Hard Drive slows down and stops

Hi

How do I create a Bootable CD-RW that contains WDIDLE3.exe

I know how to burn a CD but do not know how to make it Bootable.

Thanks

Daniel

On 9/22/2012 7:46 PM, Daniel wrote:

Hi

How do I create a Bootable CD-RW that contains WDIDLE3.exe

I know how to burn a CD but do not know how to make it Bootable.

Thanks

Daniel

From my reply of the 19th:

"First off, if one wishes to run the WDIDLE3 utility, the easiest way is to
download the ISO for the latest version of Ultimate Boot CD and burn it to
CD. It makes it easy to run the WD utility (and dozens of others which come
with it). It is insanely useful for many tasks."

This is really a very easy thing to do and should take maybe 15 minutes
from start to finish. You can download the ISO file from
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html (about 370mb IIRC) and then use
your burning software to put the file on a CD. What you will have is a
bare-bones Linux OS running out of CD and memory which is able to do things
that a Windows setup cannot accomplish. Just boot your system from the CD
and you have access to WDIDLE3 and probably 100 more useful things for
fixing screwed up computers. (but be a bit selective because some of the
useful things can cause you problems if used willy-nilly).

I'll warn you right up front, I doubt that this is going to be a fix for
your problem. The utility was put out for those worried that all of the
head parking that the default firmware in the WD green drives was doing was
somehow wearing them out prematurely and this seems a specious argument. In
any case, once the heads are unparked on one of these drives they remain
that way for a while as long as the drive is being accessed and will not
contribute to slow performance.

If you look at my reply you will see what my problem turned to be and it
was an insidious one -- the SATA channel was dropping from normal DMA mode
down to PIO mode which is maybe 25 times slower. This sounds more like what
you described but it is easy to check from inside Device Manager by looking
at the details of what mode each "IDE ATA/ATAPI" controller is running it.
If you find that the channel for your problem drive says PIO mode then
you've got your problem identified. Fixing it may not be so easy. Mine
surely wasn't...

Daniel wrote:

Hi

How do I create a Bootable CD-RW that contains WDIDLE3.exe

I know how to burn a CD but do not know how to make it Bootable.

Thanks

Daniel

They used a USB flash key here. As far as I can remember, if
you use a USB key, and the formatter tool insists on some FAT12
or FAT16 file system, there is a 2GB limit. It's one of the
reasons, years ago, I had to drive off to the computer store
and buy a 1GB flash key (just try and find one of those now!).
Apparently it's not possible for the clever programmers, to
just ignore any space above 2GB.

http://www.storagereview.com/how_to_...s_with_wdidle3

There are several versions of the HP Formatter. Some
come with DOS files. This is a relatively large download,
to get a formatter. But still, a worthwhile tool. Inside
is SP33221.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport...tem=wk-41329-1

The useful bits from that, ended up like this on my hard drive.
You install the HPFOrmatter, and that creates the drivekey folder,
and then I moved over the FREEDOS folder I think, so they'd be close
together.

C:\drivekey
FREEDOS
COMMAND.COM 86KB
KERNEL.SYS 44KB
HPUSBF.EXE
HPUSBFW.EXE
EULA_SP33221.doc
Readme.txt ---

"To make an HP Flash Disk bootable, install the "HP USB Disk
Storage Format Tool", HPUSBFormatter.exe. After the Format Tool
has been installed execute the application; by default it is
located in c:\DriveKey\HPUSBFW.EXE. Choose to "Create a DOS
startup disk" and select the FREEDOS folder from this Softpaq
as the location in the field "using DOS system files located at".
After the format has completed and the disk is bootable, copy
the contents of the DOSFLASH folder onto the Flash drive and follow
the DOSFLASH instructions to flash the video BIOS."

Those instructions, are because that package is actually a video card
flasher, and making a DOS disk is part of supporting the DOSFLASH
package. But a person can still use the USB formatter, for making
FAT12 or FAT16 small bootable USB flash keys. Note that the StorageReview
article claims FreeDOS doesn't work for WDIDLE3, for whatever that's
worth. So while you'd add SP33221 from HP to your collection, it
might not be the best choice based on feedback from the storagereview
article.

If you want a boot CD, there's this one.

http://www.infocellar.com/CD/Boot-CD.htm
( http://www.infocellar.com/CD/files/Win98-BootCD.zip )

(Virustotal scans clean...)
https://www.virustotal.com/file/0df9...is/1348362583/

And Seatools For DOS, I think there is a CD version of
that as well, and it has a DOS core. That might be FreeDOS
based.

Other choices include things like DRDOS. I think I have
at least one floppy with that on it here, but I don't
remember what package it came from.

To be able to execute the WDIDLE3 program, you arrange it
to be sitting on a FAT32 partition on the hard drive. I have
several FAT32 partitions. They're visible, for example,
from my Win98 prepared boot floppy, and I can change
directories to another partition (as long s it's not NTFS)
and then run a program from there.

Putting the WDIDLE3 program on a FAT32 partition, is so
you don't have to "edit" an ISO9660 file and add the program
to the boot disc image. You don't really want to do that.
Too much work.

There are probably versions of DOS kicking around, which do not
have support for FAT32, and in such a case, you'd need some
tool which can format a storage device in FAT12 or FAT16.
The HP Formatter was one example, for USB keys.

If the DOS boot disk you end up with, understands FAT32,
then you can leave a copy of WDIDLE3.exe on some FAT32 partition
and change drive letters so you can run it when the DOS prompt
shows up.

A perfect project, to waste a Saturday on...

Paul

"Paul" wrote in message ...

Daniel wrote:

Hi

How do I create a Bootable CD-RW that contains WDIDLE3.exe

I know how to burn a CD but do not know how to make it Bootable.

Thanks

Daniel

They used a USB flash key here. As far as I can remember, if
you use a USB key, and the formatter tool insists on some FAT12
or FAT16 file system, there is a 2GB limit. It's one of the
reasons, years ago, I had to drive off to the computer store
and buy a 1GB flash key (just try and find one of those now!).
Apparently it's not possible for the clever programmers, to
just ignore any space above 2GB.

http://www.storagereview.com/how_to_...s_with_wdidle3

There are several versions of the HP Formatter. Some
come with DOS files. This is a relatively large download,
to get a formatter. But still, a worthwhile tool. Inside
is SP33221.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport...tem=wk-41329-1

The useful bits from that, ended up like this on my hard drive.
You install the HPFOrmatter, and that creates the drivekey folder,
and then I moved over the FREEDOS folder I think, so they'd be close
together.

C:\drivekey
FREEDOS
COMMAND.COM 86KB
KERNEL.SYS 44KB
HPUSBF.EXE
HPUSBFW.EXE
EULA_SP33221.doc
Readme.txt ---

"To make an HP Flash Disk bootable, install the "HP USB Disk
Storage Format Tool", HPUSBFormatter.exe. After the Format Tool
has been installed execute the application; by default it is
located in c:\DriveKey\HPUSBFW.EXE. Choose to "Create a DOS
startup disk" and select the FREEDOS folder from this Softpaq
as the location in the field "using DOS system files located at".
After the format has completed and the disk is bootable, copy
the contents of the DOSFLASH folder onto the Flash drive and follow
the DOSFLASH instructions to flash the video BIOS."

Those instructions, are because that package is actually a video card
flasher, and making a DOS disk is part of supporting the DOSFLASH
package. But a person can still use the USB formatter, for making
FAT12 or FAT16 small bootable USB flash keys. Note that the StorageReview
article claims FreeDOS doesn't work for WDIDLE3, for whatever that's
worth. So while you'd add SP33221 from HP to your collection, it
might not be the best choice based on feedback from the storagereview
article.

If you want a boot CD, there's this one.

http://www.infocellar.com/CD/Boot-CD.htm
( http://www.infocellar.com/CD/files/Win98-BootCD.zip )

(Virustotal scans clean...)
https://www.virustotal.com/file/0df9...is/1348362583/

And Seatools For DOS, I think there is a CD version of
that as well, and it has a DOS core. That might be FreeDOS
based.

Other choices include things like DRDOS. I think I have
at least one floppy with that on it here, but I don't
remember what package it came from.

To be able to execute the WDIDLE3 program, you arrange it
to be sitting on a FAT32 partition on the hard drive. I have
several FAT32 partitions. They're visible, for example,
from my Win98 prepared boot floppy, and I can change
directories to another partition (as long s it's not NTFS)
and then run a program from there.

Putting the WDIDLE3 program on a FAT32 partition, is so
you don't have to "edit" an ISO9660 file and add the program
to the boot disc image. You don't really want to do that.
Too much work.

There are probably versions of DOS kicking around, which do not
have support for FAT32, and in such a case, you'd need some
tool which can format a storage device in FAT12 or FAT16.
The HP Formatter was one example, for USB keys.

If the DOS boot disk you end up with, understands FAT32,
then you can leave a copy of WDIDLE3.exe on some FAT32 partition
and change drive letters so you can run it when the DOS prompt
shows up.

A perfect project, to waste a Saturday on...

Paul

Okay, thanks so much for all your help, there is a lot to digest and
I have to go away for four six days, I will get back to it as soon as I am
back.

Regards

Daniel

In article , Paul wrote:
Daniel wrote:

Hi

How do I create a Bootable CD-RW that contains WDIDLE3.exe

I know how to burn a CD but do not know how to make it Bootable.

Thanks

Daniel

They used a USB flash key here. As far as I can remember, if
you use a USB key, and the formatter tool insists on some FAT12
or FAT16 file system, there is a 2GB limit. It's one of the
reasons, years ago, I had to drive off to the computer store
and buy a 1GB flash key (just try and find one of those now!).
Apparently it's not possible for the clever programmers, to
just ignore any space above 2GB.


No, you dont need a flash drive smaller than 2GB, you just need to keep the
partiion you are going to use to boot at 2GB


I use a 32GB flash drive for a utilities drive and i have a small 2GB
partition setup to boot for this very reason.

GMAN wrote:
In article , Paul wrote:
Daniel wrote:
Hi

How do I create a Bootable CD-RW that contains WDIDLE3.exe

I know how to burn a CD but do not know how to make it Bootable.

Thanks

Daniel
They used a USB flash key here. As far as I can remember, if
you use a USB key, and the formatter tool insists on some FAT12
or FAT16 file system, there is a 2GB limit. It's one of the
reasons, years ago, I had to drive off to the computer store
and buy a 1GB flash key (just try and find one of those now!).
Apparently it's not possible for the clever programmers, to
just ignore any space above 2GB.


No, you dont need a flash drive smaller than 2GB, you just need to keep the
partiion you are going to use to boot at 2GB


I use a 32GB flash drive for a utilities drive and i have a small 2GB
partition setup to boot for this very reason.


I'm saying the HP Formatter (quite popular in some circles),
when it sees a USB flash drive, it erases everything, and then
freaks out if the drive capacity is above 2GB.

It's possible to do formatting at least, in Linux, and achieve
a small partition on a large storage device. So that part of it,
isn't a challenge.

But then, part of what the HP Formatter does, is install
some kind of boot block. Exactly what, I haven't checked to
see. Presumably something intended to make a DOS OS boot.

Paul

In article , Paul wrote:
GMAN wrote:
In article , Paul wrote:
Daniel wrote:
Hi

How do I create a Bootable CD-RW that contains WDIDLE3.exe

I know how to burn a CD but do not know how to make it Bootable.

Thanks

Daniel
They used a USB flash key here. As far as I can remember, if
you use a USB key, and the formatter tool insists on some FAT12
or FAT16 file system, there is a 2GB limit. It's one of the
reasons, years ago, I had to drive off to the computer store
and buy a 1GB flash key (just try and find one of those now!).
Apparently it's not possible for the clever programmers, to
just ignore any space above 2GB.


No, you dont need a flash drive smaller than 2GB, you just need to keep the
partiion you are going to use to boot at 2GB


I use a 32GB flash drive for a utilities drive and i have a small 2GB
partition setup to boot for this very reason.


I'm saying the HP Formatter (quite popular in some circles),
when it sees a USB flash drive, it erases everything, and then
freaks out if the drive capacity is above 2GB.

It's possible to do formatting at least, in Linux, and achieve
a small partition on a large storage device. So that part of it,
isn't a challenge.

But then, part of what the HP Formatter does, is install
some kind of boot block. Exactly what, I haven't checked to
see. Presumably something intended to make a DOS OS boot.

Paul
Although i have used the HP formatter for flash drives, theyre are lots of
other utilities that are out there for flash drive formatting do not freak
out on large sizes