The only “Data Lifeguard for DOS” download that seems available is dlgdiag_5_20.zip (from, e.g., HERE). That zip file only contains an exe file (dlgdiag5.exe) intended to be copied to a bootable floppy disk.
I could create my own bootable ISO and incorporate that exe file, but the steps to do that are pretty confusing when I’m attempting to respond to some guy in a support forum who needs to run a diagnostic on his hard drive. I used to be able to say: (1) download the ISO, (2) use ImgBurn to create a bootable CD, and (3) boot the computer from the CD and run Data Lifeguard.
I emailed WD support, and the response I received was that the iso file was removed because it “is already outdated, and we do not support it anymore since only few people are using it.” Neither of those reasons makes a lot of sense.
I haven’t done a survey, but I would be extremely surprised if there were more WD customers who had computers with floppy drives (so that they could use dlgdiag_5_20.exe by creating a bootable floppy disk and copying the exe to the floppy) than customers who have a CD/DVD drive but no floppy drive.
There are certainly ISO images available on the Internet that can be used to create a bootable CD, but most average computer users won’t be able to add dlgdiag onto that CD they way the could with a floppy disk.
If the ISO file was outdated, then WD tech support should have just created a new one with the current version of dlgdiag.exe. It’s easy for an experienced tech with the proper software tools to do this.
