The program offers several options to customise your hard disk drive. The menu bar at the top of the window is the gateway to the functionality of this tool. To go to the menu bar, press F10 or click anywhere on it. You can choose any of the following commands on the menu bar: '
Drive
Features
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Drive menu
The Drive menu has only two items:
Rescan
Select one of the commands if you want to learn more about it.
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Drive
Rescan bus
(Alt-R)
This command searches for all ATA drives which are installed on your system. Drives that could be found, are shown in the
Drive
dialog box.
Drive
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Drive
Exit
(Alt-X)
The Exit command returns control to DOS. Alt-X is also a hot key that returns to DOS from any point while this program is running.
Drive
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Features memu
This tool can modify the following drive features:
Change
automatic
acoustic
management
(AAM)
Change
advanced
power
(APM)
Change
cache
settings
Change
capacity
(Clip
drive)
Change
S.M.A.R.T.
functions
Change
ultra
drive
temperature
Select one of the commands if you want to learn more about it. *
Drive
Feature
Matrix
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Change automatic acoustic management level (AAM)
This feature allows the host to select an automatic automatic acoustic management (AAM) level. The acoustic management level may range from the lowest acoustic emanation setting (Quiet Seek Mode) to the maximum performance level (Normal Seek Mode). Device performance and acoustic level may increase with increasing automatic acoustic management level setting. The automatic acoustic management levels may be defined as discrete bands. 0
Change automatic acoustic management (AAM) level
Current settings
(o) Disable
( ) Enable (Recommended value)
( ) Enable (User defined value. Use arrow key to select)
<
Quiet Normal
OK
Cancel
Default
The device preserves the selected acoustic level across all forms of reset, that is Power on, Hardware and Software resets. :
Drive
Feature
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Change advanced power mode (APM)
This feature allows you to change the default power saving mode of the drive. The device preserves the selected power mode across all forms of reset, that is Power on, Hardware and Software resets.
APM is a technology that adaptively adjust the power saving feature of IBM hard disk drives to suit your working style. Power is saved by idling the actuator arm. Additional power is saved by unloading the actuator arm and heads from the disk to the off-ramp. The technology actively adjust the trade-off between disk delay and power consumption. This progrm allows you to change the aggressiveness of the power saving. l
Change advanced power management (APM) level
Value
Description
0x80 : Default value
0x01 - 0x7F : The selected APM mode is Standby
0x80 - 0xBF : The selected APM mode is Low Power Idle
0xC0 - 0xFE : The selected APM mode is Active Idle
Select the desired APM level
Battery life APM mode is Low Power Idle Performance
0x01 0x80 (128) 0xBF
OK
Cancel
Options
The controls
You can adjust the setting of the disk drive to place the emphasis on saving battery life or giving the best performance or a setting in-between. n
Select the desired APM level
Battery life APM mode is Low Power Idle Performance
0x01 0x80 (128) 0xBF
When the slider is to the left, you will get the best battery life. When you move the slider to the right, you will get the best performance from the disk drive (at the expense of using more power).
The slider corresponds to the Advanced Power Management (APM) modes defined by the ATA/ATAPI-4 standard. The supported range may vary from disk drive to disk drive. ;
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Change cache settings
This feature allows you to enable/disable the Write cache and the Read-Ahead cache settings of the drive.
In order to change the current cache setting tab to the desired box and press the space bar on the keyboard to toggle between enabled/disabled (X=enabled). After which you press the OK-Button to enable the change. X
Change cache settings
Information
Write cache is a performance enhancement, however a loss of power
to the drive will terminate any writing operation immediately
and any unwritten data will be lost !
Cache Settings
[X] Enable Write cache
[X] Enable Read Look-Ahead cache
OK
Cancel
Default
Write Cache Information (
Write cache is a performance enhancement whereby the device reports completion of the write command (Write Sectors and Write Multiple) to the host as soon as the device has received all of the data into its buffer. The device assumes responsibility to write the data subsequently onto the disk.
While writing data after completed acknowledgment of a write command,
soft reset or hard reset does not affect its operation. But power off
terminates the writing operation immediately and any unwritten data will
be lost.
Flush cache, Soft reset, Standby, Standby Immediate and Sleep are
executed after the completion of writing to disk media on enabling
the write cache function. So the host system can confirm the completion
of write cache operation by issuing flush cache command, Soft reset,
Standby command, Standby Immediate command or Sleep command, and then,
by confirming its completion.
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Change capacity
This feature allows you to change the pre-defined capacity of the drive. This option can be used in situations where there is a BIOS limitation and the drive is not recognized. M
In order to enter a new capacity you have to select one of the two mode's : 5
Save Permanently or
Do not save permanently
After that you can enter the new capacity size in GBytes and press the OK-Button to complete the change. The options button will allow you to reset the capacity to the default or select some pre-defined values that addresses known BIOS issues. 6
Change capacity
Manufacturing values
Current values
Capacity : 22.52 GB 22.52 GB
Max. LBA : 43985087 43985087
CHS values : 43636, 16, 63 43636, 16, 63
Enter new capacity
(o) Save permanently
( ) Do not save (Changes are lost on the next power cycle)
New capacity (GByte): 22.52
OK
Cancel
Options
Drive
Feature
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Change S.M.A.R.T. operations
The intent of Self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology (S.M.A.R.T.) is to protect user data and prevent unscheduled system downtime that may be caused by predictable degradation and/or fault of the device. By monitoring and storing critical performance and calibration parameters, S.M.A.R.T. devices employ sophisticated data analysis algorithms to predict the likelihood of near-term degradation or fault condition.
The following dialog allows you to enable or disable the S.M.A.R.T. operations. The current S.M.A.R.T. status will be displayed in the status field. n
Change S.M.A.R.T. operations
Operations
Status
Disabled
Enable Disable OK
Drive
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Change ultra DMA mode
This function DOES NOT ADD Ultra DMA capability, but simply switches between the levels of ultra DMA that your drive supports.
Do not increase the ultra DMA capability of your IBM hard drive unless all the system components required for ultra DMA support are present. Doing so could result in data corruption, BIOS or other system problems.
To change the maximum ultra DMA speed, you have to select the desired mode from the following dialog box and press the OK-Button.
Change the maximum Ultra DMA mode
Information
Do not increase the Ultra DMA capability of your IBM hard disk
unless all the system components required for Ultra DMA
This test displays the current disk drive temperature during a random seek test. The temperature will be updated every 30 sec. With this function you can simulate a high disk stress and determine the maximum possible drive temperature for your system and environment.
Temperature test
Random seek test
Seeking to LBA: 10139640 Operation: 121
Current drive temperature
C 29
C (84
F) 70
OK
Drive
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Help menu
The Help menu command opens a help window for a topic that you select from the menu. This menu has the following options : /
Contents
About
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Help
Help content
Welcome to IBM Feature Tool.
About
Feature
Menu's
Features
Comand
options
Technical Support
If you need technical support, then please visit our page:
http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/support/index.htm
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Help
Help on help
Whilst in a help window, you may use the cursor up/down keys to scroll text a line at a time (if the amount of text extends beyond one window). You can also use the page up/down keys to move up/down a screen full. CTRL + Page Up takes you back to the top and CTRL + Page Down goes to the bottom. You can also use the mouse to scroll the window by clicking the scroll bar. V
When you have finished viewing the help screen, press ESC to go back to the program.
This program contains commands to close, move and perform other window-management commands. Most of the windows in this program have all the standard window elements, including scroll bars, a close box, and zoom icons. :
Window-management commands
Size/Move
(Ctrl-F5)
Choose this command to change the size or position of the active window.
Size
If you press Shift while you use the arrow keys, you can change the size of the active window. Once you've adjusted its size or position, press Enter. Q
If a window has a Resize corner, you can drag that corner to resize the window.
Move
When you choose F5, the active window moves in response to the arrow keys. Once you've moved the window to where you want it, press Enter. F
You can also move a window by dragging its title bar with the mouse.
Zoom
(F5)
Choose Zoom to resize the active window to the maximum size. If the window is already zoomed, you can choose this command to restore it to its previous size. u
You can also double-click anywhere on the window's title bar (except where an icon appears) to zoom-in or zoom-out.
Close
(Alt-F3)
Choose Close to close the active window. O
You can also click the Close box in the upper right corner to close a window.
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Help
About
The IBM Feature Tool was designed for IBM ATA disk drives. This tool allows you to enable, disable or to modify some specific drive features. H
Please visit our web page, to find out more about IBM hard disk drives 5
http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/support/index.htm
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No hard disk drive detected or one drive is missing
There are a number of issues related to the integration of Hard Disk Drives. We have put the most commonly known problems into the following checklist. Please Select : ,
checklist
for ATA related problems.
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ATA Checklist
There are a number of issues related to the integration of Hard Disk Drives. We have put the most commonly known problems into the list below:
Configuration
If the drive is the only device on the bus,
It must be connected at the end of the cable.
It must configured as Device 0 (a "Master").
If the drive is one of two devices on the bus,
one must be configured as Device 0 ("Master"), the
other as Device 1 ("Slave").
one of the devices must be connected at the end of
the cable.
Cable
Check, whether all connectors are seated correctly.
Note: Pin 1 (coloured conductor of the ATA cable) must
be located nearest to the power connector of your Hard
Disk Drive. Pin 1 is also indicated on your Motherboard's
ATA connectors.
Make sure that there are no bent or broken pins.
Try replacing the cable.
The total cable length should be kept to a minimum and
must not exceed 18 inches (46 cm).
Re-Install
Try running the drive with all other devices removed.
If your Hard Disk Drive is attached through a removable
carrier, try removing it from the carrier and attaching
it directly to the bus.
Try to connect the Hard Disk Drive to another PC.
If your drive is still not recognized by this program, it is probably defective.
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Product not supported
You tried to customize an IBM Hard Disk Drive that is not supported by this tool.
This tool was designed to customize IBM ATA Hard Disk Drives. To make sure that you are using the latest available version. Please checkout our World Wide Web site: 8
You are trying to run this program on a Operating System which is not supported. You must run this software under DOS. The following versions are supported:
MS-DOS levels up to 6.22
PC-DOS levels up to 7.0 and PC-DOS 2000
Windows 95 MS-DOS - not a DOS box
Windows 98 MS-DOS - not a DOS box
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Drive list
Please use the tab-Key or shift-tab-key to select the 'Selected drive settings' or the 'Selected drive' window. In this List Box you should find all devices (ATA and ATAPI) which are installed in your system. Here is an example : =
If no drives are detected or one or more drives are missing from the list, then select the
Rescan
function from the Drive Menu. This can take several seconds, after which the Drive List dialog box will be updated. If still no drives are detected or one or more drives are missing then please select the : =
Drives
Detected
chapter and follow the instructions.
If there are more than one device in the list, then use the arrow keys to select the drive that you wish to modify. The selected device will be highlighted and displayed in the 'Selected drive settings' window. In this window you will find some additional information about the drive.
After you have selected the desired device, you must activate the Menu 'Features' by pressing the Alt-F key. After which, you can select the desired feature function from the given menu. L
Select the following to view a matrix of the feature functions available : *
Drive
Feature
Matrix
Select from the list below the command you wish to learn more about it.
Change
automatic
acoustic
management
(AAM)
Change
advanced
power
(APM)
Change
cache
settings
Change
capacity
(Clip
drive)
Change
ultra
drive
temperature
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.
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Command line options
The following table lists the IBM Feature Tool command-line options:
(.txt)