diagnostics | DataRecoveryUnion.com

SCSIMax is a diagnostic utility for all Maxtor (and Quantum®) SCSI hard disk drives supporting Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T). This test will determine hard drive integrity in a short period of time, with a high degree of confidence. If the program completes without error, the problem remains elsewhere in your system. Check SCSI cables, termination and operating system. Maxtor recommends you use this utility for troubleshooting potential hard drive problems. These problems include, but are not limited to: potential hard drive surface media problems (e.g., bad clusters or sectors, partitioning/formatting problems, etc.) and drive recognition problems (e.g. hard drive that is not recognized by the operating system). SCSIMax uses the SCSI controller’s ASPI driver to route Int13 commands to the hard drive. The utility is not data destructive, but Maxtor recommends that you complete a full backup of your hard drive before running this utility.

Note: Incompatible with Apple® systems, and SCSI Ultra320 controllers. This utility does not run from the Windows desktop.

Use SCSIMax on all legacy (ie, up to Ultra160/Ultra3 speed) Maxtor SCSI hard drives prior to warranty replacement.

Seatools Enterprise may be used for these drives as well, but is particularly well-suited for Serial-Attached SCSI and SCSI Ultra320 drives of the newest generations.

SCSIMax supports all Maxtor and Quantum SCSI drives including:

Atlas 15K
Atlas 10K, Atlas II, Atlas III and Atlas IV
Atlas 7200RPM IV and Atlas 7200RPM V
Viking II

Depending on S.M.A.R.T. settings, not all tests are performed on all drives.

ASPI Drivers

ASPI (Advanced SCSI Programming Interface) is a software layer that enables programs to communicate with SCSI devices. Adaptec® ASPI drivers will load from the Windows 98SE, or Millennium (ME) startup disks, when the “Start computer with CD-ROM support” option is chosen at the selector prompt. LSI host adapters load their own ASPI drivers during system startup. If you are using another brand of SCSI host adapter, consult your host or system manufacturer for ASPI driver support. SCSIMax is not currently supported to run on SCSI Ultra320 controllers, due to boot issues.

SCSIMax System Requirements

Windows 98SE/Millennium startup disk, or equivalent bootable DOS disk that loads compatible ASPI drivers, in accordance to the model of SCSI host, being used to test the hard disk.
SCSIMAX.EXE program copied to a clean formatted floppy diskette.
PC-compatible system (Pentium or newer).
A supported Maxtor/Quantum SCSI S.M.A.R.T. capable hard drive.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Download SCSIMax to an existing directory on your hard drive (for convenience copy to the desktop). The download version is a self-extracting Zip file. After opening you will be prompted to insert a floppy into the (A:\) drive.
After SCSIMax has been extracted to the floppy diskette, remove the diskette and perform a normal shutdown.
Boot your system to the 98SE or Millennium startup disk, and at the selector prompt choose the Start computer with CD-ROM support option. This will automatically load the ASPI manager drivers for Adaptec branded hosts.
When the 98/Me boot disk reaches the A:\ prompt, remove the disk, and insert the disk with the SCSIMax utility. Type SCSIMAX at the A:\ prompt and hit [ENTER].
Note: SCSIMax is designed to run on Maxtor/Quantum S.M.A.R.T. capable hard drives (the utility will identify a drive as S.M.A.R.T. capable). As with any system test or diagnostic, Seagate recommends that you have a complete backup of your drive before beginning.
SCSIMax will next display a license agreement. Choose [Continue] or[Accept]. The program will identify all SCSI controllers in the computer. If your system has more than one drive, you will see a menu of recognized SCSI controllers with attached drives. Select a drive to test, enter its number or choose 0 for all.
After the Quick Test, you will be prompted to perform a full surface scan. The full surface scan can take quite some time depending upon the drive’s capacity, but will test every Logical Block Address (user’s data area). Seagate recommends the full surface scan if you suspect that the hard disk may report media errors on areas of the drive that are not normally tested by the Quick Test.
When the test finishes you are prompted to Print, Save and Exit. Press S; to save. Regardless of Pass or Fail, SCSIMax saves a drive information text file to the floppy called TESTLOG.prn. If the drive fails any of the tests performed, SCSIMax will display a 6-digit error code. Please make note of the code, or save the TESTLOG.

Note: Owners of O.E.M systems (HP, Compaq, Dell, etc.) that were originally purchased containing a Maxtor or Quantum SCSI drive must contact the O.E.M. or the place of purchase for warranty service.

File Version: 1.21
File Size: 70.0 kb
Supported Operating Systems: Windows NT, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 95A, Windows 95B, DOS, Windows XP Professional
Download: SCSIMax

Data Recovery

Guideline for Diagnostics – Data Recovery

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM15 years ago11 years ago06 mins

This is intended to be a guideline for determining whether a hard drive is failing physically or if the drive is a candidate for software recovery by technicians in the field.

There are many commercial utilities that will allow users or qualified technicians to recover data from a hard drive that is otherwise inaccessible. Commercial utilities work with varying degrees of success. The question to be asked is when is it a good idea to use these utilities versus when is a good idea to send the hard drive to Data Recovery Group?

The first step is to determine if the hard drive is functioning. If the hard drive is functioning properly it should be recognized in the CMOS and you should be able to boot the system from another media source, such as a floppy, CD-ROM, or another hard drive. If there are any BIOS errors when attempting to boot the system the hard drive has malfunctioned and needs to be sent to Data Recovery Group. If during the boot process the system is unable to boot from an alternate media source, this is another indication that hard drive is malfunctioning. Further attempts to boot the system could seriously reduce the likelihood of a successful data recovery.

If the system can be successfully booted the next step is to attempt to run the data recovery utility. Most utilities work in the same way. The first step the data recovery utility performs is to scan the drive to locate the file system components. Most utilities will display this scan with some type of progress meter. It is necessary to monitor progress and to stay with the hard drive while the utility is operating. If the hard drive starts to make unusual noises stop the scan immediately and power down the computer. The hard drive will need to be sent to us. Another thing that needs to be watched is the rate of progress for the utility. Usually there will be a count of sectors read. The count should steadily increase and it should not stop. If the count or progress does stop the scan should be terminated and the computer powered down. Failure to stop could jeopardize the likelihood of a successful data recovery. The hard drive should be sent to Data Recovery Group.

If there are any signs that the hard drive is failing physically, it is important that software data recovery utilities not be used on the hard drive. Hard drives usually fail gradually and this failure process will be accelerated during a full scan of the hard drive necessary for most data recovery utilities to recover the data.

It is important to read the instructions provided with any data recovery utility you may use on a hard drive. It is important that if you can complete a scan of the failing hard drive that the recovered files are not saved back to the hard drive you are trying to recover. It is possible o save recovered files on the source drive and if this occurs the recovered files could overwrite other files you are trying to recover.

In conclusion, it is very important to determine if a drive has any physical failure before attempting to recover the data using a utility. Data Recovery Group has received many hard drives from customers where the data could have been recovered had we received the drive right after the original failure. Repeated attempts to recover the data with software rendered the drive useless and the data not recoverable.

How To Perform Diagnostics on Maxtor (or Quantum) SCSI Drives

Guideline for Diagnostics – Data Recovery