What you need to run it, in plain terms.
The practical answers procurement usually asks for first: operating system, deployment, file systems, hardware and licensing — no marketing language, just the specification.
The practical answers procurement asks for first.
- Operating system
- A native Windows application, tested on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Where it runs
- Entirely on your own machine — offline and local, no cloud service to procure and no data leaving the building. Offline & air-gapped detail.
- Internet connection
- None required, at any point — including licensing. Runs happily on a permanently air-gapped workstation.
- System requirements
- Moderate — ordinary workstation hardware is enough to get started. For high volumes or continuous imaging we'll spec a machine around your actual throughput rather than sell you more than you need.
- Reader equipment
- Runs against equipment you already have, our supplied reader bundle, or a custom-built workstation — your choice.
- Licensing
- Flexible, and shaped around what you actually need — scale, duration and engagement model are all discussed rather than fixed. Talk to us and we'll fit it to your budget cycle.
- Deployment
- No installer required — unzip and run, including from a USB stick on an examination or reading-room machine.
File systems read.
NTFS, exFAT, FAT12/16/32, ext2/3/4, HFS+/HFSX, APFS, ISO9660, UFS — across MBR and GPT partition schemes.
Signed executables, update policy, data retention.
Items like code-signing, the update mechanism for air-gapped installs, vulnerability/patch policy and data-retention statements vary by engagement and are confirmed as part of onboarding — talk to us with your procurement or security team's specific checklist and we'll answer against it directly, rather than publish generic claims here that may not match your review.
Questions about specifications & licensing.
What operating system does DF Sentinel run on?
Does DF Sentinel need to be installed?
What file systems can it read?
What hardware do we need to run it?
Do we need to buy reader hardware from Data Forensics?
Do you publish a fixed price list?
More from DF Sentinel.
DF Sentinel Overview
The full product — imaging, integrity validation, reporting and how we work with you.
Legacy MediaFloppy Disk Imaging
Flux-level capture, read-only by physics, built for a shelf of disks at once.
Write-BlockingHonestly Explained
Software-based, verified by attempt — what that means and why it's the right trade-off.
Digital PreservationBeyond Capture-Time Hashing
Ongoing fixity monitoring, PRONOM format ID, Dublin Core metadata and BagIt export.
Offline & Air-GappedNo Cloud, No Phone-Home
Runs identically on a permanently isolated workstation, including licensing.
ForensicsFor Labs & Legal Teams
Chain of custody, dual-hash imaging and resumable acquisition, explained honestly.
Sample ReportSee The Output
A verdict-first summary, with a full technical appendix underneath.
Talk to us about deployment & security review.
Tell us what your team needs to see and we'll answer against it directly.
No newsletters, no mailing lists, no marketing follow-up — whichever way you get in touch.