HDHacker


Updated versions are found at the following Link:

HDHacker Home: "http://dimio.altervista.org/"



DESCRIPTION:

HDHacker is a small utility for Windows, which allows you to save, view or to restore the MBR, the Boot Sector or any other sector of a Hard Disk. HDHacker can also accomplish this task for a floppy disk, memory stick, and other storage media. HDHacker is FREEWARE. HDHacker dos not use any installer, it runs directly from an executable.



USE:

Beside being a great insurance against MBR virus-attack, the HDHacker program has been written as a tool for a common predicament:

On a PC with Linux and Win2000 or Windows XP (with LILO or GRUB as a boot manager) various operating systems might overwrite LILO/GRUB (and thus make Linux inaccessible). In this case, HDHacker allows you to save the MBR before installing a new OS (or reinstalling Windows), then very easily restore the original LILO/GRUB.

As in previous versions, you have the option to choose whether to read/write to/from a logical or physical drive. If the first sector is chosen on a physical drive, it will correspond to the MBR. Otherwise, if a first sector is chosen on a logical drive, it will read/write to/from the designated Boot Sector.

Currently, it is possible to accomplish any of the following operations:

"READ SECTOR FROM DISK"
Loads a sector into memory, reading it directly from the disk.

"LOAD SECTOR FROM FILE"
Loads a sector into memory, which was previously saved in a file.

"SAVE SECTOR TO FILE"
Saves the sector in memory to a file on any designated disk or medium.

"WRITE SECTOR ON DISK"
Writes to disk, the sector in memory, in the specified (MBR or boot sector) location

Then, to save the data (the chosen MBR or boot sector), HDHacker will request:

1. To select a Physical Drive.
2. To select "READ SECTOR FROM DISK"
3. To select "SAVE SECTOR TO File"
   (if you want to save the MBR in a file, for example, as a back up).

During RESTORE, the options will be:

1. Select Physical Drive.
2. Select "LOAD SECTOR FROM File" 
   (then select the backup MBR or sector file you have previously saved).
3. Select "WRITE SECTOR ON DISK" to complete the procedure.



COMPATIBILITY/REQUIREMENTS:

In theory, HDHacker should work with all versions of Windows with the following restrictions:

PERMISSIONS: The program requires that the user has permission to read AND write in ANY part of the disk. In Windows 95 and 98 this is the default -if you have signed in with a password (otherwise you must create an administrator account). However, in Windows ME or any NT-based systems (Windows 2K, Windows XP, etc.) you must be logged in as "Administrator" to read, save or restore any MBR or Boot Sector.

LINUX: The HDHacker program works from within Linux, using WINE, but again, you must be "Administrator", and you must also have read/write permissions in FSTAB. 

HDHacker requires MSVBVM60.DLL, to run in Windows 95 or Windows 98.
(Hint: MSVBVM60.DLL is a standard file component in Windows 2000)


NOTES:

The program uses the technology UPX (http://upx.sourceforge.net) to increase its size efficiency/portability.


LICENSE:

The program is distributed with a Freeware license (please read license regarding restrictions for use, credits, prohibition against decompiling, and limitations of damage).



CODE AUTHOR/CREATOR:

Dimitrios Coutsoumbas (Dimio)
SKYPE  : katafratto
ICQ    : 145633952
E-MAIL : cyberdimio@gmail.com
HOME   : http://dimio.altervista.org/