Tag Archives: disk

Considering new hardware for ArcaOS?

If you are thinking about a new computer, you may be wondering if a new system will run ArcaOS. Most modern hardware will run ArcaOS just fine. But if you want to know more, Arca Noae has some resources to help.

We have a wiki page with quick information about Choosing a System for ArcaOS. We also have a list of a few systems that we have tested on our Tested Hardware page. Don’t be discouraged if the system you are considering is not on the list of tested hardware; we can’t test everything, and new systems are being released all the time. Additionally, you might want to try looking at some of the information available in the OS/2 World wiki (note: Arca Noae is not affiliated with OS/2 World).

If you have access to the new computer (or an identical model on display at a local retailer), and it is a UEFI system, we have a System Evaluation tool that may help with your decision. The System Evaluation tool is available on your ArcaOS install DVD or USB stick, and also as a separate stand-alone tool. To use the System Evaluation tool you don’t need to install anything, ArcaOS is not required, and you don’t need an ArcaOS license for the stand-alone version. You can download the stand-alone System Evaluation tool here and follow the directions to add it to a FAT formatted USB stick. Note that the stand-alone version is probably newer than the one on the ArcaOS install medium.

In order to boot to the System Evaluation tool, it will be necessary to disable Secure Boot if it has been enabled. Many display systems at retail stores run in a “kiosk mode” which sets Secure Boot, disables access to the BIOS settings, and may also disable access to USB ports. When unsure, ask a sales clerk for assistance (and be sure to introduce him or her to ArcaOS!).

The System Evaluation tool cannot guarantee that a given system is capable of running ArcaOS to its fullest potential, but it should be able to assist in at least ruling out systems where it cannot detect known, supported hardware devices. It should also be able to provide a good estimate of the amount of memory which will be visible to ArcaOS below the 4GB boundary (you might want to avoid systems with extremely low memory headroom).

Happy testing!

DaniS506 driver package version 1.8.16 now available

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the Dani S506 IDE disk driver package version 1.8.16 for ArcaOS, OS/2, and eComStation.

This release is a maintenance update that corrects an issue with certain types of disks. This change is similar to the recent change to the AHCI driver.

This update is recommended for everyone. More information about the DaniS506 IDE disk driver may be found in the DaniS506 IDE wiki.

If you have ArcaOS, this driver package is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and go to the ArcaOS Download Center to access your software.

If you have an Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription, this driver package is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of your Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription. Please log into your account in order to access your software.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation systems and haven’t yet purchased a software subscription, this is a great reason to do so now. It may also be a good time to consider moving up to ArcaOS.

AHCI Driver Package version 2.09 released

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our AHCI Disk Driver Package version 2.09 for ArcaOS, OS/2, and eComStation.

This release is a maintenance update that corrects a few reported problems.

Fixes a problem starting up in some Virtual Machines with quirky emulation issues.
Changed the routines that try to recover from hardware failures to be more reliable.
Added a quirk for certain disks that don’t work properly with standard (non-native) commands.
Changed the default operation to use native commands (/N). This can be disabled with /!N.

This update is recommended for everyone. More information about the AHCI Disk Driver Package may be found in the AHCI wiki.

If you have ArcaOS, this driver package is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software.

New product: EAMaster Extended Attribute manager and editor

Keith Merrington has released a new graphical tool for managing all sorts of EAs on files, from Single Value EAs to Multi-Value EAs, with a variety of content. EAMaster allows you to back up, restore, copy, edit, delete, examine, join, rename EAs, and so much more.

Up to 16 EAs per Multi-Value EA are permitted, each with up to 8 sub-levels per Multi-Value EA, and these windows may all be displayed simultaneously.

Need to find an EA? EAMaster includes a powerful search tool built in. Search for an EA name, EA type, the contents of an EA, or combinations, from one directory to an entire volume at a time.

Extensive online help is available, as well, so even the EA novice should be able to make use of the program right away.

At last a graphical management tool for EAs!

Find EAMaster in the Arca Noae store, in the File & Disk Utilities category.

NVME Driver version 1.02 now available

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of release 1.02 of our NVME Storage Driver.

This is a maintenance release that improves reliability by adding recovery for certain failed transactions. It also fixes some typos in output strings and adds some diagnostic capabilities. There should be no change in operation after installing this update. See the NVME wiki and the ReadMe for details. This update is recommended for all users.

If you have ArcaOS, this driver package is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation this is a great reason to consider moving up to ArcaOS.

DFSee version 16.9 released

DFSee version 16.9 has been released, which is a MINOR release with some bugfixes. Because this is a MINOR release, you get it for FREE if you already have a 16.x key.

Of course, as usual, there are also smaller improvements and bug fixes.

DFSee is a very powerful disk-utility with disk partitioning, filesystem and disk analysis, file recovery/UNDELETE and smart imaging or cloning of partitions or complete disks.

It will require an upgrade if you currently have a registration for an older MAJOR version.

Direct download links from the DFSee website:

https://www.dfsee.com/dfsee/dfsee_install.zip
https://www.dfsee.com/dfsee/dfsee_windows.msi
https://www.dfsee.com/dfsee/dfsee_os2_wpi.exe

Self-booting options:

https://www.dfsee.com/dfsee/dfsee16x_dsk.zip
https://www.dfsee.com/dfsee/dfsee16x_iso.zip
https://www.dfsee.com/dfsee/dfsee16x_stick_iso.zip

Or from the HOBBES website:

http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/incoming/dfsee169.zip
or (after processing):
https://hobbes.nmsu.edu/?dir=%2F&stype=all&sort=type_name&search=dfsee

Functional changes since 16.8

RECOVER ExFAT new warning hint when ASSUMING files are contiguous
PART Fixed possible crash (string overflow) in certain displays
D or DOWN: Correctly go to FS-entry sector, even if bootsec empty
EXPORT/IMPORT sector list, fixed displayed the filename used
RECOVER, SAVETO and BROWSE streamlined WARNING/ERROR reporting
RECOVER, SAVETO and BROWSE recovery, always set file timestamps
CMD_WARNING on FileSaveAs alloc fail, is OK, so set timestamps!

NVME Driver version 1.01 released

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our new NVME Storage Driver version 1.01 for ArcaOS.

NVME is the latest and greatest storage interface for laptops and desktops, and it offers much faster read and write speeds than older interfaces such as AHCI. The most common form factor for an NVME device is the m.2 card.

The Arca Noae NVME driver is a new driver. Although it has been tested and found to work correctly and reliably, there could still be unexpected problems or it might not perform as expected. It is the responsibility of the user to determine the suitability of the new driver for everyday use especially on production systems. Please read the NVME wiki and the ReadMe before installing this software.

If you have ArcaOS, this driver package is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation this is a great reason to consider moving up to ArcaOS.

AHCI Driver Package version 2.08 released

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our AHCI Disk Driver Package version 2.08 for ArcaOS, OS/2, and eComStation.

This release contains a correction to the information provided to the resource manager. This release also adds support for disks larger than 2 TB, and is required for supporting GPT disks. This update is recommended for everyone. More information about the AHCI Disk Driver Package may be found in the AHCI wiki.

If you have ArcaOS, this driver package is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software.

Arca Noae announces GUID for OS/2 Type 1 GPT partitions

In our last post concerning GPT in ArcaOS, we discussed the first phase of support and how our specification allows for multiple partitions up to 2TB in size. As every GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) partition type requires a GUID, we have set:

90B6FF38-B98F-4358-A21F-48F35B4A8AD3

as the GUID for OS/2 Type 1 partitions.

Any GPT partition using this GUID should ultimately be recognizable by any GPT-aware operating system as belonging to ArcaOS.

Although this is now just a simple proclamation, it is, in point of fact, a major advancement for the platform, and sets the stage for our initial GPT support, currently planned for release with ArcaOS 5.1 in 2021.

Arca Noae makes no guaranty as to availability of GPT support for ArcaOS 5.1. When available, GPT support will be an ArcaOS feature only, with no plans to make the technology available for other OS/2 distributions.

Don’t have ArcaOS yet? Now is a great time to pick up a license or two and replace those aging Warp 4 or eComStation installations and get to know what’s new and improved. If you’ve never run OS/2 before, you’ll be amazed. If you last used OS/2 in the 1990’s, you’ll be even more amazed. ArcaOS runs the vast majority of existing OS/2 Warp 4 software, because it really is OS/2 – just better. ArcaOS supports more modern hardware than any other OS/2 distribution available today, making hardware upgrades much easier than ever before. An ArcaOS 5.0 license now means steep discounts on future upgrades, including 5.1.

Arca Noae’s plan for supporting GPT disk layouts in ArcaOS

Through the release of ArcaOS 5.0.6, all OS/2 distributions have only supported MBR (Master Boot Record) partitioning schemes, that is, up to four partitions on a disk, with the possibility of creating multiple logical volumes in one extended partition. This partitioning scheme is also limited to a maximum of 2TB per disk.

The GPT (GUID Partition Table) breaks out of these restrictions by supporting an almost unlimited number of partitions (without the need for logical volumes) and disks exceeding 2TB.

Supporting GPT is another major step for multiboot configurations where the disk has already been partitioned using this style, which will allow ArcaOS to install alongside other GPT-aware operating systems (Windows 10, modern Linux distros, etc.), without the need to install a second MBR-partitioned disk or to wipe, re-partition, and reformat all volumes on the existing disk.

Arca Noae’s approach to supporting GPT will be multi-phased, with the first phase of development currently underway and anticipated for release with ArcaOS 5.1. The design specification of our initial GPT support is to allow for partitions up to the current 2TB maximum size, with multiple partitions of this size possible on disks larger than 2TB. Our specification further provides that ArcaOS be able to create, delete, and modify GPT partitions which are identified by their GUIDs as being “OS/2-type” partitions, and lastly, that GPT support be available for both traditional BIOS (for data volumes) and UEFI-based systems (for boot and data volumes).