HD Driver

HD Driver

Jon Ellis takes the latest version of HD Driver for a quick spin...

When you buy a hard disk system for your Atari, it usually comes with a floppy containing the software that allows the computer to talk to the hard disk. You plug in the hard disk, install the driver software, and forget about it while it merrily fill up the megabytes with reams of data. So why do System Solutions want you to part with ś30 for another hard disk driver, when you've already got one?

The answer is that HD Driver v5.23 is better than what you've got. The package has been around for years, both in its own right and as part of the Outside virtual memory system. HD Driver has acquired a reputation for being fast, reliable and compatible with multitasking operating systems. The latest versions have added yet more functions and a neat interface.

HD Driver arrives in a plastic wallet containing a single disk, a good-quality printed manual and a registration card. Installation is easy - simply tell the configuration program where to put the driver. When updating an earlier version of HD Driver, the software even offers to retain the old configuration settings in the new setup. If you want to reconfigure the package manually, then that's easy too, using a set of slick, well-designed dialogs.

Options - we got 'em

Configuration reveals just how big a difference there is between HD Driver and more basic software like Atari's AHDI. HD Driver supports the latest hardware (magneto-optical disks) and provides advanced features to work with the most recent operating system developments (MagiC 4). It also includes control options specific to each of the different types of hard disk interface (ACSI, SCSI and IDE), for the ultimate in fine-tuning.

Special boot-up configurations for every machine

Change the boot-up order by dragging drives around

HD Driver supports all the latest hardware

To make for a speedy boot-up, HD Driver allows you to specify the active disks in your system and the order in which they should be checked. No more waiting around while the computer tries to talk to drives that aren't there! Anti-viral protection is also provided in the form of a facility to write-protect key areas of your hard-drive.

As an added bonus, the disk also includes full programming data on the XHDI interface. This allows application programs make use of HD Driver's features. There are also a number of utlity programs and patches, together with demos of the disk editor Diskus and the virtual memory manager Outside.

A neat CPX allows write-protection to be turned on or off - anytime

Utility programs include IDCHECK which locates SCSI and ACSI devices in your system

Repartitioning disks is easy with HD Driver

The English documentation is pleasantly designed and presented. Although generally well-written, it's rather sparse on detail regarding some of the options. For example, when describing the data cache facility that speeds up operation by holding commonly-accessed information in memory; there is no indication of what might be good configuration values to get the best performance. Also, the contents of the HD Driver master disk do not tally with the description in the documentation.

In the end though, HD Driver succeeds brilliantly because its author maintains and improves it as an application in its own right, rather than just a little program to keep the hardware working. "Should be on every Atari owner's hard disk". It's a well-worn clich‚ that ends many a review of the latest blockbuster application. Well for once, in the case of HD Driver, it's quite true.

Product name: HD Driver v5.23

Distributor: System Solutions
Contact: 17-19 Blackwater Street, East Dulwich, London, SE22 8RS
Tel: 0181 693 3355 Email: ssolutions@cix.co.uk
WWW: http://www.ssolutions.com/
Price: ś29.95 Upgrades available
Pros:
  • Fast, reliable package
  • Excellent configurability
  • Supports latest devices and programs
  • Actively under development

Cons:

  • Odd omissions in manual

Score: 90%


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