For mass storage devices on the Atari, HDDRIVER and its tools have long been the first choice. Be it TOS, MagiC or MiNT, be it ACSI, SCSI, IDE, SATA or ATAPI: HDDRIVER is the optimal driver, for old and modern hardware alike, and also for emulators. The software also supports hardware that does not work with other drivers and automatically detects properties of devices and TOS versions.
HDDRIVER is the only driver that also runs in Fast-RAM, so that exceptionally high transfer rates are reached. With MagiC, background transfers give the Atari a boost. With modern SCSI peripherals like SCSI2Pi or BlueSCSI, HDDRIVER uses powerful commands of current SCSI standards. Many more outstanding features make HDDRIVER unique. The support of open specifications ensures high compatibility.
The HDDRIVER software package includes tools such as HDDRUTIL, for managing drives and memory cards. Formatting, partitioning (FAT16 and FAT32, MBR and GPT), copying, testing, cloning drives, repairing partition tables, creating drive images and much more - everything you need, directly on the Atari and with a graphical user interface!
In addition to hard drives, DOMs and SSDs, HDDRIVER supports removable media drives such as Syquest, ZIP, JAZ, MODs, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, GigaFile or UltraSatan and memory cards. USB devices are supported by third-party HDDRIVER modules.
On the part of HDDRIVER there is no upper limit for the capacity of mass storage devices. With the ACSI bus, using more than 1 GiB of capacity requires an ICD compatible host adapter or an ICD compatible device such as GigaFile, UltraSatan, SCSI2Pi or BlueSCSI. TOS, MagiC and MiNT limit the usable capacity to 2 TiB (2048 GiB). Tools like HDDRUTIL or DISKUS support 64 bit sector numbers and can therefore access even larger media.
Rewritable optical media (DVD-RAM, DVD+RW, BD-RE) can be used for storing data on a normal TOS filesystem. Simply use your old PC's DVD burner as a backup drive for your Atari data!
With HDDRIVER it is child's play to exchange data, without any additional software or inconvenient cable connections. In combination with MagiC or MiNT this even works with long filenames and very big partitions (FAT32). Furthermore, with MiNT and HDDRIVER you can access Linux partitions. HDDRIVER supports both the legacy MBR (Master Boot Record) and the modern and future-proof GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition scheme. The latter is the standard on all PCs and Macs.
HDDRIVER is entirely coded in assembler and therefore fast and compact. There are settings for extra fast data transfers. HDDRIVER is the only driver that can booted into Fast-RAM, which boosts the IDE transfer rate and saves precious ST-RAM. The optional blitter support can also result in a higher IDE throughput, especially with STs. With the fast multitasking operating system MagiC transfers can run in the background, without blocking applications.
AUTO folder programs like FOLDRxxx, CACHExxx, JARxxx or SCSIDRV are obsolete, which speeds up booting and keeps the AUTO folder clean. The functionality of these programs is included in HDDRIVER. Because HDDRIVER besides the AUTO folder can also execute accessories from any partition simply by pressing a key, a boot selector is often unnecessary.
For HDDRIVER data security plays an important role. The data transferred are optionally verified in order to detect errors when writing data. Selected partitions can be read-only, which is a good protection against accidental changes. Important areas of a drive (root sector and boot sectors) can separately be protected against unintentional changes. An optional GPT partition scheme provides additional protection against data loss. If a device supports a self-test, it can be triggered by simply a mouse-click.
HDDRIVER is more than just a driver. A set of sophisticated tools with a graphical user interface completes the distribution. Media can be formatted, devices can be configured, and self-tests can be executed. Drives can be parked (automatically) and media ejected, the read/write protection of ZIP/JAZ drives can be configured. Storage media can completely or partially be copied, e.g. in order to create backups or to exchange data. With many optical drives storing data on DVD-RAM, DVD+RW and BD-RE media with TOS filesystems is supported. Complete media or single partitions can be saved as image files or loaded from image files, and much more.
An accessory and CPX modules allow to conveniently manage numerous settings.
HDDRIVER supports the SCSI Driver interface for a unified access to peripherals. This open software interface is not limited to SCSI devices and is used by numerous other drivers and applications. Optical SATA drives innately use SCSI commands anyway, for IDE and SATA hard drives HDDRIVER emulates them. This means that any application can access IDE, ATAPI and SATA drives as if they were SCSI devices. HDDRIVER's SCSI Driver supports 64 bit sector numbers, so that drives > 2 TiB (2048 GiB) can be addressed with their full capacity. Furthermore, HDDRIVER supports the latest XHDI standard 1.30.
Single partitions can be mapped to the drives A: and B:. With MagiC or MiNT and HDDRIVER up to 31 drives and big partitions can be managed.
Features like SCSI initiator identification and bus arbitration (for a maximum of compatibility with the SCSI standard) can be taken for granted with HDDRIVER.
HDDRIVER has been consequently developed further for more than 35 years. The scope of delivery includes a detailed English manual as a PDF file. Users get support by the FAQ, by email or in the HDDRIVER forum. With the Hddriver News app for Android you stay up to date.