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Storage > Hard disk drives > Technical support >

Hard disk drive support downloads

 
Drive Fitness
Programs to help analyze, monitor, & restore the health of IBM drives.
Windows systems:
dft-v210.exe
Readme
  
Having trouble creating the DFT bootable diskette?

Linux systems:
dft-v210img.bin
Readme

Documentation:
Users guide*
White paper
Data sheet
*in PDF format




Drive Fitness Test (version 2.10)
Size - 1927 KB Windows, 1440 KB Linux

The Drive Fitness Test (DFT) provides a quick and reliable method to test IBM SCSI and IDE hard disk drives.  The Drive Fitness Test only performs read tests and does not overwrite customer data.
 
Note:  This download creates a self booting diskette to run the DFT utility.  You can create the diskette under Windows or Linux but you must start your system with the bootable diskette to run DFT.  DFT can only be used with x86 based processors.

Currently, the Drive Fitness Test does not support:
 
IBM Microdrives
Travelstar E drives
Features:
Supports SCSI and IDE drives
Analyzes drive fitness
  • Three modes of operation:
    -- High confidence level Quick test*
       *unmatched in the drive industry
    -- Full media scan
    -- Exerciser
  • Performs real-time analysis of IBM drives to quickly determine whether the drive has a problem. 
  • Identifies system problems such as cables, temperature, etc.
  • Automatically logs significant drive parameters to track potential impacts to the operation of the drive.
Restores drive fitness (overwrites customer data)
  • Erase Bootsector utility
    (use DFT Utility option: Erase Boot Sector)
  • Low-level format utility
    (use DFT Utility option: Erase Disk)
Note: Both utilities will overwrite all customer data and allow repair of bad sectors.

Utilities
  • Drive information
  • S.M.A.R.T. Operations for IDE hard disk drives
Go to download page
*registration required
Ontrack Data AdvisorTM
Data Advisor is a self-booting, easy to use, diagnostic software to determine data access problems. It analyzes file systems, boot sectors, Master Boot Record, memory etc. It guides the user through traditional or new Remote Data Recovery (RDR) services.
EZ-SMART5.0.24.IBM.exe
Readme  
EZ-S.M.A.R.T. (version 5.0.24) - 1093 KB
EZ-S.M.A.R.T. is an easy to use program that monitors S.M.A.R.T. capable IDE and SCSI hard disk drives.  The program reduces the risk of system down time by assessing the reliability and predicting hard disk drive failures.
wipe.exe
Readme  
Wipe - 19 KB (self-extracting file)
Wipe is a DOS software utility that writes zeroes to every sector on a hard disk drive up to 8 GB. It can be used with both SCSI and IDE drives.

Note: This function is now included in the Drive Fitness Test.

zap.exe
Readme  
Zap - 18 KB (self-extracting file)
Zap is a DOS software utility that writes zeroes to the first 128 sectors on a hard disk drive, including the Master Boot Record and the first Partition Boot Record. It can be used with both SCSI and IDE drives.

Note: This function is now included in the Drive Fitness Test.

 
Installation
Utilities to help you install your new IBM drive
Windows systems:
DiskManager2000.exe (6022 KB - see note 1)
Readme Windows  

Diskette versions:
(see note 1) 

Windows (1808 KB) 
dmdsk954.exe 

Linux (1440 KB) 
dm-v954img.bin
Readme Linux

Disk Manager 2000 (version 3.10)

Disk Manager 2000 provides step-by-step installation instructions to help you install an IBM IDE hard disk drive. Disk Manager 2000 also allows an older system BIOS with a drive capacity limitation (i.e. 528MB, 540MB, 2.1GB, 4.2GB, 8.4GB or 32GB) to use IBM IDE drives above those limits. For Award BIOS 4.5x see the Ontrack Data International solution for 33GB BIOS lock-up.

Notes:
  1. Download the diskette version of Disk Manager 2000 if you do not have Windows installed on your system or if you have a problem downloading the 6 megabyte Windows systems version.   The diskette version creates a bootable diskette that includes Disk Manager. 
  2. The bootable diskette also contains the IBM Drive Fitness Test (DFT) and IBM ATASW utilities.
dg-v10361c.exe
Readme  
DriveGuide (version 1.03.61c) - 479 KB
IBM DriveGuide Easy Installation Software that provides step-by-step installation instructions to help you install IBM IDE hard disk drives.  DriveGuide allows older systems to use higher capacity drives, including drives with capacities greater than 32GB.

Caution: DriveGuide and Disk Manager are not compatible. Use only one of the programs when you install a new drive. It is possible to lose or corrupt the data on the drive if a different disk installation program is used after DriveGuide was used to install the drive. If you have a problem using either program, contact the Technical Support Center
 
Notes:
  1. IBM DriveGuide does not support Windows Millenium or Windows 2000.  
  2. IBM DriveGuide Easy Installation Software does not provide support for CD-Roms and some controller cards.
  3. Windows NT users: The dg-v10361c.exe program download is a self-extracting program that creates a bootable DriveGuide program diskette. You cannot create the bootable DriveGuide diskette on a Windows NT system. You can create the bootable DriveGuide diskette on a Windows 95/98 or DOS based system. Then boot your Windows NT system with the DriveGuide diskette to create the first partition on any drive you add. The Windows NT Disk Administration tool can also be used to initialize new drives. Refer to the Windows NT documentation for an explaination of how to use the Disk Administration tool.
Windows systems:
ibmftool-install.exe
Instructions (PDF)

Linux systems:
ibmftool-install-img.bin
Instructions (PDF)
 
IBM Feature Tool (Version 1.10)
Size - 1568 KB Windows, 1440 KB Linux
 
The IBMATASW utility is now part of the IBM Feature Tool.

Some systems are not able to handle the high transfer speeds of current IBM hard disk drives. The IBM Feature Tool allows you to switch between Ultra ATA/33, ATA/66, and ATA/100 support (UDMA modes 2, 4 and 5). The IBM Feature Tool does not overwrite existing customer data on the disk drive. See the description in the next category for additional functions included with the utility.
 
Optimize IBM drives
Tools to optimize and customize IBM drives
Go to download page Power Booster - 301 KB
A utility for laptops that gives users direct control over the Advanced Battery Life Extender power settings for mobile IBM disk drives. Power Booster allows any computer with an IBM ATAPI 4 mobile disk drive and running Windows 95/98 to directly control advanced power management features of the drive. Advanced Battery Life Extender is an advanced power savings implementation and Power Booster is a user interface to it. Additional details are provided on the download page.
Windows systems:
ibmftool-install.exe
Instructions (PDF)

Linux systems:
ibmftool-install-img.bin
Instructions (PDF)

 

IBM Feature Tool (Version 1.10)
Size - 1568 KB Windows, 1440 KB Linux
 
The IBM Feature Tool allows you to control some of the features in the newer IBM high performance ATA hard disk drives.  The IBM Feature Tool allows you to:
  
  • Change the drive Automatic Acoustic Management settings to the:
    • Lowest acoustic emanation setting (Quiet Seek Mode), or
    • Maximum performance level (Normal Seek Mode).
  • Change the predefined capacity of the drive. This option can be used in situations where there is a BIOS limitation and the drive is not recognized.  See the usage instructions for specific details.
  • Switch the Ultra DMA mode (replaces IBMATASW utility)
   
Productivity tools for hard disk drive related businesses
Tools developed specifically for resellers and OEM system integrators

How to obtain a copy of DDD-SI

Documentation:
dddsi.pdf - 2,478 KB

DDD-SI Version 5.0
DDD-SI is an easy-to-use Windows software package developed by IBM for system integrators. This tool allows you to modify, optimize, initialize or test industry leading IBM hard disk drives for integration. Single or multiple hard disk drives need to be outside of their target System. Once DDD-SI is configured, you can easily:
   
  • Optimize a disk drive
  • Analyze / repair a disk drive
  • Initialize a disk drive
  • Assist with disk drive integration
  • Provide production line support
  • Provide information for IBM remote assistance

More information...

Version 5.0 update for existing DDD-SI installations

 

   
Hard disk drive utilities feedback
Help define future Drive Fitness technology and other utilities!
We value your input about the tools and utilities provided by IBM to support your IBM drive.  These utilities are provided to:
 
  • Make the installation of IBM drives easier
  • Analyze IBM drive problems and restore Drive Fitness
  • Optimize IBM drives for specific applications
 
Your feedback can help IBM improve the service, support, and development of future generations of Drive Fitness and other technologies. It should take approximately 5 minutes or less to complete.  Use the general feedback form to provide feedback or comments on utilities in general.  Use the utility specific feedback form to provide feedback or comments on a specific utility or download.

Go to the general feedback form

Go to the utility specific feedback form

  

Thank you for participating. All responses will be used for research and development purposes.

 
*PDF format requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader®.
 
 
 
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