SpeedStor

On offer here are two versions of SpeedStor, versions 6.03 and 6.5

I usually tell people that version 6.03 be used for PC's and XT's, and that version 6.5 be used for AT's.
Why is that ?
In the early 90's, I was using version 6.03 successfully.  At some time, I acquired version 6.5 and consequently, stopped using version 6.03
But then I noticed that in some XT clones, version 6.5 didn't work properly but version 6.03 did.

From then on, I just used the rule of: 6.03 for PC's and XT's; 6.5 for AT's

SpeedStor 6.03	(dated 1989)	(unZipped contents fits on a bootable 360K or 1.2M floppy)
SpeedStor 6.5	(dated 1991)	(unZipped contents fits on a bootable 1.2M floppy)

MANUAL

A 1987 dated manual is at here, which according to the last page, is "for SpeedStor Versions 5.0 and above".

A 1992 dated manual is at here.  Note that being dated 1992, it may contain some information that is not applicable to SpeedStor versions 6.03 and 6.5


LOW-LEVEL FORMAT

SpeedStor uses the term 'initialize' instead of low-level format.

In almost all cases, you will need to low-level format a hard drive if you move it to a different make-model of hard disk controller.

If you intend to use SpeedStor to low-level format the hard drive attached to an XT-class hard disk controller, and that controller has low-level format functionality built into its BIOS expansion ROM, then ideally, you should be using that low-level formatter instead of Speedstor (that formatter may be aware of certain controller properties/behaviour that SpeedStor is not aware of).

SpeedStor's low-level format functionality ('Initialize') does two things: a low-level format, followed by a scan of the drive for defective tracks.  After the scan, if defective tracks were found, SpeedStor asks you if you want to add those tracks to the Bad Track Table.  You should answer in the positive, in which case, SpeedStor will do two things:
* Add the tracks to SpeedStor's Bad Track Table; and
* On the drive, mark the tracks as defective (if an XT-class controller, presumably using function 06h of INT 13H )

After the low-level format, to get the hard drive booting to DOS, you will need to perform the standard FDISK/FORMAT operations.


XT-CLASS CONTROLLERS

With XT-class hard disk controllers, each model of controller is limited to drives of certain geometries (cylinder/head/sector count).  For example, the WD10004A-WX1 controller supports the four geometries of 612/4/17; 306/4/17; 615/2/17; 615/4/17, and the one to be used is selected by jumpers on the controller.

SpeedStor cannot 'magically' overide/bypass that.  Therefore, if SpeedStor detects an XT-class hard disk controller, it fetches the geometry that the controller has been configured for, and on screen, below the 'Manufacturer/Model' heading, displays "(system given Params.)".


WARNINGS

1.	SpeedStor is intended for preparing a hard drive for use with an operating system (such as DOS).  Consequently, once an operating system has been installed, then depending on the operation you ask SpeedStor to do, SpeedStor can damage the operating system and user programs/data.  SpeedStor often warns about that via warning messages such as, "This function may DESTROY DATA ..."
2.	SpeedStor is not designed to address problems at the DOS level, e.g. cross-linked clusters.  For those sorts of problems, use something like Norton Disk Doctor.
3.	The 'Controller' test ([Diagnostics][Controller]) is where Speedstor commands the controller to do a self-test (internal test)and report the result.  If the test passes, you must not assume from that that the controller is fully functional, because the controller can only test some of itself.
4.	When you exit from the read test ('ReadTest') after 'defects' are found, SpeedStor will prompt you with, "Do you want to keep the new defects in the table?" That defect table is simply something within Speedstor; it is not a defect table in the hard drive. To view/change the contents of SpeedStor's defect table, you would then navigate to [ManualSetup][DefectMgr]. To mark the defects in the defect table to the hard drive, you would use [ManualSetup][Initialize][LockDefects].

KNOWN PROBLEMS/ISSUES

1.	If there is not enough conventional memory in the computer for SpeedStor, when SpeedStor is started, SpeedStor will display "** ERROR **  unable to allocate memory buffers" and then terminate.
2.	When used on an AT-class machine, and you specify the drive make-model within SpeedStor, SpeedStor (without you being aware) will set the drive type number in the CMOS SETUP to one that matches the drive.  This could be a problem for some people.  The behaviour can be stopped by starting SpeedStor with the /NOCMOS switch.
3.	Although SpeedStor has partitioning functionality, the partition type that it creates is a 'SpeedStor' one.  For reason of better compatibility, I recommend that you instead use DOS to do all partitioning and high-level formatting.

POSSIBLY USEFUL INFORMATION

In many (not all) cases where I have tried it, disconnecting the data cable from the MFM drive does not prevent Speedstor from stepping the drive's heads (i.e. SpeedStor's SeekTest still steps the heads).  That indicates that the particular controller does not read the platter surface during a stepping operation.

An example of where I can do that, is on my early IBM 5170 (IBM AT) fitted with the first generation of the IBM Fixed Disk and Diskette Drive Adapter.

An example of where it does not work, is on my IBM 5160 (IBM XT) fitted with variation #3 of the IBM Fixed Disk Adapter.