SpinRite VS ScanDisk

Last month (or maybe the month before?) I talked about using ScanDisk on a regular basis(along with a few other things)to help keep your computer running efficiently. See: /newsletter/jan01/013101e.htm

I think I also stated that we were trying to keep costs down, and that there were other products available, other than the ones I mentioned, and that you should use what you feel the most comfortable with.

Here is some feedback on this from Adam:

Also, about ScanDisk... Steve Gibson(author of SpinRite and recent discoverer of serious security vulnerabilities in top brand name firewalls)says that "ScanDisk is probably guilty of more data loss than any other utility ever created. Since everyone has ScanDisk, everyone uses it. But few people realize that ScanDisk does NOTHING other than discard any data that it can't read." Visit http://www.grc.com/ for more information.

Sincerely,
Adam .....

I was intrigued by Adam's email, and I visited SpinRite's site. I read their ad(and it's important to remember that it is an advertisement), and the product sounds very good. I would like to comment on a few things:

First off, when ScanDisk finds lost clusters or cross-linked chains, it will ask if you want to convert them to files and save them to your hard drive, or if you would like to delete them. I generally just delete them. Usually, these are temporary files that have been left behind as a result of poor programming, or shutting down an application improperly.

If you have lost important data and are trying to recover it, then ScanDisk can convert to files, and will save them with a .chk extension in the root directory. There are utilities that can read these files, and possibly recover some of the information or data. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that you will find the data you need.

This company also claims that SpinRite will notify you if your hard drive is showing signs of problems or impending failure, and that ScanDisk won't. What this says to me is that the product may run in the background as a TSR. There's always a trade-off, and sometimes you have to evaluate the advantages. Is the product worth having another TSR that may result in conflicts with another application that you try to install or load.

Also, ScanDisk may not use any bells or whistles to let you know a drive is failing, but it does mark bad sectors on your drive. If the number of bad sectors starts to increase, I've always taken it as an indication that its time to back up that drive and think about replacing it.

Having taken the opportunity of a few paragraphs to play devil's advocate, I would like to state that I am not saying anything against SpinRite. Quite the contrary.

I am not an expert on ScanDisk, and I know nothing about SpinRite, other than what I've read on their site. I am, however, impressed with GRC's enthusiasm and willingness to back up their product.

I contacted GRC, and asked if they would be interested in supplying me with 2 or 3 copies of SpinRite for my subscribers to evaluate. I should have asked for more! Before I could say 'please', I had 3 unlock codes in my email!

So, here's the scoop! If you would like a free version of SpinRite, all you have to do is email me(craig@pccomputernotes.com). In your email, I would like your name and where you live. I don't need your actual address. I'll choose 3 emails from the ones I receive.

Before you hit your 'SEND' buttons, there is one stipulation. You have to be willing to return a written evaluation and comparison of the product that will be printed on PC ComputerNotes' WebSite and in the NewsLetter. The evaluations will also be made available to GRC if they wish.

What kind of evaluation?
What will be the commitment?

Well, here are a couple examples of unacceptable evaluations:

"Really liked it, thanks!"

"Not as good as that other one."

You will use ScanDisk and SpinRite on a regular basis over the next month and compare the two. Here are a few things you might look at:

- Download and Installation.
How easy is it to get up and running?

- Different platforms.
Can it be used with Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NT? This will of course have to be researched. Unless you have all these Operating Systems on your computer. ;-)

- Interface Ease of use.
Is it easy to understand?

- Features
Just what can it do? Is it a TSR? How long to do a scan?

- Your overall opinion

Now, if you still want to be an evaluator, I'm waiting for your email!

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