On 5 Mar 00 at 9:42, Bjorn Simonsen wrote:
> <http://members.hyperlink.net.au/~chart/>
> look for hdp.zip
When I replied to Bernie's call for suggestions this morning I was
online and didn't have the time to find and include anything but
the URL in my reply. As I believe this utility could come in very
handy for most SURVPC users one time or another, I'm passing some
information from the web site and docs about it now.
HDP - Hard Disk Partition. The Partition Reader by Craig Hart.
(Freeware. hdp.zip only 31kb)
From: <http://members.hyperlink.net.au/~chart/download.html>
#quote:
HDP Version: 1.10� Last revised: 11-01-99
HDP is a utility that reads the Partition table from a hard
disk, examines the data therein and tells you the CHS parameters
used to set the drive up. This information is invaluable in
resurrecting CMOS setups, verifying that translations haven't
changed when moving drives between controllers and/or BIOS's,
etc. HDP also displays the 'current' translation in use and the
'raw' partition data, as well as an indication of whether
translation is required or not (i.e. LBA mode on IDE drives) in
an easy-to-read single 80x25 screen. If you work with hard disks
then you need HDP. Comes with extensive documentation on when and
why HDP is required. Works with any hard disk that has INT 13h
(BIOS) support - XT/AT/IDE/MFM/RLL/SCSI/ESDI/etc.
#unquote
And some clips from the hdp.doc file...
#quote:
This is a very simple utility designed to assist you in finding
out just "how the hell" that mystery HDD was configured in it's
previous life. In the past it was often guesswork to find out
what parameters an unknown HDD was setup with. Even with your own
HDD, if you loose your CMOS, do you know what parameters your HDD
is currently setup with? Would you be able to relibably find out?
<snip>
Many of you, by now, will be saying "But I have the numbers on
my HDD's lid, in TheRef(tm), written down, etc etc". The sorry
fact is that just because you know the manufacturer's RECOMMENDED
translation, you don't necessarily know the PHYSICAL VALUES THAT
WERE ACTUALLY USED. You can reduce ANY of the three parameters to
ANY other lesser value and STILL get just about any HDD
working... for example a 540Mb HDD may have been setup as an LBA
device, or as a normal device on a non-LBA BIOS with a lower
cylinder value... how do you know? An MFM or RLL drive can have
any number of cylinders from about 40 to it's manufacturing
maximum (and sometimes a few more; the classic example being a
Miniscribe 3650 which has a factory of 812 Cylinders but is
usually formatted out to 820 cylinders so that it fits the
"standard" BIOS type 40 entry - 820x6x17). The person installing
the drive may have guessed the values, made a typo, gone on the
wrong info etc etc. The values on the lid of the drive won't tell
you. HDP WILL.
<snip>
Hardware requirements
16k RAM
One or more Hard Disks with BIOS (INT 13h) support
XT or greater PC
In other words, "If it's a PC with a Hard Disk, HDP can handle
it!" HDP runs under any version of DOS or DOS-liks OS that
provides a normal DOS environment and access to BIOS int 13h, such
as Win95, Win 3.x. It does NOT run under Windows NT. Operation
under OS/2 is unknown, however it IS known to report the correct
information on a HDD containing OS/2 or NT, when the PC in
question is booted from a DOS floppy.
#unquote
The documentation is worth the download in it self. Don't ask me if
it works as promised, I recently just found it (by following a link
from Rich Green's site. Craig Hart is also author of DIAGS, listed
on Rich's pages.) Anyway, if and when you are desperate - you'll try
anything, so why not this...
All the best,
Bjorn
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