HD Diagnostic Tools and an Odd One from WD

I recently had a need to use a disk diagnostic tool on a WestDig drive. Someone told
me about a program called Sandra. Although there's a trial version, it doesn't
contain the diagnostic program. Anyone have experience with it. Another possibility
is Active Smart. I did download the trial version, and liked the user interface. A
third choice is the WD tool. I was surprised how old it was. They still distribute a
DOS version, and a Windows version called WinDLG was a mystery. It came as
WinDLG.exe. When I tried to open it (in XP), it wanted to know where to put the
results. I gave it a folder name and it put WinDlg in it. I found that odd. I then
clicked Open for that file, and it put up a small window dialog about who I want to
have have rights to execute it. I checked Admin. Tried again. Same results. Anyone
know what this is all about?

--
Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet, Nevada City, CA)
-- GMT-8 hr std. time, RJ Rcvr 39° 8' 0" N, 121° 1' 0" W

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky."
-- Jane Taylor, Rhymes for the Nursery (1806)

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W. Watson <wolf_tracks RemoveThis @invalid.inv> wrote in
message news:3FE46E63.9050407@invalid.inv...

 > I recently had a need to use a disk
 > diagnostic tool on a WestDig drive.

 > Someone told me about a program called Sandra.
 > Although there's a trial version, it doesn't contain the
 > diagnostic program. Anyone have experience with it.

Its nothing like a drive manufacturer's diagnostic.

 > Another possibility is Active Smart. I did download
 > the trial version, and liked the user interface.

Trouble is that it isnt even a real hard drive
diagnostic. It JUST does the SMART stuff.

 > A third choice is the WD tool. I was surprised how old it was.

It isnt old at all.

 > They still distribute a DOS version,

Almost all of the hard drive diagnostics are dos programs, for a reason.

Only the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic provides
the most comprehensive test of their hard drives.

Just cut to the chase and use the dos program.

 > and a Windows version called WinDLG was a mystery.

DataLifeGuard is more than just a diagnostic. Its closer
to ActiveSmart, but does more than just SMART.

 > It came as WinDLG.exe. When I tried to open it (in XP), it wanted
 > to know where to put the results. I gave it a folder name and it put
 > WinDlg in it. I found that odd. I then clicked Open for that file, and
 > it put up a small window dialog about who I want to have have rights
 > to execute it. I checked Admin. Tried again. Same results. Anyone
 > know what this is all about?

I'll have a closer look later once I've been thru the newsgroups.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->