Running DiskPatch

Boot your PC from the DiskPatch Boot diskette, or from the bootable CD/DVD if you created one earlier. Make sure that the BIOS is capable of starting from the correct device (the floppy drive or the CD/DVD drive). During loading you will be asked if you wish to enable the included DMA driver:

This driver will speed up disk access if the BIOS and the disks support it. Not all chipsets and/or disks support this, so use the following guidelines to determine whether you wish or need to load the DMA driver:

• The driver supports IDE attached ATA disks only; SCSI, SATA, USB or other connection types are not supported.

• The following operations benefit from loading the driver: surface scans (read-only and read/write), disk to disk cloning, disk wiping.

• If unexpected write errors occur with the DMA driver loaded, try again without the DMA driver.

If you are working with a disk that has read- or write problems, do NOT use the DMA driver. If, for example, you are cloning a disk because the disk has read problems, do NOT use the DMA driver. In general, the DMA driver should only be used on disks that have no mechanical problems.

To prevent potential incompatibility issues the driver is not loaded by default. Select option 2 from the menu if you wish to load the driver.

Next, a disk health check is run. You are asked if you wish to skip the disk check, but this is not recommended. The disk check may take a few seconds to complete. The main thing that is checked at this point is the health of all connected hard disks, by reading the S.M.A.R.T. attributes. When DiskPatch is loaded the outcome of this health check will be used to recommend a follow-up action, if problems are found. Read more here.

Next, the DiskPatch start menu is displayed:

From here you can:

• Start DiskPatch

• Create a Support analysis log. Include this report in your support request, it allows DIY DataRecovery support to analyze the situation and offer the best possible advice. Use this walkthrough to see how to create a support analysis log. If you select this option DiskPatch will start, ask you for which disk you wish to create the report, analyze the disk to create the report, and then exit.

• Create a disk health report (S.M.A.R.T. check). Select this option if you wish to check a disk's physical state, or if you have reason to believe that a disk is deteriorating and are looking for confirmation. When you select this option a report is generated for all disks and saved to the current location. If the current location can not be used to save files you will be asked to select a location for the report.

• Use troubleshooting options if problems arise when running DiskPatch. These options are normally only needed if DIY DataRecovery support suggests their use.

Running DiskPatch for the first time

Unlocking the full version / Trial mode:

When you run DiskPatch for the first time, you will be prompted to enter a License Key:

If you do not enter a license key, DiskPatch will run in trial mode: all features are accessible, however nothing is written to your hard disk; no repairs can be made.
If you have purchased a license enter the key now. The key can be found in the confirmation email that is sent immediately after the purchase.
When the license key was entered correctly DiskPatch will save the key so you won't have to enter it again. This is handled differently for certain scenarios. If you wish to read a detailed description of how this works, read this appendix. If you use the DiskPatch boot diskette entering the key is simple; DiskPatch will save the key to the diskette and you won't have to enter the key again. If you use a bootable CD/DVD or wish to use the forensic features, read more here.
It is also possible to enter the key while running DiskPatch; select [enter license key] from the options menu.