it would report as it retried disk operations. >> can anyone provide a pointer to the article? has anyone actually >> implemented this? experience? thanks, -ron gordon (allegra!rdg) > >I would also like a copy E-mail or post to net. > >-- The article you are talking about (I think) is that in Volume 4, No. 12 (June 11, 1985) of PC Magazine. It is in the PROGRAMMING column on p. 263. The program is called DSKWATCH, and attaches itself to DOS, intercepting all disk errors, even those that don't make it to the Abort, Retry... thing (that is after 5 errors). The article gives an extensive description of the program, and disk errors in general. I have been using the program ever since I got the magazine in the mail, and it works beuatifully! I really don't known what I did without it! It tells you the following errors (w/ brief blurb by me): NO RESPONSE - no signals recieved from drive (ie door open) FAILED SEEK - something interfered w/ locating data on disk NEC ERROR - PC has recieved bad data from NEC disk controller. bad. BAD CRC SEEN - Bad CRC found DMA OVERRUN - PC was so busy that it denied NEC chip access to data IMPOS SECTOR - Tried to read/write sector that ain't there NO ADDR MARK - NEC lost its place W. PROTECTED - Write protected disk ERR UNKNOWN - Bad news. No-one knows what the heck is going on. Start looking for your service contract... Well, hope this helps... --ERIK. PS - if you need source, I will post it.