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   | This is an abstract of this programs documentation used as a short   |
   | review. To get the full concept of this program you should download  |
   | all concerned files and read the programs full documentation.        |
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   |    Please register your favorite programs, keep shareware alive!     |
   |==============================================================(SDN)===|

     HDTEST was originally written to allow comprehensive Read/Write testing
     of hard disks on IBM PCs, XTs, ATs, and "true" compatibles.  The V4.10
     release relaxed many of the hardware restrictions imposed by earlier
     (V2.xx and V3.xx) versions of the program and made it useful for testing
     most MS-DOS-compatible storage devices currently in use on IBM-compatible
     computers, including removable (floppy and hard) disks and logically
     partitioned hard disks. This release (V4.45) includes BIOS-level support
     for DOS 3.3 "extended devices" and more options for the handling of
     totally unreadable sectors, and recognizes (but does not support) large
     (> 32 Mb) devices under IBM DOS 4.0 and Compaq DOS 3.31.  Although many
     programs, including IBM's diagnostics, allow "surface scanning" and seek
     testing of hard disks, none that are available to the average user test
     whether the whole disk can retain the data that is or will be written to
     it.  HDTEST's principal "claim to fame" is the ability thoroughly to test
     the magnetic media in a device which contains data while preserving the
     data (although data loss is unavoidable if an area which is in use has
     become unreadable).

     HDTEST tests the disk much more thoroughly than programs such as DFixer,
     Mace, and Norton's DT. Mace and DT, like many public domain "disk test"
     programs, simply read every cluster on the disk and report on any errors
     encountered.  DFixer does better, writing 4 test patterns to every free
     cluster and checking that they can be read back correctly, but it makes
     no attempt to test clusters that are already in use - the very ones which
     contain your precious data!

     In addition to its testing function, HDTEST has been reported to be
     useful as an automatic disk repair utility for both hard and floppy disks
     which have developed (especially) intermittent or persistent read errors,
     preventing or impeding their normal use. Although HDTEST cannot read the
     totally unreadable, it tries much harder that DOS does and will almost
     always, in the course of its operation, allow you to recover the entire
     readable portion(s) of a file with one or more unreadable clusters in it,
     optionally either remapping all of what it reads from the disk or
     replacing bad sectors (the default) or clusters with NULLs.  HDTEST is
     not an alternative to backing up your floppies and/or hard disk it may
     sometimes be able to save your neck when you forget or your backup goes
     bad too! On hard disks which have developed intermittent read errors,
     running HDTEST can sometimes totally cure the problem, presumably because
     the "flaky" sectors get rewritten and the minor misalignments and/or
     weakening of the magnetic "image" which were causing the trouble are
     corrected   ... (continued)...


  |=======================================================================|
  | This abstract is taken from a portion of this programs documentation  |
  | and is intended to give an idea of the program. It does not reflect   |
  | the entirer capabilities and features of the program and the full     |
  | documentation should be consulted.   (SDN)                            |
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