This page contains answers to common questions handled by our support
staff, along with some tips and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as
questions.
Note: In these answers we will follow a few shorthand
conventions for describing user-interface procedures. Key combinations will be presented
like this: Ctrl+Alt+Del, which means that you should press and hold down the
Control key, the Alt key, and the Delete key at the same time.
Invalid Disk Parameters could be caused by several factors. The most common is
that the parameters that Time Tracer detects is not exactly the same that you BIOS does.
Check to see if your BIOS is set to auto-detect. Also Check you drive image.
If the drive image is deployed using an image from a different hard drive,
sometimes the original hard drive parameters will confuse the reading as well. We
have also found that Time Tracer will result in an "Invalid Disk Parameters"
message when the PC connect with an IOMEGA IDE ZIP drive. We are working on that now
and will post a patch update later.
Your partition table is most likely improper. If you are using a cloning method
to deploy your hard drive, please ensure that the method of cloning is correct. That
is, if your destination hard drive is of different parameters compare to the source,
please use the variant mode so the cloning media can adjust the partition table
accordingly.
Another possibility is that a propiety partition is removed improperly. Many
brand name machine, such as Dell or Compaq (older model) equips with their own boot
partition. Although this partition is hide away as soon as the PC boots, some users
might desire to remove them permanently. We have found if removing this partition
using Power Quest Partition Magic will not work properly and some remains of the partition
might remains. Please use other media to remove all and re-create disk partitions.
If you refer to Norton Ghost, you should found a switch (-ib) that will allows you to
clone the boot sector as well. When Recovery Genius is installed, it attached itself
to the boot sector, that's the reason why most cloning method does not duplicate the image
properly for many of them are just file based cloning. When you use the
"-ib" switch, Norton Ghost will allow you to duplicate the image with Recovery
Genius and overwrite the existing one thus both Windows and Recovery Genius can run
properly.
Check if CDROM is connected on the same IDE channel with the primary hard drive.
If yes, connected the CDROM to a different IDE channel. This problem can also be
solved by downloading the 32-bit driver.
In order to protect your hard drive, WatchDog has to take over the control and forces
primary IDE controller to work under MS-DOS compatibility mode. Please download and
install our 32-bit driver in order to correct this problem.
If you are using Win2000 or WinME and still encounter the yellow exclaimation mark
after installation of the 32-bit driver, please download and update WatchDog INF driver at
device manager with Win2000.zip
WatchDog utilizes the last sector of the hard disk in order to perform installation
process. If the last sector is being occupied while WatchDog II is being installed,
it will complain as such. Please defrag hard drive prior to install in order to free
the last sector from other data.
This problem related to how 3C905B TX 32-bit NDIS driver loading at Windows GUI mode
with IDE controller. Simply download and install the WatchDog
32-bit driver and problem will be solved.
Please download and run "PASSWORD.EXE" from our
download area. This program will display a corresponding code. From this code,
we could provide a corresponding password to reset your WatchDog password to
1234567890. DO NOT turn off the machine for you need to input the password
corresponding to the passcode at the same sequence. The passcode will change on the
next boot and thus previous code becomes invalid. Because of security reason, we
will ONLY provide this password code on dealers request. Sorry for any
inconvenience.
Bad Sectors are how WatchDog disguises its swap data. In the development of
WatchDog, we begin from truncating the last section of the hard drive to create a WatchDog
partitions to store WatchDog swap data, but due to enormous customers request of not
creating separate partitions, we transform into a virtual area in partition C for a while
but find that swap data is now vulnerable to hackers. We have immediately changed
all and Bad Sectors is the present format. It has been working for the last 18
months with no further complains.
This is not really a WatchDog problem. To solve this, we have to understand
where it comes from first. Windows 95/98 stores the next daylight saving
information (year, month, and date) at the <WIN.INI> file. If the PC has its
information updated prior to this date, your PC restoration after this date will replace
the correct daylight saving information with the previous saved one (WatchDog helps you by
restoring PC back to last saved conditions) There is no fix to this problem.
To get around:
Simply disable the auto-daylight saving modification features at Windows.
Changes the time on PC twice a year if daylight saving affect you.
Most clients comment the attention to their PC twice a year is negligible when compare
to not having WatchDog at all. Sorry for any inconvenience.
When WatchDog is physically removed from the computer without proper uninstallation or
WatchDog card in the PC is defective, this flashing red message will show. Check to
see if WatchDog card is properly inserted in the slot. If it is, contact your
WatchDog dealer for warranty services.
WatchDog will only works with SCSI storage device(s) at Backup-Fix mode only.
Even with the installation of the 32-bit driver, WatchDog is not capable of AutoFix for
SCSI hard driver. Please do not install 32-bit driver for partition using SCSI, that
might cause system to freeze.
The validation / driver disk comes with an INF file. Because the PnP BIOS on the
WatchDog is generic and thus cannot automatically be detected by Windows 95 and might
requires manual installation. Windows 98SE will go on automatically. If manual
installation is required, choose "No, Select Driver From List" and select
network adapter as device. Then, select "Show all Hardware" and choose
"Have a Disk" to specify A:\ for driver source location and install the driver
for PnP BIOS. Both PnP BIOS driver and 32-bit WatchDog driver is required for proper
WatchDog functions. Please note in case of missing / corrupting validation / install
disk. In PCI version, WatchDog validation / install disk contains a hidden security
key for Genuine WatchDog Validation. Thus, this diskette cannot be duplicated using
normal methods. We will provide a program to REGISTERED OWNER of the specific
version of WatchDog only.
Clients have found Micron Millennia S1854-T-PIII Tazer Motherboard cannot detect
WatchDog. We have found that it is due to a BIOS bug. WatchDog works similar
to a boot prom of network card. Tazer Motherboard manufacturer has provided a new BIOS update for fix. Note: Micron BIOS most
recent update v2.33 has not corrected this problem yet as of Jan 12, 2001
"W.DOG CheckSum Error" occurs when WatchDog is detecting difference between
its data at WatchDog Control Sector and Actual Status of the hard drive. If this
problem occur, please contact us for a utility file
called REINWDOG.exe It should clear up and re-synchronize the WatchDog Control
Sector in most circumstances.
WatchDog for NT (WD204P) works with Windows 2000 Professional workstation. We have
found, however; there are a few motherboards will result with the above situation.
Simply download the Win2000.zip from our download area. Decompress and update the wdog.INF
that comes with Validation Disk at the device manager to Wdog2k.INF at Supervisor Mode.
WatchDog is designed to protect the boot partition C only where all system files and
application program files are located. When you use Fdisk to remove both partitons,
D partition, which is considered as data partition for WatchDog is not protected by the
recovery program and can be lost.
Look for any SCSI storage device that may be equipped with the system. If there is and
it is not the designated boot hard drive, disconnect them prior to installing of WatchDog.
WatchDog 32-bit driver will try to recognize if your boot hard drive is IDE / SCSI.
Depending on what type the HDD is, it will copy the corresponding driver to the
hard drive as a 32-bit bridge between the OS and WatchDog itself. If your designated
boot hard drive is an IDE but the scsi driver was copied to it instead of the vxd, it will
cause Windows 98SE to reboot when attempting to shut down.