Tulert

yes, it is the same stick dsfo \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1 0 0 NUL 4043309056 bytes

What was different before when it wasn't "a HDD" but did boot on a laptop?

look like: 5C 00 3F 00 3F 00 5C 00 53 00 54 00 4F 00 52 00 41 00 47 00 45 00 23 00 52 00 65 00 6D 00 6F 00 76 00 61 ...

Lol. I got it with HDHacker with options 'Physical Drive (MBR)' and 'First Sector (Boot Sector)'; 'Read Sector from Disk', 'Save'. Ok, implications make sense. What exactly I had to do to have it differently I am not sure: So when I go to 'Disk Management' I see my test stick and when I select 'Format' I only observe the following options: Volume Label: File System: {FAT} or {FAT32} Allocation Unit Size: I've used {Default} Perform a quick format {left} unchecked It didn't even feel like I have a choice between Super Floppy or HDD so I assumed that it "knows" it deals with HDD as a result of UT165 1.65.17.0. No, I didn't skip it. I guess I got confused about <<"normal" Disk Management>> Not exactly as before ASUS didn't boot with option Auto... Will do in the evening Yes, it is the same stick all the time.

Attached.And yes, Grub4Dos is now in the menu after following your instructions about boot.ini. For the record: if I use HDD option on ASUS in BIOS I am stuck with Motherboard logo. Option Auto works as discussed. Option Forced FDD -- same as Auto. Tulert090729.rar

Thanks for all the info. I read some of it, will get back once I have a chance to the rest. At the moment I did fsz 200_sectors.bin 102400 dsfi \\.\Physicaldrive1 0 0 200_sectors.bin 'Disk Management' => Format Copied boot.ini, ntldr, grldr to the stick Got when booting on a laptop Disk error Press any key to restart... On ASUS with the same stick & option Auto in BIOS I do get beyond Motherboard logo now to this: Please select the operating system to start: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Microsoft Windows Recovery Console The pic is similar to Click here Is it normal/OK that Grub4Dos is not in the menu?

Call me dumb but what would make the stick a bootable device though? Just a format won't be enough or am I getting crazy? If this is not too much trouble for you could you pls print a command for dsfo? I don't understand if HDDs and Flashes have the same structure & whether there should be a partition table and so what is the 1-st sector to clear. And whether it matters now or after 1-st format or at all. The flash works as a storage already & doesn't request a format so I don't understand what is Ok and not Ok to erase. We agreed on Win XP.

I tried it again and got OK in the UT165 1.65.17.0. So what should I do with this stick now to test it on ASUS, i.e. Fuwi's tool, your files, nothing.It looks crazy in Beeblebrox, by the way.

I wonder what went wrong. Who knows... People there report all kind of errors and say they've got their flash drive recovered nevertheless... So I am not sure what stage I've got to. My flash changed it's name and the name I see in Asus bios.Also I read a little more and somebody says they've restarted the program several times (sounds like 3-4) with 0x28 and eventually got Ok. So maybe I should try that too. I wonder if there is a forum with replies and not just error reports.

I tried UT165 1.65.17.0. The result is Error 0x28 "Run SCSI command Failed".Then I formatted with Fuwi's tool and it boots on a Laptop with the same blue splashscreen. On ASUS: if BIOS: Auto => Motherboard logo if BIOS: Forced FDD => get to grub> prompt Any commands I should run here while it works? The backups of the MBR and the Bootsector before UT165 1.65.17.0 operation attached. ************************************************************** Also Log from the UT165 1.65.17.0 MFPT [1] run Unit Test Result Ut165 ======================================================= Start Date : воскресенье,19 июл 2009 Start Time : 19:31:53 End Time : 19:32:03 Consume Time : 00:00:10 ------------------------------------------------------- Port 0 : Connect status : Code:0x28 Stage : Search Blank Blocks = 00:00:05:958 Stage : Read L2P Valid Blocks = 00:00:01:600 Stage : Write ISP Code = 00:00:01:731 Stage : Update CIS = 00:00:01:882 Capacity : 3851MB VID/PID : 1307/165 Inquiry : USB 2.0 USB Flash Drive Serial Number : 0000000000000F Intel-2421-32Gb Operating Mode : 2.0 - Dual Total Bad Blocks : 6 ------------------------------------------------------- Port 1 : no device ------------------------------------------------------- Port 2 : no device ------------------------------------------------------- Port 3 : no device ******************************************************* Diagnostics I saw: Device Tree List: [Port 1] Status: Code:0x28 Capacity: 3851MB Firmware ID: AM0684 USB VID/PID: 1307/165 Inquiry Strings: USB 2.0 USB Flash Drive Serial Number: 0000000000000F Write Protect: No Flash ID: Intel-2421-32Gb 89 d5 94 3e 74 Operating Mode: 2.0 - Dual I understand from Flash ID that it is A=2 => MLC B=4 => 4K page Blk C=2 => dual channel D=1 => max chip numbers=1 Tulert090719.rar

The disks are brand new from the store. Is there anything else we could try except for me unmounting them? Is it important to check the result of these commands from the stick prepared with your files? If not -- I can take a different stick and it should get me to the grub> prompt like it happened before. Whatever, the point was I am able to see 3 screens, not 2 like I said before.

Almost Since I don't know what is an egg I'll go read an article. It says it's a round 3D white object sold in the DrugStores. So I go there and, bingo, golf balls qualify. Next I cannot break them - bummer! So I need to go read the article again and see what I misunderstood. In the meantime the Lab doesn't know what is going on, so why don't I entertain them a little bit?

I know it is not a hex-editor, this is why I wrote what I did. The hex editor would show me a bunch of numbers, right? How would I know which ones to delete/modify to get rid of "--ignore-floppies"? I changed the file, didn't get that educated to figure there is one inside grldr (but suspected this is not what si needed). Was up to trying a commandgrubmenu.exe import grldr menu.lst but didn't do it yet. I am not getting to the command line on ASUS. The 2 pics is all I get. I don't know what to hit on the 1-st one to get to the command line and on the 2-nd it doesn't let me.On F8 I see this pic. Will try, thanks. Will get another stick for this, I guess.

Did this:Edited menu.lst in Notepad & removed all "--ignore-floppies". Attempt on ASUS resulted in same pics as http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...st&p=867072

It's Ok for now. I have enough to test and it cuts into the other things I have to do. If you think it is something interesting to try -- I'll do it but with a delay.Also, what does it mean "ASUS should have nx255x63"? That is it is programmed as HDD in BIOS or something like that?

Well, I did an extra 'format' in the middle because wasn't able to copy files in #33. Should have tried without copying because the old files were visible... When I did an extra 'format' for first64.dat it stopped working too, plus I didn't try to copy files in #33 in that case. I attch 2 pics for T40 with XP and a new one X61 with Vista. Don't they both look like nx240x63 ?I need to disappear for a couple of days. If I have updates, I'll post.

Results (after an extra format, see below but doesn't work without format either): first315.dat . Laptop boot => "Disk error Press any key to restart" . 06 -> 0E . Laptop boot => "Disk error Press any key to restart" =============================================== I am afraid I messed up with the sequence in the instructions, in particular I am not sure if I formatted and copied files from #33 when I repeated the procedure for first64.dat. =============================================== So I did 2 more "tests" with the sequence . format . MBR . out/in for stick . format . Beeblebrox . copy #33 . boot laptop . 06 -> 0E . boot laptop first64.dat & 06 first64.dat & 0E first315.dat & 06 first315.dat & 0E ALL result in "Disk error Press any key to restart" =============================================== Ok, I repeated everything from the beginning, i.e. from first1.dat to the end of post #38 and I am not getting those pictures any more. "Disk error. Press any key to restart" in all 4 cases. Sorry. I did the "procedure" from the beginning for first64.dat which was wrong. =============================================== I replicated #38. It goes . format . first1.dat . format . copy #33 . boot laptop => Disk error ... . 06 -> 0E . boot laptop => Disk error ... . first64.dat . boot laptop => Italian . 06 -> 0E . boot laptop => pictures When I tried to use first315.dat from here I got error when trying to copy files in #33. WinXP refused to copy them. This is where I got freaked out and went to the start of this post, did format & full procedure described for first1.dat combined with first315.dat.

Same Stick on Asus: BIOS: HDD or Auto => Motherboard logo BIOS: FDD => . Boots up to menu . 2-nd screenshot with Grub4Dos option chosen

Results:first1.dat .Format with WinXP format, FAT16 .After-format Beeblebrox: 06-80-0-1-1-490-254-63-63-7887852 .Laptop boot: "Disk error Press any key to restart" .06 -> 0E .Laptop boot: "Disk error Press any key to restart" first64.dat .Laptop boot: " Rimuovere supporti Premere un tasto per riavviare" .06 -> 0E .Shows Menu on grey screen, pic. ('Main Menu') .Selected Grub4Dos, pic. ('After Main Menu') Pic. included Commands on Asus in this post to be done

"Disk error Press any key to restart" for both. Didn't reformat, only changed the partition table.

"Disk errorPress any key to restart" For some reason I see #0-06-80-0-1-1-490-254 -63-63-7887852 in Beeblebrox right away. I am pretty sure I changed to #0-0E-80-0-1-1-490-254 -63-63-7887852 And when I 'restore' the saved partition table I see #0-0E-80-0-1-1-490-254 -63-63-7887852 Repeated the procedure. After frormatting on a laptop get #0-06-80-0-1-1-490-254 -63-63-7887852 Instead of #0-0E-80-0-1-1-490-254 -63-63-7887852 Or am I not getting the instructions:

Fuwi's tool with FAT16.Results on ASUS from this setup Results:"Warning! FAT cluster size(=65536) larger than 32K!" (fd0) Results:"Possible disks are: fd0 fd1 hd0 hd1 rd" "Possible partitions are:Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x6B Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x20 Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0xB4 Filesystem type unknown, using whole disk" "Error 11: Unrecognized device string, or you omitted the required DEVICE part which should lead the filename" "Error 11: Unrecognized device string, or you omitted the required DEVICE part which should lead the filename"HDHacker_Res.zip dirofstick.txt

Now back in town. We can experiment, have to catch up with work now, Win XP in not the 1-st priority.

I think I should unplug my IDE connector and do some of it again. I do have evidence, if you noticed, that USB doesn't let real CDROM boot. So there is some interaction between the 2. And if in the end of the day everything fails I probably have to check if Asus has any BIOS update on its website. So far it seems quite feasible to follow both, ignoring some of the instructions, of course. None said that I should quit so far. Plus I can learn more myself as the purpose for me is not the boot but getting more comfortable with everything overall.

I believe there was enough info for both. Hence a number of options in BIOS. I do know how to exactly replicate each one so it's not a problem for me to use the only one you want later & I wanted to show more possibilities faster, sorry if that looked random. You've got a circus rat, it thinks that doing more tricks is good & not confusing for the Experts. And not a problem for the experiments as long as there is exact record of how to replicate each one. Now yes. But before I was able to boot under BIOS: CDROM (USB as CDROM I mean) too & I think I'll be able to return there. I should have enough record to remember how to replicate that situation. Ok. ===================== Idea/Question for Experts: Back to Fuwi's tool => it refuses to format as a HDD in the sequence [c; h; [g]], says "This is not a USB-HD Partition!" Could there be a way to trick it or other formatting tool and format as a HDD? And could that help with our problem? I've formatted in Fuwi's as a Stick but there are 2 options there. If this is part of my homework and I should know option h is impossible or smth like that you don't have to reply.