Boot SeaTools off of a USB Drive

Seagate SeaTools is free hard drive testing software. SeaTools for DOS runs independent from your operating system on its own CD or bootable USB drive. You do not need to own a Seagate or Maxtor hard drive to use SeaTools.

  1. Download the SeaTools for DOS ISO file
  2. Use 7-Zip to open the SeaTools for DOS ISO file.
  3. Extract the SeaTools.ima file to your hard drive.
  4. Rename the SeaTools.ima file to SeaTools.img.
  5. Use Image Writer for Windows to write the SeaTools.img image file to a USB drive on Windows.
  6. Now you can boot off of this USB drive and run SeaTools for DOS.

Note: Writing the SeaTools for DOS ISO file directly to a USB drive using either Rufus or UNetbootin does not work. When doing so I receive a “BOOTMGR is missing” error message when booting off of the USB drive.

Resources

34 thoughts on “Boot SeaTools off of a USB Drive”

  1. Thank you, had run just run in the same issue (using Rufus), and had no idea on how to solve the “bootmgr is missing”, and your solution worked just fine

    1. Oh God! Listen Man: You need MSDaRT MS Software (not for Windows 8/8.1/10 OS) for this /OR/ Bootable Windows OS Disc (or USBFlashDiaskDrive)
      Good Luck in the Battle =)!

  2. I tried both ways — HP Proliant DL160 just hangs with some color bars on the north edge of the screen. Can’t believe how crappy SeaTools (DOS) is. And for SAS drives, which runs mostly on Linux and Unix variants, you gotta find a Windows server to test the disk. I think all this is just to minimize the volume of RMAs. No SeaTools, no error code. No error code, no RMA.

    1. Yep same here. DOS text screen, some standard BIOS msgs, then the word “FreeDOS_” with the underscore cursor blinking forever. Bootfail. Too much jacking and hacking around… no time for this nonsense… ultimatebootcd here i come.

    2. Yes, same for me. I have tried running the seatools.exe which I see on the USB stick from the FreeDOS prompt, but that just hangs and doesn’t do anything even after being left for an hour or so. Did you ever find a solution?

  3. Installed SeaTools.img using UNetbootin. Boot from USBdrive.
    Still waiting after 20+min… from program to load.
    Whats going on here?

  4. Found this post on Google. Didn’t work using the technique to create the boot drive. Ended up using Ultimate Boot CD which has Seatools inside and using Rufus to create it. Now I got a super USB stick!

  5. USB boots fine..Some information is shown which disappears quickly..Finally a black screen with colored lines at top!
    Seatools = BS

  6. Yes, it was getting stuck at FreeDos.
    I also tried UBCD (Ultimate boot CD). It worked. UBCD has a lot of tools. After writing UBCD on a bootable USB, boot your computer. In the menu, go to HDD, and then diagnostics. There are about 20 different Hard disk diagnostic utilities there. For me, SeaTools for DOS version 2.23 didn’t work. It gave me an error. However, SeaTools for DOS version 1.12 worked perfectly fine. Note: For SeaTools to work , please press F2 key first, go into BIOS, go to SATA, and select ATA option. It won’t work with AHCI option. All the best.

  7. Waste of shit of a program, win32imager are all source codes, where is the fucking install download !
    can’t you put a simple cock sucking EXE to download !!!

  8. Please NOTE!
    If you can’t find any hard drive after click ‘I agree’
    then you adjust BIOS-Advanced-SATA Mode to ATA or IDE (or RAID) EXCEPT ‘AHCI’
    If Seagatetool discontinue showing up ‘FREEDOS’
    then you find another version of Seagatetools (providers call ‘legacy vision’)
    In my case, 2.3version didn’t work for me, but 2.2version worked

  9. Have new Lenovo Win 10 box with 2 TB Seagate drive. Windows started to hang and logs show bad block errors. Followed instructions here, changed boot device order, changed the hybrid HD to IDE from AHCI, converted/burned ISO to flash drive and no luck getting the PC to boot from it.

  10. You my friend are a bloody legend.
    Thank you greatly. Technology companies are such morose idiots. Why they often can’t provide an easy USB boot image for their tools, as they all once did for optical media, continues to be beyond my understanding.

  11. I have successfully used u disk into Seatools for DOS (the latest version 2.23)
    Your way, without success
    This is a Google translation in English, I do not speak English
    Extraction tool ultraiso (7z decompression software such as might be). Guiding tool flashboot (works a small company).
    1. Extract from iso in a file with the extension .ima, and then .ima in the file is extracted.
    2. flashboot process u disk, miniOS — freedos. (Using flashboot comes freedos kernel, u disk inside the kernel file contains a freedos and a command interpreter that command.exe.) (Also you can operate in a virtual machine in this vbox step, USB1.1 can )
    3, ima extracted from the image file and copy the contents of the contents inside the disc cover u. (Note that if you use linux above steps, pay attention, because linux is case sensitive, so command.exe file to manually override)
    4, reboot and start depending on motherboard prompted to select U disk before entering the system
    Look at this information (Chinese):
    http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_538052ba0100lm6h.html

  12. Thanks guys for the info.found it useful.
    steps which worked for me
    Download the SeaTools for DOS ISO file
    Use 7-Zip to open the SeaTools for DOS ISO file.
    Extract the SeaTools.ima file to your hard drive.
    Rename the SeaTools.ima file to SeaTools.img.
    Use Image Writer for Windows to write the SeaTools.img image file to a USB drive on Windows.
    Now you can boot off of this USB drive and run SeaTools for DOS.
    important:go to bios by pressing F2->advanced change sata to
    AHCI to ATA or IDE and save settings.
    now boot from usb for seagate HDD to get recognised.

  13. Good solution for the boot disk failure issue. Most of the times it may be hard disk issue or sometimes even loose connection can cause boot disk failure problem. Keep writing more on other topics also.

  14. Good. Solved after trying too other ways to make that into a USB… I was looking for wrong answers.

    Win32 Disk Imager worked. I updated firmware of a ST1000DM003.

    Dont forget to disable AHCI, turn to IDE. Thanks for the guide.

  15. If the computer allows it, then it is better to use an SD card to boot it.
    The new version of Seatools, in my opinion, has a problem: it works only with 64-bit processors.

  16. “Writing the SeaTools for DOS ISO file directly to a USB drive using either Rufus or UNetbootin does not work.”

    Does not work with Balena Etcher either.

Leave a Reply to PGN Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *