Hi Kali, Maybe this will help ... I think it's close to being accurate. Perhaps one of the true techies on the list will add the necessary corrections. However, this is how things were explained to me.
--- The "low level format thing" you described probably refers to the interface between the system of HDD addressing and the BIOS. The original PCs used cylinder-head-sector (CHS) addressing, which (for technical reasons related to numbering) has serious size limitations. This system was replaced by the sector translation method, which is essentially a virtual address system. The older BIOS doesn't query the HDD for the CHS parameters, so you have to do it manually. If you use a newer drive, it's easy. If you (manually with an older BIOS) can just enter the correct capacity of the drive, the drive itself will make the correct parameter match. The only MAJOR problem is adding an old drive to an old computer, because everything must be entered manually and must be exact. The Pentium still interrogates the drive, you just don't see it. --- HDDs have a master partition table in the first physical sector of the disk. It is offset from the start of the disk by 364 bytes and consists of 64 bytes. The 64 bytes are subdivided into four 16 byte sections, which allows a maximum of 4 partitions. FDISK writes to the master partition table (MPT). Within each section, the byte at offset 04(hex) - the System Indicator Byte (SIB) - defines the file system used inside that partition. FORMAT creates the File Allocation Tables for the partitions defined as DOS. Try using FORMAT /MBR to insure that you overwrite the old Master Boot Record in the primary DOS partition. FDISK (or a similar program with a different name) is always required at some point in time after the manufacture of the physical HDD, otherwise the MPT wouldn't exist. However, once the original values are set - and the user is happy with all the settings - then there is no reason to FDISK again. --- If you could manage to read directly the data in each MPT and MBR, it would be interesting to see if FDISK and FORMAT from MSDOS and DRDOS write identical values. Since the actions of FDISK and FORMAT are so well defined (and confined), I'm surprised that you are having this problem. Perhaps you have a corrupted file that writes a faulty value to the MPT or MBR. Try also formatting with the opposite DOS that was used to FDISK and see if the problem follows FDISK or FORMAT. Also, check one FDISK with the other version and see if they return the same values in the pop up window. If you're sure that the DRDOS FDISK is messing up the HDDs, then just use a MSDOS boot floppy to FDISK and then install DRDOS. Warm regards from sunny Arizona. Bob ~ --- On Sat, 28 Jun 2003 "Kali Mclaughlin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Dear List: > I am completely confused about formatting and fdisking. There is a > "low level format" thing as well that my Pentium wont do, but the good > old 386 will. > > I am told that to clean up a HDD you run fdisk, and then format.com > with switches for HDD rather than floppy. It seems to be different with > DRDOS which I use normally. Its fdisk seems to do the formatting. > > Andy in a previous posting said that if there is no need for > partitions then fdisk is not needed. > > The issue arises because I am still in the dark about why half my > HDDs refuse to load UMSDOS system for Monkeylinux. It seems unrelated to > what DOS is being booted, but to what DOS "made" the disk. SYS.COM does > not seem to alter the acceptability of the disk to Monkey. > > Perhaps DRDOS fdisk is messing up my HDDs? > > Regards all > Kali > > ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!
