Just to compare the same thing, I downloaded the T2505 USB "Full" image and tried that. I re-created a fresh 'small.qcow2' disk image (see previous email) and booted using the USB "Full" disk image as hda and the small.qcow2 disk image as hdb.
FDISK worked okay, as before. Rebooted, then tried to format: > C:\>format D: /D > > [DEBUG] FORMAT 0.92a, selected drive D: > [DEBUG] Sector buffer at 15E1:BD3C, track buffer at 15E1:673C > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, LOCKing drive > > WARNING: ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK > DRIVE D: WILL BE LOST! PLEASE CONFIRM! > Proceed with Format (YES/NO)?YES > [DEBUG] Checking whether UNFORMAT data can be saved. > [DEBUG] Test-reading boot sector. > +*** bad sector(s): 0 (code 0x201) on READ * > maybe FAT32? > **** bad sector(s): 0 (code 0x20C) on READ * > [DEBUG] Error code: 0x20C > Boot sector unreadable, disk not yet formatted > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, FORMAT-LOCKing drive > [DEBUG] FAT1x size: 4, using FAT12. > Disk size: 4988 kbytes, FAT12. *** > [DEBUG] Enabled access flags. > Cannot find existing format - not saving UNFORMAT data. > Please enter volume label (max. 11 chars): SMALL > QuickFormatting (only flushing metadata) > Warning: Resets bad cluster marks if any. > [DEBUG] File System Creation > [DEBUG] Boot Sector -> 0 > +**Drive_IO(WRITE 0, count 1 ) [FAT12/16] [drive D*] > > Critical error during DOS disk access > DOS driver error (hex): 01 > Description: unknown unit for driver > Program terminated. > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, UNLOCKing drive (by one level) > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, UNLOCKing drive (by one level) Interestingly, I also tried it with T2505 USB "Lite" and it worked: I re-created a fresh 'small.qcow2' disk image .. FDISK worked okay .. then after reboot I did the FORMAT: > C:\>format D: /D > > [DEBUG] FORMAT 0.92a, selected drive D: > [DEBUG] Sector buffer at 15E1:BD3C, track buffer at 15E1:673C > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, LOCKing drive > > WARNING: ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK > DRIVE D: WILL BE LOST! PLEASE CONFIRM! > Proceed with Format (YES/NO)?YES > [DEBUG] Checking whether UNFORMAT data can be saved. > [DEBUG] Test-reading boot sector. > **** bad sector(s): 0 (code 0x810C) on READ * > maybe FAT32? > **** bad sector(s): 0 (code 0x20C) on READ * > [DEBUG] Error code: 0x20C > Boot sector unreadable, disk not yet formatted > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, FORMAT-LOCKing drive > [DEBUG] FAT1x size: 4, using FAT12. > Disk size: 4988 kbytes, FAT12. *** > [DEBUG] Enabled access flags. > Cannot find existing format - not saving UNFORMAT data. > Please enter volume label (max. 11 chars): SMALL > QuickFormatting (only flushing metadata) > Warning: Resets bad cluster marks if any. > [DEBUG] File System Creation > [DEBUG] Boot Sector -> 0 > [DEBUG] FAT Sectors: 1 to 8 -> > 0% 12% 25% 37% 50% 62% 75% 87% 100% > [DEBUG] FAT1 Start -> 1 > [DEBUG] FAT2 Start -> 5 > [DEBUG] Root Directory Sectors: 9 to 40 ... done. > [DEBUG] Root, Label, Timestamp -> 9 > [DEBUG] File System Created > > QuickFormat complete. > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, UNLOCKing drive (by one level) > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, UNLOCKing drive (by one level) > > 5,128,704 bytes total disk space (disk size) > 5,107,712 bytes available on disk (free clusters) > > 4,096 bytes in each allocation unit. > 1,247 allocation units on disk. > > Volume Serial Number is 1751-1E19 On Sat, May 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM Jim Hall <jh...@freedos.org> wrote: > > I'm trying to set up a small (5MB) hard disk image that I'm going to > use for a coding experiment (so I can wipe it and start over without > damaging my other files). > > 1. When using the FreeDOS 1.4 USB image, FDISK can create a partition > on the new disk, but FORMAT cannot format it. > > 2. When booting from an installed version of FreeDOS (T2505) both > FDISK and FORMAT work fine. > > Both FreeDOS 1.4 and T2505 use the same version of FORMAT. > > > Here's how I made the disk image using QEMU: > > > $ qemu-img create -f qcow2 small.qcow2 5M > > Formatting 'small.qcow2', fmt=qcow2 cluster_size=65536 extended_l2=off > > compression_type=zlib size=5242880 lazy_refcounts=off refcount_bits=16 > > > Then I booted the FreeDOS 1.4 USB "Full" image as the "C:" drive and > the small.qcow2 image as the "D:" drive: > > > $ qemu-system-i386 -enable-kvm -hda FD14FULL.img -hdb small.qcow2 > > > The installer starts up, I select the language, then use the next > prompt to immediately exit to a DOS prompt. I used FDISK to make sure > the second disk is the right one, then create a partition on it: > > > C:\>fdisk 2 /info > > > > Current fixed disk drive: 2 10080 sectors, geometry 10/016/63 > > > > No partitions defined. > > > > Largest continuous free space for primary partition = 4 MBytes > > > ..then: > > > C:\>fdisk 2 /auto > > C:\>fdisk 2 /info > > > > Current fixed disk drive: 2 10080 sectors, geometry 10/016/63 > > > > Partition Status Mbytes System Usage Start CHS End > > CHS > > D: 1 1 A 4 FAT-12 100% 0/001/01 > > 9/015/63 > > > > Largest continuous free space for primary partition = 0 MBytes > > > After I reboot, and exit back to a DOS prompt, I tried to format the > new drive: (here it is with /D for debugging info) > > > C:\>format D: /D > > > > [DEBUG] FORMAT 0.92a, selected drive D: > > [DEBUG] Sector buffer at 15E1:BD3C, track buffer at 15E1:673C > > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, LOCKing drive > > > > WARNING: ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK > > DRIVE D: WILL BE LOST! PLEASE CONFIRM! > > Proceed with Format (YES/NO)?YES > > [DEBUG] Checking whether UNFORMAT data can be saved. > > [DEBUG] Test-reading boot sector. > > +*** bad sector(s): 0 (code 0x201) on READ * > > maybe FAT32? > > **** bad sector(s): 0 (code 0x20C) on READ * > > [DEBUG] Error code: 0x20C > > Boot sector unreadable, disk not yet formatted > > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, FORMAT-LOCKing drive > > [DEBUG] FAT1x size: 4, using FAT12. > > Disk size: 4988 kbytes, FAT12. *** > > [DEBUG] Enabled access flags. > > Cannot find existing format - not saving UNFORMAT data. > > Please enter volume label (max. 11 chars): SMALL > > QuickFormatting (only flushing metadata) > > Warning: Resets bad cluster marks if any. > > [DEBUG] File System Creation > > [DEBUG] Boot Sector -> 0 > > +**Drive_IO(WRITE 0, count 1 ) [FAT12/16] [drive D*] > > > > Critical error during DOS disk access > > DOS driver error (hex): 01 > > Description: unknown unit for driver > > Program terminated. > > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, UNLOCKing drive (by one level) > > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, UNLOCKing drive (by one level) > > > If I boot from from an installed version of FreeDOS (T2505) I can > partition and format the new disk: > > > $ qemu-system-i386 -enable-kvm -hda freedos.qcow2 -hdb small.qcow2 > > ..and: (starting from the same virtual disk) > > > C:\>fdisk 2 /info > > > > Current fixed disk drive: 2 10080 sectors, geometry 10/016/63 > > > > Partition Status Mbytes System Usage Start CHS End > > CHS > > D: 1 1 A 4 FAT-12 100% 0/001/01 > > 9/015/63 > > > > Largest continuous free space for primary partition = 0 MBytes > > > ..and: (deleting the current partitions) > > > C:\>fdisk 2 /deleteall > > C:\>fdisk 2 /info > > > > Current fixed disk drive: 2 10080 sectors, geometry 10/016/63 > > > > No partitions defined. > > > > Largest continuous free space for primary partition = 4 MBytes > > > ..and: (making the partition again) > > > C:\>fdisk 2 /auto > > C:\>fdisk 2 /info > > > > Current fixed disk drive: 2 10080 sectors, geometry 10/016/63 > > > > Partition Status Mbytes System Usage Start CHS End > > CHS > > D: 1 1 A 4 FAT-12 100% 0/001/01 > > 9/015/63 > > > > Largest continuous free space for primary partition = 0 MBytes > > ..and: (after rebooting) > > > C:\>format D: /D > > > > [DEBUG] FORMAT 0.92a, selected drive D: > > [DEBUG] Sector buffer at 2FEC:BD3C, track buffer at 2FEC:913C > > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, LOCKing drive > > > > WARNING: ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK > > DRIVE D: WILL BE LOST! PLEASE CONFIRM! > > Proceed with Format (YES/NO)?YES > > YES > > [DEBUG] Checking whether UNFORMAT data can be saved. > > [DEBUG] Test-reading boot sector. > > **** bad sector(s): 0 (code 0x810C) on READ * > > maybe FAT32? > > **** bad sector(s): 0 (code 0x20C) on READ * > > [DEBUG] Error code: 0x20C > > Boot sector unreadable, disk not yet formatted > > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, FORMAT-LOCKing drive > > [DEBUG] FAT1x size: 4, using FAT12. > > Disk size: 4988 kbytes, FAT12. *** > > [DEBUG] Enabled access flags. > > Cannot find existing format - not saving UNFORMAT data. > > Please enter volume label (max. 11 chars): SMALL > > QuickFormatting (only flushing metadata) > > Warning: Resets bad cluster marks if any. > > [DEBUG] File System Creation > > [DEBUG] Boot Sector -> 0 > > [DEBUG] FAT Sectors: 1 to 8 -> > > 0% 12% 25% 37% 50% 62% 75% 87% 100% > > [DEBUG] FAT1 Start -> 1 > > [DEBUG] FAT2 Start -> 5 > > [DEBUG] Root Directory Sectors: 9 to 40 ... done. > > [DEBUG] Root, Label, Timestamp -> 9 > > [DEBUG] File System Created > > > > QuickFormat complete. > > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, UNLOCKing drive (by one level) > > [DEBUG] DOS 7+, UNLOCKing drive (by one level) > > > > 5,128,704 bytes total disk space (disk size) > > 5,107,712 bytes available on disk (free clusters) > > > > 4,096 bytes in each allocation unit. > > 1,247 allocation units on disk. > > > > Volume Serial Number is 2A3B-1E02 > > > Jim _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
