jaclaz

Or maybe a legitimate MS support technician dialed the wrong number? jaclaz

@Cosmin3 How to use the utility was in the given link, but on second thought I might have sent you on a wild goose chase , the 500 Gb is NTFS or FAT32? If the latter findpart chsdir would be useful, if NTFS won't. You can use DMDE: http://softdm.com/ which is also much easier to use , you simply open the volume and open the grldr file in it, at the top of lower window you will see something like: phys sec: 130915591 [CHS:8149:30:17] vol.sec:130915528 Clus:16364441 sec: 0 Mind you the following is just my personal opinion: I personally never liked the idea of installing the grub4dos grldr.mbr to MBR (+hidden sectors) because it is non-standard. (and because I happen to often have to deal with "strange" software that happen to write or read from hidden sectors). I normally use the "standard" Windows 2K/XP MBR and then load grldr from an entry in BOOT.INI or I edit the "standard" 2K/XP PBR to invoke GRLDR instead of NTLDR. The general idea is that no-matter how demented the BIOS programmers may have been , there are greater probabilities IMHO that they tested at least their code against a "standard" MBR and PBR of one of the most common OS which code has not changed in 10 years. There is an ongoing project for a "minimal" grub4dos MBR code which you may also want to follow: http://reboot.pro/12436/ jaclaz

Let's start disambiguating. There exist NTFS filesystem drivers for DOS and for Windows 9x/Me. These will allow ACCESS (READ) to files residing on a NTFS formatted partition - some may allow also WRITING to the NTFS filesystem. BUT - depending on the SIZE of this partition oand/or of the disk - more patches/fixes/whatever may be needed. A program that can run under Windows 9x/Me may start and run if accessed with such a driver, BUT there are tens of factors that may influence it running succesfully, like dependencies, paths, direct access to hardware, etc., etc.. As such there is not a definite answer for " Is it possible to execute a program in a NTFS partition from windows 98 SE ?". Drivers are listed here: This board does have a search function, you know, like searching for "NTFS" in: MSFN > Microsoft Software Products > Windows 95/98/98SE/ME you may have found the above referenced thread and threads like (examples): You may have found same or other related links/info. jaclaz

JFYI : http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=24245&hl= jaclaz

Start a new thread - as to NOT further clutter this one, and I'll see what I can do. Still, it's a CATCH22 situation : whoever can do a PCB swap won't ask about it if you ask about it you CANNOT perform a PCB swap jaclaz

NO. This is ONLY for 7200.11 Seagate drives! READ the read-me-first: Is there something difficult in the above? Start a NEW thread - aptly titled - for your problem which is COMPLETETELY UNrelated to Seagate 7200.11, here: http://www.msfn.org/board/forum/169-hard-drive-and-removable-media-issues/ jaclaz

Naaah , there is NO secret ingredient. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441773/quotes?qt0448742 jaclaz

ADDITIONAL to what cdob advised (possible problem of the BIOS with drives with single partition going over the 28 bit LBA barrier), can you check the actual position of grldr (and .lst files) in the partition? A suitable tool is FINDPART: http://www.partitionsupport.com/utilities.htm A quick example of it's usage: http://reboot.pro/1647/ Maybe a red herring, but it is also possible that the problem is due to the location of key files in relatively "high address" areas of the disk. jaclaz

Sure, I did , and I do take the full responsability of subtracting your "about 5%" from 100% (perfection) and compute the range 95%÷100% If it's a single computer, than I wonder how you got the mentioned "about 5%", meaning as: 1/20=5% or 10/200=5% or 49/1000=4.90% or "about 5%" (just trying to establish a range for the "many" computer you tested) I just renamed the thread from: to: I hope this will be agreed upon, so that we can workaround the semantics and move forward .... jaclaz

Shouldn't Board Rules be FIRST thing read? http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules jaclaz

Naah, not upset in the least. Yep - so am I - otherwise we won't be talking to each other. Asking about a program that doesn't exist (AFAIK) doesn't actually help, no. If you re-read the thread, you asked about a "diagnostic" program of some kind. Ilko_t - without explicitly telling you that: such a program doesn't exist or that if it exists it won't probably help as there are a number of concurrent possible causes to a failed boot answered you asking for some details, same thing I asked. What I added is simply that from your "vague" recalls I can pinpoint nonetheless the actual grub4dos error, but that nonetheless EXACT DETAILS are needed to hopefully solve the problem. (and I split the topic to give it more chances of being seen - allowing other members to post their experiences with these nasty 5% - and possibly also keeping it more focused than the "general" thread would have been) So, current situation is: you are willing to help I am willing to help Ilko_t is willing to help Now, we are a three members team, in which member #2 and number #3 CANNOT do anything until member #1 posts some EXACT DETAILS on the problem. Noone is upset, but all three are currenty "idle". jaclaz

4 points: Hiren's CD is WAREZ and it won't be discussed on the Forum Nuhi is currently MIA and nlite has not been updated since a LOT of time It is NOT so easy as you may think to "burn" a XP install to USB there is a specific sub-forum with specific tools that allow that (Install Windows from USB) http://www.msfn.org/board/forum/157-install-windows-from-usb/ jaclaz

Sure, but you see if we don't have: a list of BIOSes that behave "strangely" an EXACT description of the errors and HOW/WHEN they happen a way to reproduce the errors (or a lab rat - you - with that specific hardware) We will have NO WAY whatsoever to understand the CAUSE of the problem and hopefully FIX it (the cause). JFYI, Standard Litany: http://homepages.tesco.net/J.deBoynePollard/FGA/problem-report-standard-litany.html As an example - UNrelated to the errors you vaguely report - we have now evidence that on some ACER PC's there is a problem with Grub4dos MBR: http://reboot.pro/10503/page__st__3 And a - still experimental - patch to cover these cases has been issued (and will hopefully be integrated soon in the "offical" releases of grub4dos). jaclaz

Those are actual grub4dos errors (white text on black background). The grldr is missing means that - for any reason - the MBR (+hidden sectors) code invoking grldr cannot find it in ANY available drive. There may be several reasons for this, most probably a problematic BIOS that enumerates "strangely" the drives (including the USB connected ones). The countdown and "something about MBR" is normal given the "main" error above, grub4dos, since it cannot find it's grldr file, tries to boot "previous MBR" i.e. the "normal" MBR that is usually saved to 2nd sector (and that points to the Active partition bootsector). jaclaz

Malope, you cannot share MS files. If I get it right you are using a "mixed mode" approach. In these cases, my *generic* advice is to do things in little steps: try first using ONLY that source, with ONE and with the OTHER method separately. Only once you succeed with the single source, try using ONE (or the OTHER) method to add the remaining additional sources (that are giving you no problems). Once you have the ONE or the OTHER method working with ALL the sources you want/need, then you can do "mixed mode" experiments. jaclaz

Topic split from the main WinsetupfromUSBwithGUI one. Unfortunately I have no "best" (and not even "worse") guess. Meaning that without some more detailed description I cannot understand what the problem is. It is not clear to me HOW you start the install, from WHICH source device, to WHICH target one, on which hardware, etc., etc. You didn't even specify if you tried using the stable 0.2.3 version or the newish 1.0 beta. Maybe, but it's a wild guess it's something related with the "Removable" vs. "Fixed" status of the multipartitioned flash stick? Can you start with the usual litany? http://homepages.tesco.net/J.deBoynePollard/FGA/problem-report-standard-litany.html jaclaz

Sure, I was joking . jaclaz

Actually to see how it behaves, you should fill it with non-junk data. I mean, if you fill it with junk data and you get back junk, HOW will you detect that is not "different junk"? "junk vs. corrupted junk" - a new frontier.... jaclaz

If I may, something is either CaSe SeNsItIvE or not. Nothing "horrible" about any of the two choices. BTW, windows NT/2K/XP etc. install disks have traditionally been cAsE sEnSiTiVe and they additionally SUCK in the way they are conceived, but still the guys at MS are there and keep programming - mostly - in "queer" ways. jaclaz

In the flash.bat (inside the .zip, inside the floppy .img inside the .iso) there is a line like: :SEAFLASH1 set model=ST31000333AS sf -m BRINKS -f -s -x -b -v -a 10 -h 6hcfgsd3.txs The sf.exe command help is: You may want to play a bit with these. jaclaz

@cheloo JFYI: Do the right thing. If you want to kill for good that hard disk, updating it with a non 100% confirmed to be suitable firmware, is the right thing to do. If you want to have that hard disk working: DO NOT update the firmware needlessly ONLY do it after having had an EXPLICIT confirmation that the firmware is the right one or after being yourself REASONABLY convinced of it BTW, the update is "commanded" by a sort of .ini, a .txs file, that you can modify to "force" trhe upgrade (or simply remove the checking line in the .bat) - of course at YOUR COMPLETE RISK. jaclaz

And the reason why in the FGA it is said that it won't work is BECAUSE IT WON'T WORK! If you really want to attempt a PCB swap , you need to ALSO swap the actual chip that holds the specific drive configuration, something that is not really "easy" or at a "normal" DIY level, desoldering and re-soldering tiny surface mounted components (without damaging/overheating them) needs some tools, but mostly experience and familiarity with the procedure that - no offence implied - you seem like simply missing at the moment. jaclaz

Interesting approach - talking of a shared, publicly available for Free, program like WinSetupFromUSB with GUI is. However, your topic is NOT suitable to the present "WinSetupFromUSB with GUI" thread (already long and "containing everything" as it is) ad it's not really "specifically related" to the app. If it's OK with you, I would split to a new topic your question as to keep everything "nice and tidy". jaclaz

Idea #1: once you have made a working stick , image it and re-deploy it from the image when corrupted Idea #2: have ninja pendisk pass on ALL your sticks: http://www.ninjapendisk.com/ (it's not of course 100% safe, but it helps) jaclaz

Actually, NO. He is suggesting to instal 7 on a "conventional" hard disk, BUT put the pagefile (and the "most relevant" apps) on a (fastish) SSD. I fear this will soon turn in the usual Pagefile vs. NO pagefile, Pagfile fixed Size vs. Pagefile System Managed, FAT32 vs. NTFS, Godzilla vs. King Kong flame war. jaclaz