On Tue, 17 Oct 2000 20:32:31 +0400, karen lewellen wrote:
> hi all,
Hi, Karen
Always good to hear from you.
> at first got a message saying that the file fatdsk.exe was not mounted
> then a invalid type reading drive c,
> then a c drive failure.
*sniff* *sniff* *sniff*sniff*
I smell a familiar nemesis. Was this a used drive when you got it? (I
forgot.)
> yes i am having a neverous breakdown over this,
There's a way to avoid this, but you're probably not going to unplug it
and walk away any more than I am; so it won't be the last time, sorry.
> and yes i am back to running it at 504mg.
What I assume is that you're running in the first partition of the
troubled drive right now. What follows is based on that assumption.
MS-DOS (including the later versions with the big default GUI) fdisk has
problems with drives that have had other software (especially LILO)
dealing with the MBR and boot sector. PTS-DOS fdisk doesn't seem to have
these problems. I've rescued several drives for my brother with it. He's
an IT pro with all win versions and a couple of linuxen available.
http://www.PhysTechSoft.com/en/ptsdos/download.html . Download the boot
only version and unzip it into c:\ptsdos . The name of the directory
isn't important, but it is important that it be kept separate from your
MS- versions of the same program.
Note that the install.bat provided does not copy fdisk.com to the boot
disk. Hopefully, you won't really need to make a PTS boot disk anyway.
Make sure that you do have some kind of DOS boot disk available, of
course. (Yeah, I know... you learned this long ago =P. But if I start
leaving stuff out, well... )
cd c:\ptsdos
fdisk /n (the /n tells it not to format new drives that are created.)
Choose view/delete partitions. Delete partitions 2, 3, and 4 if they
exist. When prompted, choose "do not create undo disk" (trust me).
Go back to the main menu and select "create new logical drive". Create a
new, primary partition 2, 3, and 4. There were versions of PTS fdisk
that would create DOS partitions larger than 512MB. In this case, do not
make any partitions larger than 512MB. Exit fdisk.
cd c:\
edit config.sys
Make sure lastdrive= is at least lastdrive=m .
Save and exit. Reboot.
cd c:\ (or c:\dos)
fdisk (this will be ms- fdisk)
Take a look at the partition table. Note the drive letter assigned to
the last partition. For this example, we'll pretend you don't have
cd-rom or ramdrive and that last partition is F:. Exit fdisk.
Make sure that you are not in the \ptsdos directory.
format f: /s
Nevermind about the other two partitions right now.
When finished, copy all of c: to f:.
Now, grab your favorite boot floppy. Either diskcopy a: a: or sys the
new disk and copy all the files. Leave the new boot disk in the drive.
Just in case I've not been clear, this should be an MS-DOS boot disk.
edit a:\repath.bat
rem make sure there's actually a usable disk before we go there
if exist f:\dos\command.com
if exist f:\dos\command.com set path=f:\dos;a:\;f:\;
rem also add the path to any drivers you'll need
Save and exit. If for some reason, your BIOS doesn't support booting
from the last partition, you'll have a fallback and will be able to
change back to partition 1. Just run repath.bat after booting so that
you'll have access to everything on the drive.
I realize that you need other drivers. If they're not on your boot
floppy, then refer to them in config.sys and autoexec.bat on this copy.
As usual, except don't forget to change C: to F:. I've forgotten a time
or two, heh.
Place a fresh, formatted, reliable floppy in a:
cd c:\ptsdos
fdisk /m (mbr rewritten)
fdisk /n
Choose Set/Reset active partition. Partition to set/reset active is 1.
Choose "Create undo file on drive a:". Your floppy drive will make
stranger noises than usual. It will take too long. You'll think the
machine is locked up. Not at all; PTS-DOS is very, very far from being
the most standard an stable OS on the planet. But it takes no
unnecessary chances with your partition table; so, it's just making sure
it's properly backed up.
You'll be returned to the prompt "Partition to set/reset active:".
Choose 4. Prompt returns again; press <esc>. Remove the floppy. Choose
exit fdisk, choose reboot.
Here's where we find out whether your BIOS can truly handle that drive.
If it has any problems, you won't find a bootable drive. It's not
uncommon for a PC to require a bootable partition within the first
512MB. Don't panic. We still have that boot disk.
If the hard drive boots fine, good. If it doesn't, play with config.sys
and autoexec.bat on the floppy until the boot floppy will boot your hard
drive just as if it were done with the HD alone (except for the slower
speed, of course).
For now, leave your partitions as they are. Tweak your drivers and
applications (maybe find out what's with the modem) until you're
satisfied. Continue to use the disk for a while to make sure it's
stable. Remember that you still have the original partition 1 (C:) that
only needs to be marked active to be bootable again.
When you think it's all stable, pull up PTS's fdisk again (don't forget
the /n). Insert another fresh floppy. During the following, choose "make
undo..." when prompted. Delete partitions 1, 2, and 3. Make the largest
partition allowed. If the first one doesn't finish filling the disk,
create the rest as extended partition. Exit fdisk, remove the floppy,
and reboot.
Using MS- fdisk, see what drive letter is assigned to partition 1. I'll
call it C:.
Make sure you're not in f:\ptsdos.
format c: /s
copy everything from f: to c:
Using PTS fdisk, mark partition 1 as active (don't make an undo this
time; if we have to go back it should be to that last undo disk). Exit
fdisk. Reboot.
Should get a boot to C: on partition 1. You now have your whole 2G, less
the 512MB (or whatever was left) that was used for partition 4. Leave
that partition 4 for now. Myself, I'd leave it there for good; it can be
used as a last resort backup device and other such things.
I really like PTS-DOS. I recommend that any DOS user with just a little
patience try it and learn the few differences between it and what
they're using - except for you, Karen. There are optimizations available
that make it ever so slightly incompatible with other DOSes. I love
them, but suspect that some of the devices you're using couldn't handle
it. Still, if you'd like to try it remember that you have that partition
4 where you could try it if you like. If I were in your position, I
think I'd take a break from trying new things with a computer for a
while, tho <g>. Nevermind "think". I know I'd take a break!
Final note: (is that a rousing cheer I hear?)
It's late. I've had a rough day. There's a strong chance I've gotten
something important wrong. If you choose to try it this way, wait a
couple of days at least. It'll give the good, knowledgeable folks on the
list time to correct my errors.
> on top of all this, i am starting to get odd modem errors.
> you know, when the modem connects at 100 and fills the screen with junk? in
> my case it fills the speaker with u u u u u u u u u's
> any guesses on that one too?
Yep. Plenty of guesses. None seem to be a likely answer.
Bob
To unsubscribe from SURVPC send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
unsubscribe SURVPC in the body of the message.
Also, trim this footer from any quoted replies.
More info can be found at;
http://www.softcon.com/archives/SURVPC.html
