FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

King Kesender Mini


General
Q1: What are the key repair functions?
Q2: Does the King Kesender Mini work with any SATA, ATA, SCSI HDD?
Q3: What options are available ?
Q4: What are the differences between the King Kesender Mini and the Kesender?
Q5: Does this product work with all HDD manufactures' G and P-Lists?
Q6: How does the Kesender's software compare to Symantic's Norton Utility G-Disk software for erasing HDDs to DOD5220.22 standard?
Q7: Why do people buy King Kesender Mini for data wipe?


Operation
Q1: How do I operate King Kesender?
Q2: What is the King Kesender Mini's host software?
Q3: How do I repair my HDD?
Q4: Can this product create a hard drive destruction certificate?
Q5: How can I repair or fix "Servo Data" problems?
Q6: What happens when a password is set?
Q7: Can you explain possible "Track 0" issues?
Q8: How do I check ERROR Messages?
Q9: What is a "STATUS ERROR"?
Q10: I get this message when I connect to my PC "Communication is not established. Try again." can you explain this?
Q11: How fast is the wiping function using US DoD standards compared to standard PCs?
Q12: Can the King Kesender Mini erase SMART logs?


Q1: What are the key repair functions?
The King Kesender Mini performs repairs at the HDD's physical sector level. It can reassign/skip uncorrectable bad sectors, fix servo data/track zero problems, and block off un-repairable bad sectors using special clipping functions. After the repair, you can perform a complete HDD test to guarantee 100% functionality. Unlike OEM manufacturer's HDD diagnostic/repair software, the King Kesender Mini repairs any manufacturers' drives approximately 5 times faster with a better recycling ratio. (20~50% better repair ratio than OEM software)
Q2: Does the King Kesender Mini work with any SATA, ATA, SCSI HDD?
Yes.
SCSI, ATA are native connectors. The King Kesender Mini will also handle SATA using a plug-in adapter..
Q3: What options are available ?
There are 2.5, 1.8 inch ATA and SCSI 8bit Narrow hard drive adapters as well as a SATA converter option. Please ask us for other available options.
Q4: What are the differences between the King Kesender Mini and the Kesender?
  • SPEED
    The King Kesender Mini is 2 times faster: 150MB/sec MAX.
  • Interface
    The King Kesender Mini has ATA/IDE, SCSI native VS. the Kesender, which is ATA/IDE native. SATA is optional in both.
  • Log Function
    We provide special software and the King Kesender Mini will log all items you performed in text as well as CSV file. You can also create a printable certificate for each drive erased: DOD/NSA/HIPPA standard.
  • Advanced HDD test functions
    With the provided software, you can measure many HDD characteristics such as transfer speeds, HDD ready time duration, ecc error correction analysis. You can also send any ATA raw level command to connect an HDD with provided script languages.

Q5: Does this product work with all HDD manufactures' G and P-Lists?
G (Grown Defect List) and P (Primary Defect List) are NOT used for the King Kesender Miniseries. For other equipment, we read G/P lists and reformat all drives using [SKIP Sector] methods for SCSI drive.

For ATA HDDs, most of the drives do not support [SKIP Sector(s)] methods repair using G and P lists (Still can read G and P lists reading ATAPI). [SKIP sector] method: when bad sectors found, device skips the sectors and reassigns all following sectors shifting the address (Faster Access time).

[ALTERNATE sectors] method: when bad sectors are found they are reassigned to reserve areas of extra sectors (Slower access time).
Q6: How does the Kesender's software compare to Symantic's Norton Utility G-Disk software for erasing HDDs to DOD5220.22 standard?
  • When software encounters bad sectors in a HDD, NORTON products do NOT specify how to treat them. (Many Wipe software products just skip the bad sectors and move on.) When our equipment encounters bad sectors it automatically reassigns them and erases the data in reassigned sectors.
  • A common problem in HDDs is that bad sectors are readable but not able to be written on. In other words, the data in sectors that have been wiped and skipped appear to be wiped clean but are actually readable. Norton software does NOT specify how to treat such problems.
  • Out-dated or special HDDs may NOT work with such software (not confirmed with Norton). Our equipment uses raw level ATA commands, while software has to depend on the PC's BIOS. This will cause some software to only work with UDMA modes or LBA addressing and NOT work with PIO and CHS addressing modes. So neither old HDDs nor special HDDs (configured to different settings) will return error messages. (based on several customer reports to Ji2, Inc).

Q7: Why do people buy King Kesender Mini for data wipe?
  • You can test a HDD to see if it is able to be wiped or not!
  • You do NOT have to boot the PC every time you connect and disconnect HDD to wipe.
  • PC BIOS sometimes does not recognize the HDD to wipe.
  • When software encounters the bad sectors in HDD, it just skips the bad sectors and moves on. Our equipment will retry 3 times to ensure that the sector is definitely NOT able to be written on.
  • When you encounter bad sectors the King Kesender Mini wipes several times, while software just skips the bad sectors without reassigning.
  • Logging functions.
    E.G. Bad sectors are readable but not able to be written on.

Operation


Q1: How do I operate King Kesender?
There are two ways to operate the King Kesender Mini. For "Stand-Alone" operation, place the hard drive on top of the Kesender and connect the DC power cable and interface cable. Then power on the King Kesender Mini and select one of 15 operations to start. (E.g. REPAIR, ALL WRITE TEST, ONE CYCLE TEST) Once completed, LCD and LED will signal the end of the operation.

For "PC interface" operation, connect PC to the King Kesender Mini via USB mini cable (5pins) and use provided KING MINI HOST software to perform Test/Repair/Erase.
Q2: What is the King Kesender Mini's host software?
Users can install software to a Window2000/XP PC. This software will provide additional performance capabilities for ADVANCED Hard Drive diagnostics, Auto LOGGING (text, csv), certificate), and REMOTE operations.

*Advanced diagnostic features are limited for SCSI hard drive.
Q3: How do I repair my HDD?
  • Perform [Test and Repair] for entire HDD --This will test HDD and if reassign/skip bad sectors including servo data.
  • Perform [All Write Test] for first 500MB of HDD -- this will erase HDD(MBR) as a final test.
  • If [Test and Repair] fails, the HDD is NOT repairable. Check the reason for failure using DEVICE INFORMATION. (displays error location by MB)
  • Use uncorrectable bad sector address information to clip the HDD for smaller size (e.g. if uncorrectable bad sector is 2,301MB, manually clip HHD to 2,300MB) using E.clip
  • Clipping will produce a smaller, ready to use Hard Drive.

Q4: Can this product create a hard drive destruction certificate?
Yes. The Data Logging function can automatically create printable preformatted certificates for all erase operations.
Q5: How can I repair or fix "Servo Data" problems?
This depends on how much servo data is damaged. Servo Data consists of AGC, search patterns, address info (Track/Sector). If many servo data areas are bad and cannot achieve ready mode or locate track info you can NOT repair the HDD. However, if a small amount of servo data is bad, the HDD will retry to access the servo data until it is properly adjusted (using burst data). If the retry fails, the [ALTERNATE sectors] method will kick in.

Note: some HDDs do not support this feature. King Kesender Mini is NOT equipped with STW!
Q6: What happens when a password is set?
The King Kesender Mini will display an ABORT error. This item has a password lock/unlock function, but is unable to actually crack passwords.

We offer separate products that are able to lock/unlock HDD passwords called the Atola.
Q7: Can you explain possible "Track 0" issues?
First of all, "TK0NF (Track 0 error)" is an old specification under ATA-3 and prior. It simply indicates that when issuing "ATA command RECALIBRATE", something went wrong. Normally, this means that Track 0 is not accessible.

After ATGA-5 standards, NM (No Media) will be indicated because the King Kesender Mini series works at the HDD level, (NOT PC-HDD, which changes the information of LBA-Media addressing - tables on PC). The King Kesender Mini still performs the [ALTERNATE sectors] even when errors are found on the Track 0 area.
Q8: How do I check ERROR Messages?
  • After failure, check the error message.
  • If display reads "Selection Error", then the device was not found, and the problem is most likely in the interface or power cable connection.
  • Replace AC or IDE cable.
  • If a different error occurs please contact Ji2, Inc for support.!

*Repeat these steps with a known good hard drive.
Q9: What is a "STATUS ERROR"?
  • The King Kesender Mini communicates back and forth with the HDD.
  • When a Status Error occurs, the HDD is communicating that it cannot perform any commands from the Kesender due to the status of the HDD itself (Status of HDD is not ready).
  • One example of a Status Error is that the HDD is password LOCKED and can NOT accept any commands until unlocked.

Q10: I get this message when I connect to my PC "Communication is not established. Try again." can you explain this?
1. Find the device in Window's Device Manager and check the connected [com] port# (normally #1~7). 2. Start KK Mini HOST software and select "NO" for communication not established. 3. Once you get into the software, choose [file]-[system setup]. 4. Go to [Port setup] and select [com] port #, this will show in the device manager. *This process should assign the port # correctly. **We offer a new driver for Windows XP/2000 as well as new software.
Q11: How fast is the wiping function using US DoD standards compared to standard PCs?
The wipe speed using the King Kesender Mini is about 17 sec/GB for one overwriting. This is based on ATA 100 8MB memory HDD. DoD requiring 3 overwrites, therefore it is about 50~58 sec/GB for those drives. PC is really depending on what type of machine using newer and faster machine can wipe about a little over 60 sec/GS with software.
Q12: Can the King Kesender Mini erase SMART logs?
Not really. For ATA/IDE, there is vendor unique command where you can clean the P,G,D list log and make SMART clean. However, this is vendor unique and we do not know all the commands. Second, even you clean up the SMART, our experience tells that SMART problem will come back very quick and become 909% or more warranty return. For SCSI, there is the way to clean the defect list, but we experience very similar warranty claim ratio as ATA/IDE. So it is not worth it.