Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!execu!sequoia!balkan!dogface!bei Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps Subject: Re: SPINRITE Keywords: spinrite format scsi disk dos Message-ID: Date: 30 Oct 90 01:58:04 GMT References: <1990Oct29.005608.22708@athena.mit.edu> Distribution: usa Organization: We'll Get A Name Eventually, Austin, TX Lines: 28 fdq@athena.mit.edu (Fred D Quintana) writes: > I tried spinrite, which seems like a pretty good program, but apparently it > doesn't support SCSI drives, of which I have two. Is there any > non-destructive low-level formatter out there that does? > > Fred Quintana Fred, It pains me to say it (why in a minute) but Norton Utilities 5.0 will do it. As bitter experience taught me, and Norton/Symantec's tech support agrees, you should boot from a disk with nothing in config.sys or autoexec.bat. I don't want to have to reload my disk again, so I'll follow that suggestion every time. I've compared the filesystem optimizers in Norton 5.0 and PCTools 6.0, and I find that PCTools is easier to use, but Norton runs leaner. I had a 32 meg DOS standard partition with nearly 10,000 files on it. Under Compaq DOS 3.31, with no config.sys or autoexec.bat and 600k free, PCTools ran out of memory before starting, but Norton Speedisk didn't. Anyway, I don't have that many files now (upped my news expire) so PCTools is good enough for me most of the time. It doesn't have a low level formatter, non-destructive or otherwise. -- Bob "...so one day, I just sorta ran over him with a tractor, to discourage him a bit." Bob Izenberg (512) 346 7019 [ ] cs.utexas.edu!{kvue,balkan}!dogface!bei