Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!tektronix!tekcrl!tekgvs!tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM!toma
From: toma@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Spinrite Concerns
Message-ID: <3857@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM>
Date: 23 Aug 88 14:46:32 GMT
Sender: toma@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM
Reply-To: toma@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 32


I recently spent some time examining a copy of Spinrite that a coworker
bought.  Seeing nothing but raves for this product here, I decided to post
two of my concerns.

1).  The "hype" that comes with the product strongly suggests that those people
who make backups are wasting their time, and that the use of Spinrite
eliminates the need to make backups since Spinrite will find failing sectors
first.  This seems extremely foolhardy to me.   There are far more ways to 
loose one's data than just surface degradation!  I wonder how many users of
this product stop making backups?  (Interesting that it takes less time to
do daily tape or weekly Fastback backups than it does to do a monthly Spinrite
thorough analysis!)

2).  This product is addictive (and not in a nice way!).  The first time it 
is run it will take blocks marked as bad and mark them as good again!  Because
these block are marginal, you must run Spinrite on a regular basis to refresh
and retest the sectors.  Just using the program once and putting it away is
riskier than never running it at all.  I must admit that there is a way to
prevent Spinrite from marking bad blocks as good, but you have to go out of
your way to do it.

-------------

As an interesting aside, nodestructive disk reformatting programs are not new.
My old CP/M system's formatting program had this as an option, as well as an
old TRS-80 operating system I used. I wouldn't be surprised if some of my old
floppies are no longer readable because their data was never refreshed.

Tom Almy
toma@tekgvs.TEK.COM
Standard Disclaimers Apply