jaclaz

As soon as it will be ready. jaclaz

Hmmm. I thought Siginet was more a "windows" guy than a "Linux" one : Generally speaking, set apart the features of PLoP as a boot manager, the idea is to supply an "independant" (from the one that may or may NOT be already included in the BIOS) USB stack. When it works, it works allright, in some cases it doesn't work (and usually if the problem is reported, Elmar fixes it in next release ). On a very few cases, like the one at hand, it is probably the combination of PLoP (unspecified version) with grub4dos (definitely obsolete version) that creates the issue and that needs to be analyzed and hopefully fixed. jaclaz

Can you run in the PE (off the HD) MOUNTVOL? Or dd for windows? This may help you http://reboot.pro/8219/ to find out if the issue is simply that the volumes are not assigned a drive letter. You can also try running showdrive or similar: http://reboot.pro/10169/ jaclaz

I don't think that such a solution exists (by simply modifying the cable). I mean, in the forensic business, hardware suppliers have been making big bucks for years selling IDE write blockers ... http://www.forensicswiki.org/wiki/Write_Blockers Maybe, just maybe, depending on WHAT is your final goal, you could use a .iso image. jaclaz

Well it seems to me like in BOTH cases there is something "queer", normally if you have: You don't have a When you boot through PLOP, you can try: map --harddrives=2 and re - run map --status and when booting directly you can try: map --unmap (hd2) map --hook and re - run map --status To list disks, map --status is OK. To list drives, you need to use a newer version of grub4dos than the one is inside Winsetup from USB, if I recall correctly. (new versions have an enhanced "find" command). Have you tried with geometry (hd0,0) result should be something like (just an example): geometry (hd0,0) = drive 0x80(LBA): C/H/S=155061/255/63, Sector Count/Size=-1803912331/512 Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x27 partition num: 1, filesystem type is Fat, partition type 0x6 partition num: 2, filesystem type is ntfs, partition type 0x7 Yes, if you are using the "iso" approach, you need to modify the .iso. Or you could try the older "stable" version, vers. 0.2.3, actually, on second thought, it would be definitely better if you try it. jaclaz

Well, the sad fact that people does not use it anymore much doesn't mean that it is dead. I have a couple of servers and even a desktop (little more than a POS) running NT 4.00 allright since a few years, 24/7 with no downtime of *any* kind (only replaced over the years a couple PSU's. As well I have a machine running 2K allright, still 24/7 since march or april 2003, with no problem whatsoever. Originally 2K "suffered" by the hype MS put into the launch of XP (and by the short time after the release of 2K and before XP), which is actually very little more than a "bettered" 2K, only worse , so, originally there were not as many machines as there were - say - running 98, even because at the time Windows 2000 was advertised for professional use ONLY (home user were supposed to have Me instead). Having a smaller user base it is only natural that very few people made it "survive" till today, but it's a pity. jaclaz

I wonder what is the sense of asking for advice, and then NOT doing what is suggested. Right now we have NO way to know if there is an actual problem with the way the stick is partitioned/formatted, or if it is an issue of Install Windows from USB when running under 2K that cannot detect a correctly partitioned/formatted stick.. Possible ways to solve this doubt: partition/format the stick in a SURELY correct way (see above) OR: try the Wnsetup from USB on a machine running XP on the stick "as is". jaclaz

You can go for the USB floppy route, BUT you may need this: Nowadays, it makes little sense (unless you already have such a floppy drive). Use a grub4dos virtual floppy , instead. You can "borrow" ideas/methods from: or from the Wininstall from USB thingy: (or use the atter to install 2k from USB) or: http://reboot.pro/13967/ Before going through that, try simply mapping the F6 floppy image: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=20543 Just for the record, and probably UNnneeded, you can have a "multiple drivers" F6 floppy (or superfloppy), see: http://reboot.pro/13912/ http://sites.google.com/site/rmprepusb/tutorials/install-xp-from-an-iso And to make a floppy image: http://reboot.pro/14354/ jaclaz

Yep . But OP didn't specify under which OS it was run.... and in any case it wasn't tested as extensively as XP or later . jaclaz

It is possible, but you can re-map them in grub4dos allright. The issue is however "strange", in the sense that if a "serious" problem in disk mapping happens, it should "show itself" long before loading the Spanish keyboard driver, which is - more or less - a finishing step. From what you report, it seems like it is NOT that your computer cannot boot from USB, but rather that it cannot detect properly the USB disk. I would check if it is possible to correct this behaviour. How is the hard disk partitioned/formatted (meaning how EXACTLY)? How big in size is it? Try booting the same hard disk on another working PC. Go to grub4dos command line (press c). Issue the command: geometry (hd and press [TAB] to autocomplete before pressing [ENTER] - presuming you have just the USB disk and the internal one, you want to run: geometry (hd0) [ENTER] and geometry (hd1) [ENTER] then try the same on the "bad" PC and see if the disks have the same order. Winsetup from USB does use a rather complex re-mapping mechanism, so it is possible that it is this latter that gets somehow "confused". To troubleshoot this, you can *try* : rename NTLDR to NTLDR.OLD make a copy of grldr rename it as NTLDR Re-check disk mappings after having chosen the menu.lst entry (on second instance of grldr). jaclaz

This one should do anyway : http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Linux-Foundation-releases-blueprint-for-UEFI-Secure-Boot-1368401.html https://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/making-uefi-secure-boot-work-with-open-platforms jaclaz

I think that you should check this thread first: (you are basically venturing in UNexplored ground) jaclaz

Seemingly (and *somehow*) you are now using a non-ACPI kernel/HAL. Try switching kernel and HAL through BOOT.INI: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=23553 Skip to "5. Universal XP - Support in boot.ini menu for Multiple Hal and Kernel" (adapt to your local paths) More: jaclaz

NOT an answer, only "general advice". WHICH set of contacts are you insulating? (try the "other" set) http://www.mapleleafmountain.com/seagatebrick.html jaclaz

I will quote - just in case - Mikhail Kalashnikov http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK-47 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK-47#Design_concept jaclaz

Yep, it uses instead a "versioning" system, which is actually IMHO better (as the filenames remain unchanged): http://evacopy.sourceforge.net/30-screenshots.html#LaRVe but sure, that is just an example. jaclaz

@allen2 Actually, if we are going "external" (i.e. it is possible to download and/or "install" something) there are pre-made apps that can do that, many of which freeware. Just as an example, this may do: http://evacopy.sourceforge.net/ @gunsmokingman VBS should be also "better" than batch to manage date/times .... jaclaz

Maybe you are asking too much for a batch. You may use SCHTASKS to make it run periodically: http://ss64.com/nt/schtasks.html About the "silently", you will need anyway a "third party" program to hide the command console window. That is a good question. Easier would probably be writing a log at each run, then re-parse the log and compare it to the current "source" DIR contents. jaclaz

The snippet is "localized" to "C:\main\". Change the line: FOR /F %%A IN ('DIR /B C:\main\*.*' ) DO ( to: FOR /F %%A IN ('DIR /B *.*' ) DO ( if you want to try runnning it on the same directory the batch is. jaclaz

I presume XP or later. The real problem is IMHO not to get the data, but rather to find out if the date/time has changed. When you are using batch files for dates time there is a "random variable" that is your "international" date/time settings, Check: and: http://www.robvanderwoude.com/ntcall.php Try quickly this batch example: @ECHO OFF FOR /F %%A IN ('DIR /B C:\main\*.*' ) DO ( ECHO %%A ECHO %%~A ECHO %%~dA ECHO %%~pA ECHO %%~nA ECHO %%~xA ECHO %%~dpnxA ECHO %%~tA ECHO %%~zA ECHO %%~aA ECHO. PAUSE ) What do you get as output? jaclaz

The site you mentioned is nothing but a "fake" site trying to promote the use of a Commercail software - BTW of doubtful quality (at least judging on the way they attempt to promote sales) - to fix *any* probelm you may have. It's one of thos sites that "pollute" the internet by publishing nonsense but containing keywords likely to be searched for (common Windows errors/issues) and that regularly propose to do nothing but using the "universal" Commercial tool "xxx" or "yyy". You should: NOT panic describe with some detail the problem you are having, the OS/environment you are working in, etc., etc. This way it is possible that someone can help you specifically on the specific problem you are having. jaclaz

No. I am implying (actually plainly saying ) that When you change in the BIOS from "IDE emulation" to "AHCI" you effectively change the device ID. So, IF the driver is already there, it will be installed. BUT this won't happen on an already installed XP, only during Setup. BUT, you can "force" the new driver by "injecting" it, besides driver injection GUI , already mentioned by allen2, you can use this "manual" technique: http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=444831 jaclaz

IMHO using a SATA CD/DVD drive only adds a layer of complexity to the tests. Please review this: http://reboot.pro/9540/ it is very possible that by hitting the F12 you alter the boot device priority "temporarily", so when the bootfix.bin tries to inspect the hard disk MBR it cannot "find" anymore the CD/DVD to get back to it. And is possible that your particular motherboard BIOS behaves strangely, maybe because you have two optical drives? It is not explicitly mentioned there (and I really cannot recall exactly ) whether the test on the MBR is performed on having a partition Active as I suggested before of if some other tests are performed. jaclaz

And what do you think this is? And this: http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/adsacf.asp I cannot "recommend" these particular items, I can only say that hardware I got from those guys has always been up to the expectations. Generally speaking this kind of stuff is easier to find on sites specialized in mini-itx/micro-itx thingies. Another one: http://www.e-itx.com/sata-cf-mini-adapter.html jaclaz P.S.: On second thought, a IDE to CF adapter is a "passive" adapter, as the CF card is pin compatible with IDE and includes an IDE controller. So you could use one of the "tested to be good" SATA to IDE adapters together with an IDE to CF connector adapter: This site lists a few different SATA to CF adapters: http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=16 but from the way they highlight the "non-hot-swap-ability" of the devices, it sounds like there might be problems (i.e. the hot-swap is seemingly not "default" on these thingies). Maybe HotSwap!: http://mt-naka.com/hotswap/index_enu.htm might help, but would it run on 2k? Just for the record, some info not very "widespread" about CF cards can be found inside this document: http://www.acscontrol.com/pdf/Products/CF/IDEtoCF/IDE_to_CF_Adapter_Users_Manual.pdf

What you describe seems like connected with BOOTFIX.BIN. At least on I386 - but I cannot see why x64 would be different - the CD/DVD bootsector invokes BOOTFIX.BIN before passing control back to the CD booting IF the hard disk(s) is bootable. The BOOTFIX.BIN is the thingy that displays "press any key to boot from CD". (if the hard disk is not bootable the BOOTFIX.BIN is NOT invoked, but it should be enough to set NO partition as Active ) It is possible that you have some "strange" CD/DVD or that your particular BIOS somehow cannot properly manage the little program. (maybe the actual optical drive is SATA and this creates the problem?) <. only a shot in the dark You can try to burn a copy of the CD/DVD but excluding BOOTFIX.BIN. jaclaz