Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:18085 comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d:747
Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ames!vsi1!octopus!pete
From: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Steve Gibson's "SpinRite" product
Summary: Best thing since sliced bread
Keywords: Non-destructive low-level format; interleave optimization
Message-ID: <313@octopus.UUCP>
Date: 16 Aug 88 05:12:36 GMT
References: <989@acornrc.UUCP>
Reply-To: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann)
Distribution: na
Organization: Octopus Enterprises, Cupertino CA
Lines: 41

In article <989@acornrc.UUCP> bob@acornrc.UUCP (Bob Weissman) writes:
>Has anyone used Gibson's "SpinRite"?
>
>"SpinRite" claims it can perform a non-destructive low-level format
>while optimizing interleave.
>
>This feature in itself would probably make this product worth the $59
>list price, assuming it really speeds up my disk transfers.

I have used it. It does everything he claims. It is wonderful. It is better
than wonderful.

It also has some problems [he doesn't make claims about those now, does
he? :-)] The fixable ones should be fixed in the next version, coming out
in a while (don't hold your breath):

1) First use of the program takes pretty long (several-many hours), especially
	if your disk has lots of bad sectors. My worst case: used it on a
	10MB drive that had been through a fire, then used for several years.
	It had >5MB of bad sectors marked. Took >24 hours to check and
	eliminate all bad sectors. It has worked perfectly ever since (many
	months- I believe since January or so).

2) When it finds a non-correctable bad sector in the middle of a file that you
	haven't used in a long time, it fixes the problem, giving you as much
	of the data back from the sector as is possible. BUT IT DOESN'T TELL
	YOU WHICH FILE HAD BAD DATA. That's left as an exercise for the user.
	This will be fixed. In the meantime, it is better than nothing. And
	perhaps running a Norton Disk Test first would answer those questions.

3) It doesn't understand partitions >32MB (SpeedStore, etc). To be fixed.

In spite of these problems, this is my current favorite for "Utility program
	that I wish I had written".

Pete
-- 
  OOO   __| ___      Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises
 OOOOOOO___/ _______ USPS: 19611 La Mar Court, Cupertino, CA 95014
  OOOOO \___/        UUCP: {hpda,pyramid}!octopus!pete
___| \_____          Phone: 408/996-7746