System - Storage (44)

H2testw allows you to test storage devices for one of a variety of possible defects or errors. It is particularly useful for detecting mislabeled / fake flash memory devices, looking at the actual versus reported capacity.

Note that the author recommends backing up the content on the device before running H2testw.

Disk Investigator displays the true drive contents by bypassing the operating system and directly reading the raw drive sectors. You can view and search raw directories, files, clusters, and system sectors, verify the effectiveness of file and disk wiping programs, and undelete previously deleted files.

Functional on 64-bit systems.

Visual Subst allows you to associate the most accessed directories with virtual drives. It uses the same API like the console subst utility, but makes it easier to create and remove virtual drives with a friendly user interface. Visual Subst can also restore the virtual drives at startup.

NOTE: Program became shareware, linking to Softpedia for the last freeware version.

AutoStart creates an icon in the system tray for each external memory device connected to the system. Right-clicking on this icon opens a context menu that allows you to conveniently perform various related functions (explore, search, eject, properties).

Left-clicking opens the drive in Explorer by default but the default application can be specified in the "shell" parameter of AUTORUN.INF. AutoStart also comes with a rudimentary launcher that is functional if you have a small number of applications stored on your memory stick.

Note: Main download site is offline, download link pointing to Softpedia.

Stream Explorer is a utility that reveals file streams within NTFS filesystems. It will show you the number, type, size and content of streams for each file or folder selected.

vSubst helps assign virtual drive letters to any folder on your hard disk. It is a graphical interface for the SUBST command. The limitations are:

• SUBSTed-drives don't operate 100% in networks
• Some copy-protected CD-ROMs check for the physical presence of a disk
• Volume-Label is always identical to the host label

Simplified Virtual Floppy Drive (VFD) mounts image files (*.img) as new browseable computer resources. View, edit, rename, delete, create, or launch files on a virtual floppy as well as format.

Drive Manager enables drive identification/information, hiding drive letters, and substituting drive letters for folders. For drive identification, it displays vendor information so that multiple CD/DVD drives and removable drives (such as USB memory drives) can be differentiated by their vendor and product ID.

HDD Health monitors hard disks from the system tray using various S.M.A.R.T sensors (Self Monitoring and Reporting Technology), alerting you of impending failure via email, pop-up messages, net messages or event logging.