[SOLVED] Need a way to run Spinrite 6 via GRUB2. Can do either ISO or image file

rdanner3 · 06-25-2015, 07:59 PM

Basically, I want to be able to run Spinrite 6 (from GRC.com) when I need to without a CD or USB pendrive.

I do know a way to make it work in GRUB-Legacy, but Linux Mint uses GRUB2. Anyone with any insight here?

I know that it uses ramdisk and a couple other things in GRUB-Legacy, but want to use the modern methods, rather than unpacking the image (or ISO) to disk first. Unfortunately, I don't recall much more than that at this exact time.

TobiSGD · 06-25-2015, 08:04 PM

This may help: http://www.howtogeek.com/196933/how-...Speed=noscript

rdanner3 · 06-26-2015, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

This may help: http://www.howtogeek.com/196933/how-...Speed=noscript

Or it may not. Thanks for the link, though, because it does answer (partly) another question I had.

Spinrite (which is commercial software by Gibson Research Corporation) uses a MSDOS bootloader (it is OS-agnostic in its actual operation, which is HDD-error recovery) so the article, whilst helpful, isn't totally relevant.

TobiSGD · 06-26-2015, 11:29 AM

In that case Syslinux' MEMDISK module (which should also work with Grub 2) can help, which can be used to start DOS based images.

rdanner3 · 06-27-2015, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

In that case Syslinux' MEMDISK module (which should also work with Grub 2) can help, which can be used to start DOS based images.

Precisely. I've seen (somewhere) usage examples for MEMDISK and related modules, including one that fires up a copy of FreeDOS. This latter case would likely work 100% for Spinrite, since it uses a variant of FreeDOS as its OS loader. What's got me concerned is the fact I'm now getting k-panics that appear to be CPU-related in Linux Mint, which may mean that my time to correct all this is rapidly dwindling. Although I've not seen evidence the CPU's gotten hot enough to force thermal shutdown, I cannot rule it out, either.

Will be investigating the Syslinux wiki link you sent as soon as I finish this response, in fact.

rdanner3 · 06-27-2015, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdanner3

Will be investigating the Syslinux wiki link you sent as soon as I finish this response, in fact.

Okay. I've tried two different approaches suggested by the Wiki; both fail. Below is the (unfortunately GRUB-Legacy or possibly Syslinux) entry that is known to work. Converting it to GRUB2 seems to be the key?

Code:

# SPINRITE
label SpinRite
menu label ^SpinRite 6.0
   MENU INDENT 1
   KERNEL memdisk
   append initrd=/ISO_EXTRA/spinrite.img

Now, if I understand things correctly (see below for the current entry in my 40_custom file) I have things very similarly set up... yet it doesn't work.

Code:

menuentry "SpinRite 6.0" {
	linux16 memdisk raw
	initrd16 /boot/grub/IMG/SpinRite.img
}

TobiSGD · 06-28-2015, 03:19 AM

Whci errors do you get? Also, have you tried it with the ISO instead of the image?

rdanner3 · 06-28-2015, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

Whci errors do you get? Also, have you tried it with the ISO instead of the image?

Will do that and see what happens. There is no error, just a black screen leading back to a reboot. Weird stuff.

rdanner3 · 06-29-2015, 11:07 AM

Success!
Installing the grub-imageboot package and moving the image to the correct directory referenced by the package's scripts provided me with this working menu entry:

Code:

menuentry "Bootable ISO Image: SpinRite" {
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	set root='hd0,msdos5'
	if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
	  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos5 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos5  a80ddddf-9eb4-483d-8b86-2548c88e2898
	else
	  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root a80ddddf-9eb4-483d-8b86-2548c88e2898
	fi
	linux16 /boot/memdisk iso
	initrd16 /boot/images/SpinRite.iso
}

Yes, it's considerably more complex than it should be (IMHO), but it works properly. Currently have the scanner paused at 9.9% of the largest partition, to make this report.

TobiSGD · 06-29-2015, 11:20 AM

Nice that you worked that out. Thanks for posting back the solution!

rdanner3 · 06-30-2015, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

Nice that you worked that out. Thanks for posting back the solution!

Now I still need to correct the nasty BSOD that is still there that requires me to run CHKDSK. There's only one problem. CHKDSK only runs in Windows. Can't get to Windows to let it run. (error code references NTFS.SYS, which indicates filesystem corruption.)

3Focus1 · 05-28-2020, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdanner3

Basically, I want to be able to run Spinrite 6 (from GRC.com) when I need to without a CD or USB pendrive.

I do know a way to make it work in GRUB-Legacy, but Linux Mint uses GRUB2. Anyone with any insight here?

I know that it uses ramdisk and a couple other things in GRUB-Legacy, but want to use the modern methods, rather than unpacking the image (or ISO) to disk first. Unfortunately, I don't recall much more than that at this exact time.

Sir,

Have you tried to run Spinrite lately? I am at a humanitarian organization with a dozen drives to examine, I downloaded Spinnrite, but have yet to be able to boot. Wondering how it still goes for you.

Thanks,
3Focus1

Code:

menuentry "Bootable ISO Image: SpinRite" {
	insmod part_msdos
	insmod ext2
	insmod iso9660
	set root='hd0,gpt6'
	if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
  	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt6 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt6 --hint baremetal=ahci0,gpt6  02081086-2c98-430f-abf2-f0ffd08e62d4
	else
  	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 02081086-2c98-430f-abf2-f0ffd08e62d4
	fi
	linux16 /boot/memdisk iso
	initrd16 /boot/images/SpinRite.iso
}