An experimental program to work with HDD - Version 4.

3
(C support of both the ports and through the API Windows)

Attention! Test drive through the ports, which are currently running Windows - not! Please
carefully read the documentation.

This document refers to the disc through the ports. Working through the API is different in that
accesses HDD not directly but through the driver Windows. This makes it possible to estimate
the speed of Windows with the hard disk in the current regime, and also allows you to safely test
ANY drives supported by the system.
To ensure that the program could work with the drive through the API, the device must be
initialized in the system.

Disadvantages of working through the API compared to working through the ports:
- The impact of the system of appeals to the hard drive on the test results;
- Smaller features (in particular, can not be changed HPA);
- API is much worse is to damaged hard drive. For example, the Windows driver can disable the
faulty device without warning;
- It is impossible to monitor registers HDD;
- Only works for Win XP/2000/HR

Dignity of work through the API compared to access via ports:

- You can test the system disk;
- You can quickly erase data from the HDD (for example, on my HDD SAMSUNG SP2514N
speed is 71 Mb / s);
- You can test the USB, Flash, etc. not-ATA hard drives;

Brief description of product:

«Victoria 4.x for Windows» - is a program designed to assess performance, testing and minor
repair HDD IDE drive and SATA. Its ideology and the possibility of closer to those of the
previous utility «Victoria 3.x for DOS». Win32 version is designed primarily for repairmen HDD
in stationary conditions, as requires a Windows computer, and is not intended to test the system
hard drive. However, compared with the DOS-programs, the utility for Windows provides the
following benefits:

- There is no CPU load at idle;

- More user-friendly interface;
- Multi-tasking;

The program is multithreaded Win32 application, and is designed for the OS family of Windows
NT (2000, XP). In Windows 9x and Me, some functions may work slower.
The program is written for hardware-software «Victoria», developed by the author for the
professional HDD repair and data recovery. Free version differs in its lack of technological tools,
some useful functions are disabled. Work with the store is at the level of input-output ports.
System Requirements - CPU not less than P3, from 1300 MHz (the higher - the better), screen
resolution of 800 * 600 1280 * 1024, Microsoft Windows XP. In the card surface with disabled
system requirements are sharply reduced.
When you first start under Win NTprogramma automatically install the system driver
porttalk.sys, with the help of which will be made available to the ports under study HDD.
Rebooting the system is not required. When you run under Win 9x no driver installed, and access
to ports is achieved by disabling the "control panel» Windows appropriate IDE controller.
The program can also access additional ATA controller. Pressing the «PCI scan» list will appear
in the system controller. When you click on each of them - the port addresses are automatically
raskladvayutsya in the input window port addresses. You can also manually register the required
addresses in the input box by selecting Mode «Custom». It should be borne in mind that the
default port for Primary blocked (to avoid access to the system disk). To unlock it is necessary to
register in the ini-file in section [ATA Port] value Enable PM = 1 and restart the program.
Feature of the program is the use of proprietary algorithms scan the surface without loading the
CPU (on a system with a P4 2000MHz at the surface off the map, it is 1-5%). This was made
possible through the use of multimedia timer. But due to the fact that this method is new to the
programs of this class, provides an alternative to the classic timer scheme (on RDTSC).
Switching is carried out on the tab «Setup». It is more accurate, but will ship the system to
100%.

The main differences from the DOS version of the program are as follows:
Passport:
- Support for some features of the standard ATA-8;
- The sector resulting from the HDD, is stored in the file;
- You can download a passport other drives for viewing;

Host Protected Area (HPA):

- You can install both temporary and permanent value of the volume;
- Size is adjustable slider;

Seek (test mechanics):

- You can set the threshold time at which the test will be interrupted and the drive is off;
- You can specify the type of test (pure positioning, verification, reading, creating soft-bad). In
the latter case, the surface is a "long record" of information that was read from the sector.

Acoustic Management (AAM):

- Allows you to adjust the noise level of the mouse or keyboard;

Password Manager:
- Sets the password of any level of the input window or from a file;
- Allows you to erase the disc by pressing a button (Erase). At the same time on the hard drive is
automatically put the master and user passwords «fuck» and the command is given security
erase, provided standard.

S.M.A.R.T. Monitor:
- Allows you to view attributes treshholdy, raw value in the decimal system;
- View the current status of the life of the drive;
- Run the built-in hard drive SMART test;
- View the current status of the SMART-drive tests and their implementation;
- Set a timer that will update the SMART readings at preset times;

Scanning the surface:

- Allows you to choose the block size and timeout, after which the screw is fed soft reset;
- There are 4 scan mode, including reverse;
- Is it possible to produce not only common, but "long" record of sectors, while in the drive is
written the information which is contained in the sector;
- Flaw in finding defects by time-out and entering in the log real addresses of sectors (not
blocks);
- Data recovery from "a long reading of" (the free version off);
- Hiding defects by remapa;
- Draw a graph of the surface (optional);
- Stopping the random read of the timer (in the upper left corner of the panel over the button
«Pause»).

Note:
1) In windows enter the boundaries LBA is permissible to use records of the form "22%»,
«345Mb», etc. Also works to the clipboard (copy and paste from other windows).
2) The processor-cropping (Celeron, Duron) system load can be very high, especially when
reading records. If it is incredibly annoying - write, remade.

Misc (tab Advanced - its content is open to question):

- View the partition table in the target hard drive;
- Measure the speed of the shaft (Normal mode is recommended. Random - this is a very rough
algorithm for the ugly screws which is not disconnected cache:)
- Teams to manage the cache (only ATA-7);

Also:
- Maintain a detailed log of work;
- Most settings are stored in nonvolatile memory (ini-file);

Due to the fact that the free version of the author writes in their spare time, and no prosecution
for any commercial purposes - it may contain errors not yet seen, and not closed by a trap for
fools. " Try to take it with understanding: carefully read the documentation. It is useful to review
the documentation to the Victoria 3.x for DOS - in both programs have much in common. About
noticed flaws please send an e-mail sergei@hdd-911.com.