ok im starting a topic to find out what people think of the hd doctor etc
and salvation data products.
i know some people will say it crap and does not do its jobs.
or its just collection dush nothing more.

if this was the case we would have over 20,000 complaints about there products
all over the internet
which of course there is none at all

this in my books is Misinformation aka wrong or inaccurate information
possible to stop other engineers of the data recovery world knowing its a good tool etc


we bought platter remover kit the pro version in my books that a buy buy buy
well worth the money.

I have the full HD Doctor suite. I do not have PC-3000 to compare it to, though I have used the DOS version some. It definitely has certain quirks that I had to get used to to keep it from crashing or locking up, but I have never been concerned for my data. Beyond that it gets the job done.

_________________
You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

So far I stand by my previous post on gathering dust. We own all but DC. If they would fix the current problems before making new products and have at least yearly updates, we would probably purchase DC.

My SalvationData Annoyances:

1. Automatic update that pops up whenever software is run. (have to click it off every time)
2. Need to resize the software window. (have to resize the window every time)
3. Software does not follow a set in stone folder name in the program files directory. (i have 5 folders in program files)
4. Splash screen panda is annoying. (more or less of a delay before you can use the software)
5. No abort button to end current process. (software will hang on a command)
6. Drive powers on when software starts. (have to use external power source every time)
7. Some buttons are a mystery to me as to what they actually do. (button is not mentioned in the manual)
8. No ability to "select all" when looking at a module. (very frustrating when you need to select a large block of bad sectors)
9. Salvation box will power drive for a second and then turn off. (have to use external power source)
10. Error messages when starting software. (point procedure errors)
11. Computer will not start if usb is connected to the box. (extremely annoying)
12. Button/Controls layout is confusing. (layout is not optimized)
13. Some buttons still have ????? as a label. (click and prey!)
14. No ability to transfer data thru the usb connection. (i guess this would kill DC)
15. The buttons are labeled with the wrong terminology. (use the same button names as pc3000, its not against the law)

_________________
Buy your friends Toshiba\Hitachi and your enemies Seagate.

if its gathering dust do you fancy selling them to us

i suppose its all down to what motherboard they test the products on etc


did salvation data not add this to the updates all these problems ????????
or have they still left it out

as for DC what im hearing its a case of dont touch it just yet
as its in beta testing still
and there hardly any new modules for diffrent drives.

when they where marketing the dc i thought it was going to be a repair firmware automatic built in
but all it is a image machine

for now i wont touch it unless they sell it complete



14. No ability to transfer data thru the usb connection. (i guess this would kill DC)

that just crazy you can not transfer data throu the usb connection at all
i suppose that because of the data transfer would be to slow.


what os system are you using these software on windows 98,windows xp,etc

So your saying that DC would be really slow if they were using a USB cable for data transfers? Hope Laura doesn't read this.

FYI: I'm using an Amiga 1200 computer with my HD Doctors.

_________________
Buy your friends Toshiba\Hitachi and your enemies Seagate.

haa haa haa funny m8 amiga 1200 why not try it on a spectrum instead

Hello guys,

I also have all HD Doctors. MY feelings for the products are mixed. I have to agree with ThatDellGuy on his "My SalvationData Annoyances". I know that Salvation Data has been made aware of most of these issues. But as of yet, they have not addressed them properly. Most of these problems are from sloppy Q&A testing and Bad GUI design. Actually easy fixes that would make their customers experiences more enjoyable.

Yeah, the Panda is really anoying


Here comes the bad:
-Salvation data is very slow to respond to any questions on their forum. It's more likley that another user will answer your question if you wait long enough.
-They do not provide a large firmware database and don't add new firmwares
-Documentation has been poor
-Still trying to figure out HD Doctor for Seagate, I have not been able to recover anything yet
with it.

Here comes the good:
- Altough the GUI is not very well designed, most functions work.
- Laura is very helpfull and does try to help in her capabilities
- Documentation has been improving
- As I had a problem with a product, they offered to replace it without much of a drama.
- Quick delivery
- HD Doctor for Hitachi has worked well for me
- HD Doctor for WD works well (but sometimes has problems reading rom, and therefore can
falsely lead you to the conclusion that rom is bad.

Product function request:
-Some kind of log for your running fuction or process would be nice. Sometimes I am not sure,
If the fuction executed properly or not
-As ThatDellGuy already stated the drive powers on when the software starts. This sould be a simple fix, please fix it salvation!



But to their defense, Salvation data is still a young company and I have seen them improve their products over the years. I am sure that the first PC3K was not perfect either.

I see this complaint a lot. Why not just not plug the drive power in before you start the software? Then you can click the power off button, plug drive in, and its no longer an issue.

I understand that it should be an easy fix but honestly in terms of priorities there's plenty of other things I'd rather they spent their money/time/effort on.

_________________
You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

Latest Update claims to have fixed this problem with the disk powering when program loads.

Well, I've got all the Doctors, except IBM. I've got the Platter exchanger as well. I'm very pleased with the platter exchanger. One might be a bit disappointed the first time they see it (I think I could crush the platter holder with one hand like aluminum foil), but it works well.

As previously mentioned, the thing that absolutely drives me up the wall about the Doctors is that they COULD be good, professional quality tools with just a little more effort. It's like running a 26 mile marathon, and then just stopping within 50 feet of the finish line. I really want to grab the person responsible at Salvation, and smack them in the face while yelling STUPID, STUPID, STUPID...

Please don't read my posts and think that I am a SalvationData hater. The Maxtor and WD doctors collect dust because we use pc3k. The Seagate and IBM doctors are used frequently. Although I use the non-panda versions whenever I can. The tools do work but I use them less and less do to the annoyances. If my list of annoyances could be fixed it would be a better experience for all. Most of the annoyances I list are simple things that should have been hammered out well before the tool was released.

_________________
Buy your friends Toshiba\Hitachi and your enemies Seagate.

Is there something about the seagate and ibm modules that makes them better than pc3k? I'm not sure that I have ever done anything useful with the seagate doctor at all. The vast vast majority of bad seagates that I see are 2.5" drives with media/head damage or 3.5" drives with stuck spindles.

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You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

There definitely not better than pc3k, just easier to work with. I was just making a usage comparison to the WD and Maxtor.

_________________
Buy your friends Toshiba\Hitachi and your enemies Seagate.

Gotcha.

_________________
You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

I have Seagate Doctor also, but have used it just a couple of times for ATA password removal. I am awaiting the 7200.11 update to see if that is any good, but otherwise I will stick to Acelab.

I bought HD-Doctor for Seagate from them to specifically fix the 7200.11 firmware issue (CC/0GB). I have to agree that though the software works, the whole process is a bit cryptic with mediocre support/documentation resources. I think they may have jumped the gun a bit selling to North American customers. If they would hire a team to polish up the documentation and software they would have a much better product/customer satisfaction. That said, the HD Doctor did worked after a few days of figuring stuff out.

Took you a few days to figure stuff out? what are you on about? This software is designed for data recovery professionals. most (real) pros will only take a few hours to get the software working to their standards. (also most pros don't need this software) Also the 7200.11 fix comes with a written step by step guide, even a trained chimp could figure it out.

Maybe if it was a single button push which managed to remove the pcb from from the disk and all was fixed with 5 seconds it would be up to your standards. excuse me if I seem rude but I've just consumed a bottle of jack d and I feel acting like a asshole.

ps. Better not attempt any heads swaps in the morning.

I did notice in the threads on Seagate's forum where people were complaining about the 7200.11 issue that some of them were talking about buying the Seagate hd doctors just to fix their personal drive(s).

_________________
You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

Posted Nov 28th 2008
What has been accomplished since then you might ask?

My SalvationData Annoyances:

1. Automatic update that pops up whenever software is run. (have to click it off every time) - still not fixed
2. Need to resize the software window. (have to resize the window every time) - still not fixed
3. Software does not follow a set in stone folder name in the program files directory. (i have 5 folders in program files) - I think this was fixed
4. Splash screen panda is annoying. (more or less of a delay before you can use the software) - still not fixed
5. No abort button to end current process. (software will hang on a command) - still not fixed, although there is a stop button on reading modules.
6. Drive powers on when software starts. (have to use external power source every time) - still not fixed for all doctors
7. Some buttons are a mystery to me as to what they actually do. (button is not mentioned in the manual) - still not fixed
8. No ability to "select all" when looking at a module. (very frustrating when you need to select a large block of bad sectors) - still not fixed
9. Salvation box will power drive for a second and then turn off. (have to use external power source) - I think it was fixed. Haven't used my SD tools enough to tell
10. Error messages when starting software. (point procedure errors) - fixed
11. Computer will not start if usb is connected to the box. (extremely annoying) - still not fixed
12. Button/Controls layout is confusing. (layout is not optimized) - still not fixed
13. Some buttons still have ????? as a label. (click and prey!) - fixed
14. No ability to transfer data thru the usb connection. (i guess this would kill DC) - still not fixed
15. The buttons are labeled with the wrong terminology. (use the same button names as pc3000, its not against the law) - still not fixed

_________________
Buy your friends Toshiba\Hitachi and your enemies Seagate.

Excellent points thatdellguy, if they fix these problems it would be more appealing to someone. Thank's for listing it out.