jaclaz

Bacause it ws designed as being 100% compatible with DOS 7.1? http://johnson.tmfc.net/dos/file/readthis.txt LZ-DOS is a 100% �-D0$ 7.10-compatible DOS kernel; see http://dos.nm.ru/ FORDOS is Da Best COMMAND.COM for DOS by JP Software - http://4dos.hit.bg AEFDSK is Da Best FDSK+FORMAT for DOS by Daniel Nagy, http://aefdisk.com/ UMBPCI is Da Best UMB manager for DOS by Uwe Sieber, http://uwe-sieber.de JEM386 is Da Best EMS manager for DOS by "Japheth", http://www.japheth.de DOSLFN is Da Best LFN manager for DOS by Henrik Haftmann, and Jason Hood* SHSUCD is Da Best CD extender for DOS by Prof. John McCoy and Jason Hood* XMSDSK is Da Best XMS RAM disk driver for DOS by Franck Uberto, Grenoble. *XMGR* is Da Best XMS3 driver for DOS by J.Ellis, http://mdgx.com/drv.htm *UIDE* is Da Best UDMA HDD+DVD driver by J.Ellis, http://mdgx.com/drv.htm MKEYBD is Da Best DOS keybrd driver by Tom Ehlert http://drivesnapshot.de USBDOS is Da Best USB driver set | *J. Hood, http://geocities.com/jadoxa/ DOSFNT is Da Best DOS loader of VGA font files by T. Blader in Wisconsin. PC-DOS is Da Best DOS kernel with LBA/FAT32 support, running even on 8086 FREDOS is Da Best DOS kernel with open source code licensed under the GPL EDRDOS is Da Best DOS kernel with open source code (better than FreeDOS!) PTSDOS is Da Best DOS kernel for embedded, space, military or nuclear use ROMDOS is Da Best DOS kernel for use off ROM and can support LFN natively jaclaz

Corollary: In case you have any doubt about the meaning of the above, BACKUP! NOW! @bip From a general standpoint, thus NOT necessarily applying to your particular case, a number of drives failing with a repetitive clicking sound can often be recovered by using professional tools, as they simply somehow "lost" some needed data. The reviving is, again generally speaking, not at the level of knowledge of an hobbyist and needs very expensive tools, that are usually not worth the investment for anything but a number of drives (we are talking of tools in the US$3,000 to US$10,000 range). The problem, without having seen the behaviour of the drive - and I seem to gather from your post that it is an "intermittent" problem of some kind, is that it is even difficult to give you some advice. On a mechanical "sound" drive, performing properly any of the fixes detailed in this thread won't do any harm, BUT we don't know which kind of problem you are actually having, so, better be safe than sorry and leave it alone. If you have three years of your work on that drive, I guess you should be VERY careful with the idea of messing with it. A simple triage method: Is the data on the drive worth more than a couple thousand US$ to me? (no matter if actual commercial value or sentimental value) Can I afford spending, if I am very lucky, a few hundreds bucks or if I am unlucky a couple grands for the recovery? If you reply "Yes" to both questions, you should ask a professional service. If you reply "Yes" to the first only, you should do nothing. If you reply "No" to both, you may want to continue trying with "hobby" methods. If you reply "No" to the first only, you are a rich man and you really should not be here, and you should have already sent the drive to a recovery firm. jaclaz

I am not sure to understand the question. AFAIK the SD15 is specific to 7200.11 family (and corresponding Maxtor ones). Most Seagate HD's will have the same (or a similar) "internal language" and TTL connection, possibly at a different BAUD rate for older models, but there can be several reasons why a drive is bricked or however not functioning, and this thread is not a "heal 'em all miracle cure", it is specific to a model and to the two described type of problems. Happy to know there is yet another happy bunny around : http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=128727&st=10 @bip Take it easy, man, noone is hear specifically to help you within a 5 hour timeframe. Try reading the above and this post: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=128807&st=2367 This thread is about solving TWO problems (and these two ONLY): 0LBA BSY Read the first post of the thread, and check if what you are experiencing is #1 or #2. If it is not #1 or #2 as described there, then NO, unfortunately this guide is NOT for you. jaclaz

Hmmm, I wonder how it manages true positives, if it throws a warning on false negatives. jaclaz

To be picky, as always, it can be considered unneeded additional information , after having read the original page, one could simply open the examples in Notepad and Search and replace: searching for %~nand replacing it with %~nxwhich should give a result not entirely unlike : searching for %%~nand replacing it with %%~nx jaclaz

I don't want to seem grumpier than I normally am, but don't you think that taking spoon feeding up to this level is a bit too much? READ the given link : http://www.robvanderwoude.com/ntfor.php What is the difficult part in using this info: to modify the given examples to get what you want? jaclaz

The general idea of a BLUE Screen of Death is that it should be blue. And, if it is a 0x0000007b it will have 0x0000007b displayed in white on it. So, no, if it is a black hanging screen it is a BHS (Black Hanging Screen) and is not a BSOD. It reminds me more of a timing problem of some kind or a problem/conflict with loading a driver than anything else, maybe you should try on that machine to make a USB stick WITHOUT the whole mass of the driverpacks, adding only, if needed, the single mass storage driver that machine needs. It is also possible that that stoopid machine, being a DELL has one of those pesky BIOSes that have appeared lately to e incomaptibloe with a good half of "advanced" booting programs/techniques, there are a lot of reports lately of grub4dos freezing on DELL machines, though if you get up to "setup is starting windows" it shouldn't be the problem. Another semi-random attempt may be that of using PLoP as an intermediate bootloader, reloading from it the USB device: http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager.html Do BOTH 0.2.3 and Beta 1.0.x behave the same? The two versions use a different approach.... jaclaz

OT , but not much : http://rayer.ic.cz/romos/romose.htm There also was another interesting project called aebios which is seemingly now on hold/abandoned. jaclaz

Is this "real" DOS or 2K/XP/later? If the latter use variable expansion: FOR /F %%A IN ('DIR /B %tmp% ^| FIND ".inf"') DO (ECHO %%AECHO Name is %%~nASET Filename=%%~nAECHO Extension is %%~xA)SET Filenamehttp://www.robvanderwoude.com/ntfor.php jaclaz

Hey peeps, can you please read this: http://neosmart.net/blog/2007/bootsectexe-modifies-the-bootsector-not-the-mbr/ then re-read attentively: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749177(WS.10).aspx and then convince yourselves that although the MS guys used a set of very confusing terms: the "master boot code for hard disk partitions" is the CODE in the bootsector or PBR and NOT the MBR (which bootsect.exe won't even touch) The MBR is the Master Boot Record and it is accessible through the \\.\PhysicalDriveN kind of object ONLY. The PBR is the partition bootrecord and it is accessible through a drive letter (LogicalDrive). The normal MBR does NOT contain code invoking ANY loader, it simply loads first sector (the PBR or bootsector) of the active partition found in it's partition table. The PBR or bootsector contains code invoking a loader like NTLDR or BOOTMGR. Bootsect.exe only changes the code in the PBR or bootsector of the partition addrtessed by a volume letter. jaclaz

That's the sad part (for me). This is how my first computer looked like: http://home.micros.users.btopenworld.com/zx80/zx80.html http://home.micros.users.btopenworld.com/zx80/original_zx80_kit.jpg and I was way older than 13 when I assembled it. jaclaz

Sure , you ping some server (you need a pingable address, some DNS aren't) and you should use an actual IP, as you may have internet connection but the DNS may not be available, depending on the result of the ping conditionally execute the command. See here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=131680 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=139853 for some example/links. Essentially you need a single line like: @ping 74.125.53.106 -n 1 >NUL&&ECHO OK, FOUND! jaclaz

The actual kickstart on the 500 was in ROM, think at it like you would to a BIOS on a PC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstart_(Amiga) Actually there is a second part of the OS, the Workbench, which is a floppy with the Amiga OS, think at it like you would to a DOS diskette on a PC with no hard disk: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AmigaOS In reality there is not such a neat division as in the PC world, where BIOS and OS are competely divided, just in oldish Macintosh, part of the OS is actually in the ROM (kickstart) and partially in the diskettes (Workbench). Once the kickstart asks for a diskette, if you have a bootable diskette (including a game one) it should boot allright, but it is possible that either the diskette or the drive is dirty, damaged or both. You may want to try an emulator to get the "feeling" of it, and remember the long time past days.... http://www.winuae.net/ http://www.tweakguides.com/Amiga_1.html If you want a quick look at the Workbench, you can use this java thingy: http://www.chromeexperiments.com/ http://www.chromeexperiments.com/detail/chiptunecom-gui/ jaclaz

Well, if we want to switch the thread in this direction, anyone missed the ebola monkeyman? WARNING: some more-explicit-than-usual language used: hxxp://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/ jaclaz

You can do what you wish with grub4dos, though what you want is in the "advanced usage" part of it, so it will take some time to get you familiar with the app and get the hang of it before actually attempting using it on such a delicate thing as hiding/unhiding, as a mistake may lead you to an unbootable system. Start by reading the guide: http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/Grub4dos.htm Expecially these parts: http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/basics.htm http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/cli.htm as you will need ot experiment with command line before making an actual menu entry. You don't actually need a CD at all, but if you want to, there's no problem: http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/install_cd.htm An hypothetical couple of menu entries would be something like: title C,D and E unhide (hd0,0) unhide (hd0,1) unhide (hd0,5) hide (hd0,2) hide (hd0,4) hide (hd0,6) root (hd0,0) chainloader /ntldr title F,G and H unhide (hd0,2) unhide (hd0,4) unhide (hd0,6) hide (hd0,0) hide (hd0,1) hide (hd0,5) root (hd0,2) chainloader /ntldr but DON'T EVEN THINK of trying them until you are familiar with the app. boot-land is a bit "hectic" today, you may want to try accessing it later: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/ http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=66 take your time browsing the forum, similar setups have been discussed, here is one: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10458 and here a much more complex example: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7138 Remember, don't run, take baby steps. jaclaz

Not really , asimmetry may also mean that you have something that needs LOTS of RAM and computing power (usually the two things go together ) when you compress something to an archive, but when you (or the people that need to use the archive) want to UNcompress it, far lower RAM (and CPU) requirements are needed. I mean, if you need, say 4 GB of RAM to compress a file, and this requirement is needed also when uncompressing, myself and 7/8 to 99/100 of all the members of the board will never be able to UNcompress it, which is not very practical. jaclaz

Sure I am, and a pretty darned tough and picky one, if you want to know. Wanna make something of it? You can see how in the OP there is one question (you can see it is a question by the fact that it has "Question:" prepended to it and has one of those strange little hook signs we technicians call "question marks" at the end: We use, as a sign of courtesy and politeness to other members to answer their questions, which is what I did . Try looking at it again: Is it starting to make some sense to you, now? And no, though the last character in the above is again a little hook sign, you don't have to answer, it is a rhetorical question: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetorical_question for which I don't want/need your answer. jaclaz

Before I have a nervous break down , let's assume that you didn't post here and opened an "assistance ticket" here: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10571&hl= where you will hopefully be helped. jaclaz

I start to think that it is a different inteface, does it have a CP 2102 chip? https://www.silabs.com/Support%20Documents/TechnicalDocs/cp2102.pdf It should be similar in concept to this one: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8531 It has to be checked if the one you have is configured to be powered from the USB bus (and you can DRAW power OUT of the +5V or +3.3V lines ) or if it is a "passive" interface and needs to INPUT power FROM either the +5V or the +3.3V. It should be similar to this, and powered from the USB connector: http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/391 if you WITHOUT ANY CABLE connected to it, attach it to a USB port you should be able with a multimeter to read 5 V between +5V and Ground and 3.3V between +3.3V and Ground EDIT: Affirmative, I reviewed the thingy, it is powered from the USB connector: Thus, you need to connect to it ONLY three cables: Tx on board ->Rx on hard disk Rx on board ->Tx on hard disk GND on board ->GND on hard disk Please note that if you have problems like "random characters" in Hyperterminal, GND should also be connected to any of the GND cables coming from the power supply which is powering the HD. jaclaz

No comment Not being an U.S. Citizen, I feel like I can divulge this document.... ...expecially since a rather similar one already leaked : http://spamemailgraveyard.com/2009/06/get-back-to-mr-kelvin-williams-only.html The crisis is really a bad thing , this guy went down from US$ 570 to US$110! jaclaz

Hah, you should make it a LARGE one and also (virtually) deliver it. For the record, among others, bearwindows, and IMDISK and FIRADISK (and WinVBlock which I forgot to mention ): http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8168 are not necessarily "boot-related", whilst this one: Universal HDD Image files for XP and Windows 7 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9830 (which also I forgot to mention ) though "boot-related" is more the kind of topic you would like to find on MSFN, as well as Clonedisk: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8480 and the new "replacements" for NT setup (these should actually be of your interest ): http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7721 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10126 and even this small thingy to which I contributed a little may be of use in your future: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9765 jaclaz

Theoretically, provided that it is an actual IFS driver, it should be installed on the system, but also a File System Recognizer with provisions for UDF should also installed, which I presume would be IFSMGR.VXD I fear that practically, with all the dependencies and what not you will have a hybrid system, a couple of completely unrelated, but not that much keyb articles: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/273017/en-us http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256015/en-us which should mean that the rabbit hole may be deeper than what you may think.... These may be actually useful: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc751120.aspx http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768198.aspx http://www.buildorbuy.org/pdf/win95bootstrap.pdf Since there is not enough mess yet in this thread, I'll throw these on the table, without comments: http://www.freeweb.hu/doscdroast/index.html http://www.freeweb.hu/doscdroast/dvd4dos.htm http://www.binarymagics.com/site/magic_udf_vcl.html http://www.backupcritic.com/faq/what-is-udf-reader.html http://www.backupcritic.com/data-recovery/udf-reader/index.html http://www.backupcritic.com/data-recovery/udf-reader/history.html http://www.backupcritic.com/data-recovery/udf-reader/need-udf-reader.html http://download.cnet.com/Adaptec-UDF-Reader-Driver/3000-2100_4-10021086.html http://www.nodevice.com/driver/company/Panasonic/page7.html jaclaz

Please don't! We have just found a perfectly legal and easy way to get from Microsoft a .cab sized 479,056 bytes(compressed) that ends up as a 1,069,376 .ocx file that makes your nice app work perfectly and you want to replace it with a few tens of thousands of bloat? If you are gonna rewrite it from scratch, use Assembler. Completely OT, but check what can be done in 164,362 bytes: http://www.quickersoft.com/donkey/ http://www.quickersoft.com/donkey/winexplorer.htm jaclaz

mscomctl.ocx is part of the VB6 Common Controls package: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896559/en-us The good guys at MS have made it so that you need to have it in order to be allowed to have it : http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=25437d98-51d0-41c1-bb14-64662f5f62fe And of course the good Linux guys have a way to get it nonetheless http://www.kegel.com/wine/winetricks the limit is your conscience. The files are also in VB6 SP6: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9EF9BF70-DFE1-42A1-A4C8-39718C7E381D&displaylang=en but NOT in the REDISTRIBUTABLE "Service Pack 6 for Visual Basic 6.0: Run-Time Redistribution Pack (vbrun60sp6.exe)" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290887 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7B9BA261-7A9C-43E7-9117-F673077FFB3C&displayLang=en But they are in the http://support.microsoft.com/kb/957924/en-us http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=CB824E35-0403-45C4-9E41-459F0EB89E36&displaylang=en&displaylang=en which has NOT requirements like the ones on the mentioned VB6 Common Controls page. The even more interesting part is that the file is available here: http://activex.microsoft.com/controls/vb6/mscomctl.cab Info taken from: http://web.archive.org/web/20050223232418/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/193366/en-us Basically, if you call mscomctl.ocx an ActiveX control you can download it freely, if you call it "VB6 file" you cannot. Which means two things: the MS guys are to say the least "mercurial" the Linux guys are sometimes not as "kosher" as they like to depict themselves And a third one : why the heck this nice program needs an unredistributable file in order to work? jaclaz

Sure, it's identical to yours: Strecture: \bootfiles\ \bootfiles\custom.ico \bootfiles\test\test\ \bootfiles\test\test\Desktop.ini Contents of \bootfiles\test\test\Desktop.ini [.ShellClassInfo] ConfirmFileOp=1 IconFile=..\..\custom.ico IconIndex=0 I simply used the GUI interface of XP to have the selected folder of the type "documents" then selected the icon I wanted to show, the Desktop.ini file inside the folder was: [.ShellClassInfo] IconFile=%SystemDrive%\bootfiles\custom.ico IconIndex=0 I manually changed the path to the relative one and added the line that was in your example "ConfirmFileOp=1" (just to make sure it was not that part the problem). jaclaz