FAQ for Users

FAQ for Users Table of Contents
Q.1 Disk Shredder 4 does not run on a laptop PC normally. Q.2 Disk Shredder 4 does not run on a desktop PC normally. Q.3 Disk Shredder 4 stops at Start Screen, and can not start up. Q.4 I have inserted the product floppy disk to the drive and Disk Shredder 4 has started up, but the error message "BOOT ERROR [1]" or "BTRON.SYS (KERNEL.SYS) is Invalid [XXXX].(XXXX is 4-digit number)" is displayed soon. Q.5 The message "There is no hard disk to erase." is displayed after starting up. Q.6 I tried to start up Disk Shredder 4 from CD-ROM drive, but Windows is starting. Q.7 The message "Re-insert the floppy disk." is displayed during Disk Shredder 4's processing. Q.8 Disk Shredder 4 FD version can not boot on COMPAQ(HP Compaq) Deskpro series. Q.9 Disk Shredder 4 can not boot on NEC PC-MA17X. Q.10 When I insert Disk Shredder 4 FD version and power up PC, the password entry screen is displayed. Q.11 The actual time of data-erasure exceeds the expected time of data-erasure before erasure. Q.12 At the end of data-erasure process, the message "Error: xx KB"(xx: numerical number) is displayed at the upper right corner of the screen. Q.13 Can Disk Shredder 4 erase the data of a hard disk without OS? Q.14 I display the data-erasure certificate screen after erasure. But, time and date in the certificate screen is wrong. Q.15 I can not power off a PC after erasure. Q.16 Does Disk Shredder 4 overwrites already-saved data-erasure logs? I saved the data-erasure log many times to USB memory by using the data-erasure log function(available on "Disk Shredder 4 Standard" and "Disk Shredder 4 Super"). Q.17 The error message "No storage medium." is displayed, and I can not save the data-erasure log to the storage devices such as USB memory. I tried to use the data-erasure log function(available on "Disk Shredder 4 Standard" and "Disk Shredder 4 Super"). Q.18 The error message "Too many storage medium." is displayed, and I can not save the data-erasure log to the storage devices such as USB memory. I tried to use the data-erasure log function(available on "Disk Shredder 4 Standard" and "Disk Shredder 4 Super").
Q.1 Disk Shredder 4 does not run on a laptop PC normally.
Check whether your laptop PC meets "System requirements" first.
If your PC meets the requirements, check the following points.
  • Disk Shredder 4 does not need a mouse, but there are some laptop PCs on which Disk Shredder 4 does not run normally as long as a mouse is unconnected.
    After you connect a mouse to a laptop PC, start up Disk Shredder 4.

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Q.2 Disk Shredder 4 does not run on a desktop PC normally.
Check whether your desktop PC meets "System requirements" first.
If your PC meets the requirements, check the following points.
  • Check whether a hard disk is connected to SCSI connector.
    If devices other than a hard disk are connected to SCSI connector, disable SCSI controller.
  • A hard disk must be connected to IDE connector or Serial ATA connector on the mother board.
    Disk Shredder 4 can not erase data of a hard disk which is connected to ISA/PCI card. If a hard disk can be connected to IDE connector or Serial ATA connector on the mother board, change the connection and restart Disk Shredder 4.
  • If a hard disk is IDE type, check whether a hard disk is connected to Primary-Master.
    If a hard disk is connected to Primary-Slave and no device is connected to Primary-Master, Disk Shredder 4 does not run normally. After you connect a hard disk to Primary-Master, start up Disk Shredder 4.

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Q.3 Disk Shredder 4 stops at Start Screen, and can not start up.
Due to compatibility with various peripheral devices which are connected to a PC or are PC-built-in type, Dish Shredder 4 may not start up normally. Try the following measures for remediation.
  • Disconnect peripheral devices except a keyboard or CD-ROM drive.
  • Change BIOS settings as follows, if possible.
    • If the BIOS menu has the field "Plug & play O/S:", "Install O/S:" or "Using O/S:", change the setting to "No" or "Other".
    • If the BIOS menu has "Virus Check" or something, change the setting to "Off".
    • If the BIOS menu has "Security Function" or something, change the setting to "Off".
    • If the settings of unnecessary peripheral devices(USB, Serial, Parallel, LAN, Sound, etc.) are "Enable", change the settings to "Disable".
  • If you are using an external USB connection CD-ROM drive for Disk Shredder 4, try the other CD-ROM drives.
    Depending on compatibility of a PC and a CD-ROM drive, maybe things will go well. This problem has been already solved in the latest version of Disk Shredder 4, but check the following just in case.
    • If you use Panasonic Let's note N10 and Panasonic LF-P867C or LF-P968C as a USB connection CD-ROM drive, Disk Shredder 4 Version 4.01 stops at Start Screen. But, this problem has been already solved in Disk Shredder 4 Version 4.02. (Even Disk Shredder 4 Version 4.01 runs normally in many cases, when a combination is Let's note N10 and the other CD-ROM drive, or the other PC and LF-P867C or LF-P968C.)

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Q.4 I have inserted the product floppy disk to the drive and Disk Shredder 4 has started up, but the error message "BOOT ERROR [1]" or "BTRON.SYS (KERNEL.SYS) is Invalid [XXXX].(XXXX is 4-digit number)" is displayed soon.
Check the following points.
If the same message is displayed on the other PCs...
It seems that a floppy disk of Disk Shredder 4 has physical scratches. This floppy disk needs to be repaired. For details, please contact Sales Division.
If Disk Shredder 4 runs normally on the other PCs...
  1. If a bootable floppy disk of the other OS can not start up normally, it seems that a floppy disk drive has a defect in accessing.
  2. Change the BIOS settings as follows.
    • If the BIOS menu has the field "Plug & play O/S:", "Install O/S:" or "Using O/S:", change the setting to "No" or "Other".
    • If the BIOS menu has "Virus Check" or something, change the setting to "Off".
    • If the BIOS menu has "Security Function" or something, change the setting to "Off".
    • If the settings of unnecessary peripheral devices(USB, Serial, Parallel, LAN, Sound, etc.) are "Enable", change the settings to "Disable". Disconnect all the peripheral devices except a keyboard, and start up the software.
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Q.5 The message "There is no hard disk to erase." is displayed after starting up.
The message "There is no hard disk to erase." means that Disk Shredder 4 can not recognize IDE or Serial ATA type hard disks which can be erased by Disk Shredder 4.
If your PC's hard disk is Serial ATA type, Disk Shredder 4 may recognize a hard disk by changing the BIOS setting of Serial ATA hard disk into the other settings("Compatible", "IDE", etc) from the current setting("AHCI", "RAID", "SATA", etc).
This message is also displayed when a SCSI type hard disk or a USB connection hard disk is connected to a PC, or when an IDE hard disk is connected to a special board.
If an IDE hard disk is connected to a special board, Disk Shredder 4 may recognize a hard disk by connecting a hard disk to the standard IDE connector of the mother board(the largest board in a PC).

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Q.6 I tried to start up Disk Shredder 4 from CD-ROM drive, but Windows is starting.
Despite you insert Disk Shredder 4's CD into CD-ROM drive and power up a PC, there is a case that Windows in a hard disk has started up. In this case, you have to change the boot sequence of bootable disks. The CD-ROM drive's boot sequence should be ahead of a hard disk drive on a BIOS setting menu.
Regarding the way of changing BIOS settings, refer to a PC's manual or contact the PC maker.

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Q.7 The message "Re-insert the floppy disk." is displayed during Disk Shredder 4's processing.
Disk Shredder 4 detects an insert of a floppy disk periodically. When the timing of detection is not right, this message is displayed in some PCs.
If you see the message "Re-insert the floppy disk.", eject a Disk Shredder 4's floppy disk and insert it again.

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Q.8 Disk Shredder 4 FD version can not boot on COMPAQ(HP Compaq) Deskpro series.
We have confirmed that some models of COMPAQ(or HP Compaq) Deskpro series have a specific function in BIOS.
If the setting field of [Storage]-[Storage Option]-[MBR Verification of Disket] at BIOS is "Enable", Disk Shredder 4 FD version can not start up. Change the setting to "Disable" from "Enable" for starting up Disk Shredder 4.
Check whether your PC has the similar setting field or not.

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Q.9 Disk Shredder 4 can not boot on NEC PC-MA17X.
We have received a report from users that Disk Shredder 4 stops at Start Screen and can not boot on NEC PC-MA17X, NEC PC-MA21X, NEC PC-MY24X and NEC PC-MY26V.
By changing the setting of "USB2.0 Controller Support" at [Advanced]-[Advanced Chipset Setup] of the BIOS setting menu into "Disabled", Disk Shredder 4 can boot up. Check whether your PC has the similar setting field or not, if your PC is the same model or the similar model.

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Q.10 When I insert Disk Shredder 4 FD version and power up PC, the password entry screen is displayed.
Your PC is protected by a password as a PC's BIOS function(Power-on Password function). As long as you do not enter the right password, your PC never boots. Check the password you set.

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Q.11 The actual time of data-erasure exceeds the expected time of data-erasure before erasure.
Before starting the data-erasure process, Disk Shredder 4 calculates and shows the expected time of data-erasure by writing/reading the data on a part of a hard disk. In many cases, the data-erasure process ends within this expected time.
However, if the hard disk has a lot of hardware troubles(bad sectors, etc), the expected erasure time might be inaccurately, and the erasure time might be long greatly. We hope you will understand the situation.

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Q.12 At the end of data-erasure process, the message "Error: xx KB"(xx: numerical number) is displayed at the upper right corner of the screen.
When a writing error occurs due to a hard disk's hardware defect(bad sectors, etc), Disk Shredder4 skips such bad sectors and continues processing. At the end of the processing, Disk Shredder4 reports the number of such skipped sectors at the upper right corner of the screen.
Please be warned that the data in such bad sectors may not have been overwritten.

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Q.13 Can Disk Shredder 4 erase the data of a hard disk without OS?
Yes.
For Disk Shredder 4, it does not matter whether a hard disk includes OS and data. Disk Shredder 4 erases all the data of a hard disk completely, according to your designated erase method.

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Q.14 I display the data-erasure certificate screen after erasure. But, time and date in the certificate screen is wrong.
Due to a weak built-in battery on PC, the indication of time and date could be different from the actual time and date. This time lag never influences the data-erasure process itself. But, the indications of the expected time and date of data-erasure and the time and date in the data-erasure certificate screen are still different. If you want to see the actual time and date, power off a PC once and adjust time using the BIOS setting screen.

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Q.15 I can not power off a PC after erasure.
There are some PCs which you cannot power off completely after erasure, because a power saving function is activated by pressing the power button. In the case of Disk Shredder 4, press [Ctrl] key, [Alt] key and [x] key at once. Or push the power button for about 10 seconds to power off.

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Q.16 Does Disk Shredder 4 overwrites already-saved data-erasure logs? I saved the data-erasure log many times to USB memory by using the data-erasure log function(available on "Disk Shredder 4 Standard" and "Disk Shredder 4 Super").
Even if you save the data-erasure log many times to USB memory by using the data-erasure log function(available on "Disk Shredder 4 Standard" and "Disk Shredder 4 Super"), Disk Shredder 4 never overwrites already-saved data-erasure logs. The erasure log is saved as the name with avoiding duplication. The file name is displayed when you execute "Save the log of data erase" operation.

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Q.17 The error message "No storage medium." is displayed, and I can not save the data-erasure log to the storage devices such as USB memory. I tried to use the data-erasure log function(available on "Disk Shredder 4 Standard" and "Disk Shredder 4 Super").
If USB storage is not connected to a PC, or unsupported format USB storage is connected, the message "No storage medium." is displayed. Please reconnect USB storage which is formatted by FAT format on Windows.

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Q.18 The error message "Too many storage medium." is displayed, and I can not save the data-erasure log to the storage devices such as USB memory. I tried to use the data-erasure log function(available on "Disk Shredder 4 Standard" and "Disk Shredder 4 Super").
If plural USB storages are connected, USB storage which includes the file named DS_TAG in the folder named DS_LOG is used for saving log(The file DS_TAG is automatically generated when you save the log). When Disk Shredder 4 can not determine the device for saving, the message "Too many storage medium." is displayed. In this case, please remove USB storages which are not used for saving.
If the same message is displayed despite you remove USB storages which are not used for saving, remove the connected USB memories and connect the other USB memory and then try to save the log.

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