DiskPatch has a number of configurable options. In most scenarios the default options will do fine, but there are situations that might require a little fine-tuning. You can reach the options screen by selecting [Options] from the main menu.

General:

• Changing the location where DiskPatch writes log files etc.: while running, DiskPatch creates and writes to several files during different stages of the recovery. DiskPatch creates a configuration file (dp.cfg), log files (dp.log), state-files (dpstate.nnn) and undo files (undoarcx.nnn). Note that '.nnn' will be replaced by the system assigned decimal disk number for which the file is created; for example dpstate.128 is created when you analyze the first disk in the system.
  All files are stored in a folder named DPFILES.
  
  DiskPatch will automatically detect if it runs from read-only media (for example when you are running DiskPatch from CD/DVD). If so, you are prompted to either (1) select a different location or (2) disable all features that require read-write file access. If you choose the latter, features such as 'undo' will be unavailable!
  
  If you are prompted to change the location for the files, select the target drive from the list that is displayed. If the selected location can not be used, DiskPatch will ask you again. You can then either select another location or disable all features that require read-write file access. Keep in mind that you should never write files to the disk that you are repairing.
  
  If for any reason DiskPatch fails to detect that it's running from read-only media, you can start DiskPatch using the /fil switch (DP /fil <Enter>). DiskPatch will then prompt you to either (1) select a different location or (2) disable all features that require read-write file access. To get access to the command-line and enter the DiskPatch command-line parameters simply exit the start menu that appears after starting the DiskPatch boot disk.
  
  If you wish to disable logging you can use the same method: start DiskPatch using the /fil switch (DP /fil <Enter>), then select the option that disables file writing.
  
  If you don't have a location to save files (for instance, if you do not have a floppy drive) you can use a USB key or stick to hold the files. Read more on how to do that here.
  
  
• Changing behavior when dealing with 'bad disks': you may want to change the way DiskPatch handles unreadable sectors, for instance during a clone operation. You can change the corresponding settings in the Options menu. This will be explained in detail in the following breakdown of all the configurable options.
  
  
• Running DiskPatch in Forensic Mode: when a 'suspect' disk is attached to be cloned for forensic purposes, or when you have a disk attached that you would like to examine but should not write to, start DiskPatch with the /for switch. This switch tells DiskPatch to start in the Forensic mode. In this mode:
  - DiskPatch does not write to its own administrative sector, thus all attached disks remain 'untainted'
  - DiskPatch asks the user to select a disk that should be protected. The user must select a disk, or exit the program. The protected disk can not be altered during DiskPatch operations, thus making sure the disk's contents remain untouched.

Detailed description of all options:

•  Read retries 
  When an unreadable sector is encountered, default DiskPatch behavior is to re-try reading that sector x times. Between each read-retry a short time-out is applied to allow disk mechanics to have a positive influence on the next retry attempt. When many bad sectors are present and you're running a surface scan you may wish to lower this number to speed up the surface scan. Keep in mind that setting this option very low (below 4) means that a bad sector has a higher chance of being skipped because it can't be read. Also, it's not very productive to set this value to anything above 64 (unless DIY DataRecovery support requests that you do so).
  The default value is 32.
  Setting this option to '0' will disable read retries.
  Affects all operations.
  Read retries are ignored during the 1st pass of a disk-to-disk clone. For more information on the cloning procedure, read the clone section.
  
  
•  Write retries 
  The same as for read retries, but for the write part of the operation. In most cases a sector that can't be written means that that specific sector should be replaced with a good sector from the spare pool. This process is called sector re-mapping. Most modern day disks work this way. When performing a low level disk format (which is the same as a simple disk wipe) to identify and re-map bad sectors, setting write retries to 0 would be unproductive; it's the actual retrying that enforces the sector to be remapped. Disabling this option should not be necessary, in most cases you'd want a bad sector to be identified and remapped. Read more here.
  The default value is 32.
  Setting this option to '0' will disable write retries.
  Affects all operations.
  
  
•  Read error threshold 
  During all operations DiskPatch counts the number of read errors encountered. This option determines after how many read errors DiskPatch will pause the current operation and show a prompt. The prompt allows you to do one of the following:
  - Reset read errors, then continue (the count is reset and a new prompt will appear when the threshold is reached)
  - Disable read retries
  - Disable read error threshold, then continue (no more prompts will appear)
  - Abort the current operation
  The default value is 32.
  Setting this option to '0' will disable the read error threshold and the corresponding prompt.
  Affects all operations.
  Changing this setting will reset the read error count.
  Example use: if you wish to be notified of every read error that is encountered, you should set this option to '1'. For instance, if you're running a surface scan and wish to be notified as soon as an error is encountered, set this option to '1'. Keep in mind that this option is also used during a disk-to-disk clone; if you wish to clone a disk that has many bad sectors and you want it done without prompts, set this option to '0'. For more information on the cloning procedure, read the clone section.
  
  
•  Write error threshold 
  This option determines after how many write errors DiskPatch will pause the current operation and show a prompt. The prompt allows you to do one of the following:
  - Reset write errors, then continue (the count is reset and a new prompt will appear when the threshold is reached)
  - Disable write retries
  - Disable write error threshold, then continue (no more prompts will appear)
  - Abort the current operation
  The default value is 1.
  Setting this option to '0' will disable the write error threshold and the corresponding prompt.
  Affects all operations.
  Changing this setting will reset the write error count.
  Note: when a clone is started the write error threshold is set to '1', this is done to make sure that you will be notified of any write error on the target disk. If the prompt is displayed after a write error has occurred, you can choose to disable the write error threshold; after that, no more write error notifications will be displayed.
  For more information on the cloning procedure, read the clone section.
  During a surface scan you would set this option to a high value, or maybe even disable it; you wouldn't want DiskPatch to halt the sector re-mapping every x sectors.
  
  
•  Log each disk read error 
  This option enables or disables the logging of each individual read error. Disabling this setting can be beneficial in situations were a disk is exhibiting many read errors. For instance: when you are cloning a bad disk there's no need to log each read error; this will only clutter the log file and may cause problems if the log file becomes too big for the floppy diskette, so for that situation you would disable this setting. For normal use this setting should remain enabled; in general it is helpful to know what type of error you're dealing with. This option only affects logging and does not change the way errors are dealt with. This option is enabled by default.
  
  
•  Interrupt scan on first read error 
  Affects the surface scan only.
  This option determines whether DiskPatch should interrupt the surface scan when a read error is found. When enabled the Options screen (also accessible by pressing <esc> during the scan) is displayed on the first error that is encountered; change settings as needed and continue the scan by pressing <esc>, or select 'Abort' to abort the scan.
  With this option disabled the surface scan will continue as is determined by the other settings that affect a surface scan operation; the scan is not interrupted on the first error found. This option is enabled by default.
  
  
•  Disk reset after error 
  This option controls post-error behavior. When enabled DiskPatch will send a disk reset command to the hard disk after encountering a read- or write error. This may have a positive effect on further read or write actions, but might also slow down the read- or write operation considerably. What the performance impact will be is hard to predict, as error handling is different from disk to disk. To guarantee the most reliable read- and write result for damaged disks, this option is enabled by default. If the performance hit is too big (i.e. reading bad sectors takes too long), try disabling this option.
  
  
•  Write sector after read error 
  Affects the surface scan only.
  This option forces DiskPatch to write to a sector that has generated a read error. This should force the disk's internal sector management to replace the bad sector with a good sector from the spare pool (this process is called remapping or reallocating). This option is enabled by default. For more information on the surface scan procedure, read the surface scan section.
  
  
•  Verify fixed bad sectors 
  Affects the surface scan only.
  This option forces DiskPatch to re-read a sector that has been remapped (during a surface scan) after that sector has been identified as being a bad sector. Re-reading the sector will determine whether the remapping was successful or not. The status screen that is displayed during the surface scan shows the 'errors fixed' count. Note that this count will only be updated if the option 'verify fixed bad sectors' is enabled. This option is enabled by default. For more information on the surface scan procedure, read the surface scan section.
  
  
•  Clean sectors after DOD wipe 
  A normal DOD wipe will leave a treated sector filled with pattern data. If you wish the sector to be cleaned after the DOD pattern was written to the sector, enable this option. The time needed for the DOD wipe will increase when this option is enabled. Having sectors filled with pattern data could influence the partitioning process after the wipe, so in general it's a good idea to have the sectors cleaned (filled with zero bytes). This option is enabled by default.
  
  
•  Skip x sectors after error 
  Affects cloning only.
  This option will determine how many sectors will be skipped when a read error is encountered during step 1 of the clone process. Setting this option to a higher number (increasing the size of the block that will be skipped) will decrease the time that is needed for the first step of the clone process, if the disk has bad sectors. Increasing the skip size could be useful if the disk shows large areas of bad sectors that are grouped together; the bad areas are skipped and the first clone step will be completed faster. The default value is 1024 sectors. For more information on the cloning procedure, read the clone section.
  
  
•  Clone pass 2 progression 
  Affects pass 2 of cloning only.
  This option will determine how the bad areas will be cloned during the second pass in the clone process. By cloning the sectors in these areas from back to front (reverse) the results are generally better, but the process will take longer. Cloning the sectors front to back (normal) is faster but may skip sectors because the disk may give up on read attempts more easily. This option is set to reverse by default. For more information on the cloning procedure, read the clone section.
  
  
•  Save state file after scan 
  A state file contains all the data that was gathered during an analysis scan (a partition repair scan) for the selected disk. Loading this data is quicker than rescanning the disk. This is particularly convenient when the trial version was used to scan the disk and the full version was purchased to perform the repair; the state file can then be used to repair the partitions instead of having to rescan the entire disk. This option is enabled be default.
  
  
•  Global undo 
  The Undo feature covers 4 sections: Partition repair, Boot sector repair, Diskeditor actions and Partition state restores.
  Disabling Global undo will disable all undo features for all operations (generally not recommended). This option is enabled by default. For more information on the undo feature, read the undo section.
  
  
•  Allow undo for diskeditor 
  This option controls the use of the undo feature for the Diskeditor. If enabled all actions that are performed when working with the Diskeditor are saved in an undo file, allowing you to revert to the state the disk was in before the Diskeditor was started (a safety net if you will). Keep in mind that since all sectors that are changed are saved first, actions like importing sectors can make the undo file quite large. Make sure enough disk space is available to hold the undo files. This option is enabled by default. For more information on the undo feature, read the undo section.
  
  
•  Save FAT to undo 
  Controls whether or not the FAT area is saved to an undo file. If enabled all sectors that are changed during a FAT synchronize operation will be saved first. DiskPatch will determine beforehand if there is enough disk space to hold the undo file (the number of sectors that need to be changed is determined before the repair so an accurate estimate can be made of the space needed). If there isn't enough disk space, DiskPatch will disable this option and notify you of this change. The FAT synchronize undo data is added to the undo file that is created for 'partition repair (BS/FAT)'. This option is enabled by default. For more information on the undo feature, read the undo section.
  
  
•  Set custom geometry 
  This option can only be selected if a disk has been selected.
  In general it's best to only change this option if DIY DataRecovery support requests you to do so, or if you know exactly what you're doing. Changing this option without understanding the consequences can have a negative influence on the recovery process.
  If the disk that is being analyzed had a different geometry at the time it was partitioned, use this option to set the geometry to the values that are valid for the disk. Geometry consists of 2 values: heads (per cylinder) and sectors (per track). These values can differ from disk to disk, but are generally 255 (heads) and 63 (sectors). If the disk was moved from one pc to another there's a chance that the pc now holding the disk assigns different geometry values to the disk (this is done by the pc's bios). In such a case the disk can not be analyzed correctly because DiskPatch uses the heads and sectors values to search important locations on the disk; the values would need to be changed to the values that were used at the time the disk was partitioned. Determining which values need to be used can be done by, for example, looking at the disk's MBR. If that shows that a value of 240 heads was used to create partitions, enter 240 when changing the geometry.
  The current setting is displayed in the options menu. The setting will say (BIOS) if the current values are the same as the values that the bios has assigned, or (USER) if the user has entered custom settings.
  
  
•  Reset read errors 
  Sets the read error count to 0. The current count is displayed.
  
  
•  Reset write errors 
  Sets the write error count to 0. The current count is displayed.
  
  
•  Set to defaults 
  Change all settings back to the assigned default values.
  
  
•  Enter license key 
  Allows you to enter a license key. Incorrectly entering the key will make DiskPatch revert to trial mode.

Additional configuration options:

When starting DiskPatch from the command line, entering 'DP /?' will display a list of command line options. These options are provided to allow DIY DataRecovery support to fine tune your recovery, if needed. In general these command line options are not needed.
Do not change settings by using the command line options unless DIY DataRecovery support requests you to do so.