Description of the error.

Note: See “Diagnostic error codes” on page 49 for error code listings.

Fixed disk advanced test (FDAT)
PC-Doctor’s (PCDR) Fixed-Disk Advanced Test module (FDAT) is a full-featured
highly configurable fixed-disk test suite. The configurable capabilities of FDAT
allow users to enable or disable specific tests, enable or disable testing features,
control the test log detail, alter testing parameters, etc. FDAT will test for and
report most commonly found errors on a fixed-disk drive and is able to test up to
128 SCSI and 4 IDE drives (up to 132 total drives).
Drive information is gathered through FDAT’s enumeration of available devices
and user specific configuration parameters located in the FDAT.INI. FDAT uses
information supplied by these features to indicate specifically what devices are
available for test, what tests are available for the device, device properties, etc.
Modify the FDAT.INI file in PC Doctor for DOS to change testing parameters.
FDAT consists of the following subtests and features.
Fixed-Disk Tests:

v Seek Tests: - checks the physical operation of the drive head.

– Linear Seek

– Random Seek

– Min-Max Seek

– Butterfly Seek

v
Verify Tests: - checks the integrity of the data present on the media.

– Linear Verify

– Random Verify

v
Surface Scan Tests: - checks the drive media for defects.

– Surface Scan (Linear)

– Surface Scan (Aggressive) - this is disabled for normal customer use.

– Surface Scan (Random)

v
SMART: - checks the SMART functionality for drives that support SMART.

– Start SMART Self-Test

– Get SMART test results

Other Test Features:

v Write-Splice Repair - detects and corrects Error Correction Code errors during

Verify tests.

v Auto Spin Down - a gradual spin down of the drive platters to avoid damaging

the media.

v Manufacturer Log - an in-depth manufacturer supported log of errors on the

drive.

Multitasking:

To allow simultaneous testing of multiple hard drives whenever possible, the

FDAT module is written as a set of multitasking functions. Each drive under test
can run the same test or run a different test at the same time. Each subtest is
written to handle a single test pass and all test variables are kept track of in a

Chapter 4. IBM Enhanced Diagnostics 15