Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Micro-Scope claims to be O/S independent. What does that mean?

Q. All the PCs I work on have Windows, so why should I care about O/S independence?

Q. How long has Micro-Scope been around?

Q. Will I have to pay for new versions?

Q. How many different tests are included on the diskette?

Q. What pieces of hardware does Micro-Scope test?

Q. Can you guarantee that Micro-Scope will tell me what's wrong with my new computer?

Q. If Micro-Scope is so thorough, why is it included in a 'Toolkit' with other products?

Q. Can I buy just the Micro-Scope without the Toolkit or Post-Probe?

Q. I see a new feature called Secure Wipe. What is that?

Q. What kind of technical support will there be?

Q. Does it come with a manual?

Q. Micro-Scope claims to be O/S independent. What does that mean?

A. The Micro-Scope diskette contains its own bootable operating system, designed specifically for diagnostics. Therefore it can be used on any PC, whether the resident OS on that PC is DOS, Windows, Linux, NetWare, O/S 2 or what have you.

Q. All the PCs I work on have Windows, so why should I care about O/S independence?

A. Windows, like DOS and other popular operating systems, was designed to run the hardware in the background, so the applications (and the user) are free to focus on the task at hand and don't need to duplicate the most basic control functions from one application to the next. This is normally a good thing, but when the application is a hardware diagnostic, the operating system makes it impossible for the diagnostic to directly access the various peripherals and motherboard components, leading to inaccuracy and missing information. With Micro-Scope, the proprietary O/S gives direct hardware access to the diagnostic routines for the most accurate and complete results.

Q. How long has Micro-Scope been around?

A. The first version hit the market in 1991, but has changed continually to keep up with advances in PC technology. The latest is Version 11, released in late 2002.

Q. Will I have to pay for new versions?

A. Yes, but for owners of the previous version, each upgrade is only a fraction of the cost of a new Micro-Scope.

Q. How many different tests are included on the diskette?

A. There are approximately 250 routines, although it varies from one version to the next. Only some of these are diagnostic tests or benchmarks, though. Others are for information gathering and component identification, and some are utilities for all sorts of system management tasks.

Q. What pieces of hardware does Micro-Scope test?

A. Far too many to list them all here. Suffice to say that just about every motherboard component or system peripheral will be identified and tested by some part of the Micro-Scope program.

Q. Can you guarantee that Micro-Scope will tell me what's wrong with my new computer?

A. No, of course not. First of all, Micro-Scope only tests hardware, and many problems are due to software or user error. Second, not a year goes by that the industry doesn't come out with new peripherals, faster CPUs and other improvements, which is why we create a new version of Micro-Scope every year. We do our best, but we would need a crystal ball to claim we were ahead of all the latest technology you could buy.

Q. If Micro-Scope is so thorough, why is it included in a 'Toolkit' with other products?

A. Micro-Scope requires the system to be functioning well enough to boot up to its operating system. If the PC can't boot up, a card called the Post-Probe will diagnose the boot-up process to see where it is failing. That's the other product in the 'Toolkit'.

Q. Can I buy just the Micro-Scope without the Toolkit or Post-Probe?

A. Yes.

Q. I see a new feature called Secure Wipe. What is that?

A. This is a utility added in Version 11 that allows all or part of a hard drive to be sterilized, making the data inaccessible. Many people don't realize that when a computer file is deleted, the data is still on the platter and can be recovered with the right equipment. The Secure Wipe feature allows law enforcement agencies, the military, financial institutions etc. to dispose of hard drives without fear that sensitive data can be recovered from them.

Q. What kind of technical support will there be?

A. Micro-Scope comes with free lifetime technical support, and our customers tell us our support is about the best in the industry.

Q. Does it come with a manual?

A. Yes, there is a very thorough manual. In truth though, the menu-driven interface is so simple and intuitive that the manual is not even needed for most features.