Badblocks

[aaronmarsh632]

Hi,

Is there a badblocks port to windows? I have various sector test programs each with there own advantages/disadvantages but wanted something which would run from command line. I have used the disk utility in ubuntu to test hdd's which I like and beleive it uses badblocks if im not mistaken, and wanted to run it on windows.

Thanks

[masinick]

IF you are simply testing the disk itself, you can certainly use any number of freely available bad block tools, including ones that come with various Linux systems. Years ago, the KNOPPIX distribution was viewed as "the distribution" for this type of activity, and it is certainly still a very good one, but it's no longer the only distribution capable of managing such things. A fairly small, light CD, DVD, or USB bootable version of Linux, such as antiX, Puppy, or SLAX, would be ideal for that kind of thing.

Not as certain what the tools are for specifically testing NTFS and other Windows-based file systems, though I am almost certain that completely free versions of things to use with it work as well. KNOPPIX undoubtedly has whatever is needed; it's been the "Swiss Army Knife" for smart administrators of Linux, UNIX, and Windows systems for years.

Hi,

Is there a badblocks port to windows? I have various sector test programs each with there own advantages/disadvantages but wanted something which would run from command line. I have used the disk utility in ubuntu to test hdd's which I like and beleive it uses badblocks if im not mistaken, and wanted to run it on windows.

Thanks

[reginaldperrin]

Not as certain what the tools are for specifically testing NTFS and other Windows-based file systems...

There is a very nice utility called Spinrite, which, although not free, is an excellent file-system-agnostic disc checker.
It is produced by Steve Gibson, a bit of a security guru.
It is run as an iso boot disc at boot time, and is very able to check,remap, and often fix bad sectors.

Might be worth checking out at http://grc.com Free copies can be found on various torrent sites, but this is bad form, and unfair to Steve, who gives a lot of his time to the community.

[aaronmarsh632]

Hi, thanks for the replies guys, I havn't used KNOPPIX for a very long time and when I did I didn't really spend too long with it so I'll definitly have a look at this. I came across spinrite last week but unfortunatly I cant bring myself to buying software @ $89 without trying it for myself first and there isnt a demo or anything - it does look good though.

Thanks for the replies.

[devils casper]

Try Ultimate Boot CD. Its one of the must have CD in tool box.

[Steven_G]

Another good one to have in your tool kit for doze systems is the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows.

[MikeTbob]

Click In case of emergency!
I carry it on a USB drive attached to my key chain. I don't leave home without it. If you are using Linux all you need to do is install unetbootin from your system repos.

sudo install unetbootin

Then run it.

sudo unetbootin

Once the installer starts up you select Parted Magic and select the drive you want to install to. Reboot the system to the USB drive and away you go. Easy as pie. I think it's still under 250 MB.

I know you asked for a Windows port but I think if you just find the right tools, you won't even need or want to use Windows for this type of work anyway. As you have found out....there are plenty of choices when it comes to Windows programs but the good ones will cost you money. That's not the case when you use Linux.
Of course all the above mentioned suggestions from the other posters are great also. I use Ultimate BootCD also. They're all just more tools for the guy who knows what he wants to do.

Free copies can be found on various torrent sites, but this is bad form,

Not to mention that there is no way of telling what you really downloaded from those torrents sites. I know Torrents have their use but using torrents for finding "Free" commercial software is not one of them. I've been down that road and no good will come of it. You might as well download Live Virii and turn them loose on yourself.