jaclaz

Surely NO. The code I posted was just a quick and dirty hack to show what ParentIdPrefix is written into a given EXISTING migrate.inf file. You posted: "a" USB_history.txt "a" migrate.inf file Each migrate.inf file (as made by mkmigrateinf.cmd mkmigrateinf2.cmd) contains one and one only ParentIdPrefix. Rather obviously the migrate.inf that goes on a device MUST use the ParentIdPrefix of that device if you want the device to get letter U:. What I suspect, and that till now you completely failed to help finding out, is that you have on the 8G stick a WRONG (i.e. with a different ParentIdPrefix) migrate.inf. Since you keep doing the three card shuffle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-card_Monte with sticks and methods, it is very easy that files were exchanged. What you should do is to make sure that the migrate.inf on the 2G sticks uses the ParentIdPrefix of 7&1554d726&0 and that the 8G uses the ParentIdPrefix of 7&d825748&0 (as resulting from the USB_history.txt file you posted). The small batch migrate2txt.cmd I posted should be copied to the same directory on the stick where migrate.inf is, then you open a command prompt and run it from there. The result should be the actual ParentIdPrefix that is inside the actual migrate.inf on that stick. Hope the above is clearer. jaclaz

You are still going for "statistical results" instead of trying to pinpoint (and hopefully solve) a single problem at the time....:whistling: However the Acer5738 appears as troublemaker. The info you posted however is incomplete without knowing which info is in the migrate.inf that you used with each device, quite obviously you managed to produce a "right" migrate.inf for the 2G stick, that gets U: on all systems but apparently failed with the 8G one. jaclaz

OK, the 2 Gb is a Phison (and you don't want to touch it since it works allright), the 8 Gb is a Skymedi. Both are re-branded with Vid 0951 (Kingston) and Pid 1607 and Pid 1623 respectively (Kingston internal model designation). If you go to a machine where the sticks were connected and open with Regedit the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USBSTOR\ You are likely to find keys named something like: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USBSTOR\Disk&Ven_Kingston&Prod_Data_Traveler&Rev_1.00 or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USBSTOR\Disk&Ven_Kingston&Prod_Data_Traveler&Rev_ and in a sub-key with the name of the serial number, most probably, and respectively: \5B82050053DD&0 \00137297175CF971862F0A39&0 (the above is pretty much unuseful, as we already know this data from the USBhistory.txt you posted, but now you know how it works, more or less) 2Gb ParentIdPrefix=7&1554d726&0 8Gb ParentIdPrefix=7&d825748&0 The migrate.inf you posted is for a ParentIdPrefix=7&d7f206a&0 which corresponds to the drive H:\ (Generic- Multi-Card USB Device) in the USBhistory This may be of use: @ECHO OFF ::migrate2txt.cmd rudimental batch to extract ParentIdPrefix from migrate.inf file ::by jaclaz ALPHA 0.01 Release 6th November 2009 SETLOCAL ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION SETLOCAL ENABLEEXTENSIONS SET TEXT= FOR /F "skip=7 tokens=* delims=" %%A IN (MIGRATE.INF) DO ( SET UNICODE=%%A ) SET UNICODE ECHO. SET SPACESUNICODE=%UNICODE:,= % FOR %%? IN (%SPACESUNICODE%) DO ( IF NOT %%?.==00. ( CALL :bin2txt %%? SET /P Var=!s!<NUL SET TEXT=!TEXT!!s! ) ) CLS SET UNICODE ECHO. SET TEXT="%TEXT:@=&%" SET TEXT=%TEXT:§=?% SET TEXT ECHO. SET Prefix="\??\STORAGE#RemovableMedia#" SET BEGIN=%TEXT:~0,28%" IF %BEGIN%==%Prefix% SET ParentIdPrefix="%TEXT:~28,11%" SET ParentIdPrefix GOTO :EOF :bin2txt Set s=%1 For %%A In ( 23# 26@ 2D- 300 311 322 333 344 355 366 377 388 399 3A: 3B; 3D= 3F§ 41A 42B 43C 44D 45E 46F 47G 48H 49I 4AJ 4BK 4CL 4DM 4EN 4FO 50P 51Q 52R 53S 54T 55U 56V 57W 58X 59Y 5AZ 5B[ 5C\ 5D] 61a 62b 63c 64d 65e 66f 67g 68h 69i 6Aj 6Bk 6Cl 6Dm 6En 6Fo 70p 71q 72r 73s 74t 75u 76v 77w 78x 79y 7Az 7B{ 7D} ) Do Call :DoPairs %%A GOTO :EOF :DoPairs Set _=%1 Call Set s=%%s:%_:~0,2%=%_:~2,4%%% Goto :EOF Cannot say why the migrate.inf resulted for another device. jaclaz

So, if I get it right: everything goes well with the 2 Gb stick everything goes wrong with the 8 Gb stick everything goes wrong with the SD card Let's for the moment FORGET about the SD card, we will get there later (or if you prefer, please talk with me about the sticks and talk with cdob about the SDcard, everyone has his own "specialities" - or at least sometimes different approaches) You still have the 2Gb stick, do you? If yes it would be interesting to have the output of Chipgenius: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4661 http://www.mydigit.cn/chipgenius.htm for both sticks AND the result of running mkmigrateinf.exe: http://www.msfn.org/board/profiles-directo...819-page-9.html http://www.msfn.org/board/forcing-system-d...973-page-7.html on a system with BOTH sticks connected. jaclaz

The "do not unplug" actually means "always boot from the USB stick". In a "normal" setup you just reboot between steps, leaving the USB stick in. In a "special" setup, instead of rebooting you switch the PC off, take the USB stick off, do whatever you need to do on it on another PC, then re-plug it and then switch the PC on again, booting from the modified stick. BUT you can modify the BOOT.INI adding the additional entries BEFORE even starting the install procedure. jaclaz

Well, NO. I INSIST that "there is always a solution" IF the asking member PROVIDES a clear, detailed, report of what he did. Look, we are at post #10 in this thread and not ilko, not myself have a clear idea of what the heck is the problem. You seem to jump back and forward from USB_multiboot10 to cdob's RAM based method completely faling to properly report the steps you have taken. They may be very clear in your mind , but rest assured they are not in ours, possibly because wre are a bit thick , but maybe also because you failed to explain the issue. Why don't you forget anything you've posted till now and make a new post reporting in order all the steps you taken, the problems you had, etc., etc., I am sure you already did so in fragments, but we seem unable to put all the fragments together properly. jaclaz

You are reading "this" and "this" is the XP install one, nothing less, nothing more. If the question is "is it possible to multiboot from USB choosing among several .iso images?": The UBCD is possible and documented. The Memtest also. Start reading here: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5041 BUT read here also: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8944 There is not a definite "windows 7" report/tutorial/howto: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...=5041&st=26 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=9038&hl= http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9076 If you are "windows 7" oriented you may want to try the workarounds and contribute to the solution, or experiment with "this" porting the method to Windows 7. jaclaz

I see that you are new to this, it's common practice. psychological warfare against stoopid hardware: disassembling it a few times really scares it, but you may also want to have a mallet or large hammer handy and start singing something like "How would I love to smash this stoopid thingy with this large hammer I happen to have here" to the tune of your preferred song. The effect is that usually things start working again ..... A chainsaw has also proved to be a very good intimidating method, but it's a bit noisy and hardware won't fall for it if it isn't running. jaclaz

What was it? How it was solved? (just out of curiosity. jaclaz

Then, if you have nothing to lose, I would first try re-flashing the original firmware. jaclaz

I hope AFTER having thoroughfully backed up the recovered data. Or did you took your chances one time too much? Really cannot say if repeating the "unbricking" procedure with the new firmware will give any "advantage". jaclaz

Visual example: http://www.llamma.com/xbox/Repairs/thompson_dvd_tray.htm jaclaz

What is sometimes difficult to explain is that a License to use software the possession of the actual media on which the software is stored the redistribution of non-redistributable software Are three different things, in the specific Microsoft case: the license may be : "full" i.e. you are entitled to use a single instance of the OS on "any" hardware "OEM" i.e. the validity of your license is limited to a single instance of the OS on a single specific machine, to which the license is tied "VLK" (improper term, but widely used) in which the license is for a given number of machines the media may be: "Full", a normal installation CD/DVD "OEM", a normal "OEM" disk, i.e. identical to the above but with different keys or "specific OEM" like the ones Dell or HP gives/gave, and/or with specific provision to only work on the given machine "VLK", (again improper), a "normal" installation disk, identical to the first but with different keys NON-existant, like the recover CD/DVD's some OEM's give or the contents of the "Recovery partition" those OEM's that wish to save 0,05 US$ of a CD/DVD NON-existant , like other OEM's that give you the possibility to create an actual install CD/DVD from a "recovery" or "hidden" partition the downloads rule are rather simple: any download NOT from Microsoft or one of their partners is NOT "original", but the "general" EULA for the OS is often superseded by single licenses that actually allow for redistribution The point is that you can find on the internet (excluding warez and torrents ) a number of apparently "legit" (and most probably actually so) sites, software houses and what not that put inside their products or as part of "customer support" or whatever entire or rather "full" chunks of the OS files, just as an example this thingy here: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=9133&hl= much to my surprise turns up as containing a rather "full" PE 2.x .iso How can one say if that is legit or not? However what really counts is the actual number and type of License you have: 1 machine=1 license 2 machines=2 licenses 3 machines=3 licenses ... 5 machines=5 licenses ( or 1 "VLK" license for 5 machines) .... For OEM licenses it is: 1 machine=1 license for the specific hardware ... jaclaz

CD/dvd drives can be made in very different ways. Basically the mechanism that lowers #2 has not enough force to work when the retaining action of the magnet is added. Usually (but it may not be the case of your particular CD/DVD drive) it is due to some dirt (or clogged with dirt or simply "hardened" grease/lubricant) somewhere in the sliding parts. As well ususally completely and thoroughfully cleaning ALL sliding parts and adding a very minimal amount of lubricant is enough to make the drive functional again. In some cases there is wear that produces some dents in the sliding parts that need to be smoothed off with very fine sand paper or the like AND polished. The good ol' CD repair FAQ gives some hints: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/cdfaq.htm jaclaz

Actually a SCSI 320 15K is not that bad : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCSI and remember that you usually get what you pay for (talking of new drives), as an example: http://www.superwarehouse.com/Seagate_Chee...356SS/p/1538711 http://www.superwarehouse.com/Seagate_Barr...813AS/p/1538714 Of course if you are looking at price per Mb, SATA wins hands down, expecially on the large sized hard drives that are becoming common nowadays. The size of buffer and rotational speed may make a difference: http://faq.storagereview.com/tiki-index.ph...formanceFactors Try going here: http://www.storagereview.com/Testbed4Compare.sr choose "Average Write Access Time" then check a "Seagate Cheetah 15K.4 147 GB" and a "Seagate Barracuda ES with NCQ (750 GB SATA)" and click on "head to head comparison". Repeat for any couple of drives you would like to compare. jaclaz

You'll have to find your way yourself, but check on boot-land for posts by member online, he did some work with Truecrypt encrypted sticks, of which cannot say how much and if it can be "ported" to your idea: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5315 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5397 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7342 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8096 It would much easier if you would use grub4dos password protection features: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=2984 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4718 jaclaz

OK. Let's start from the beginning. You do not need to "wipe" anything. All you have to do is: delete the partition table in the MBR or the MBR create a (one or more) new partitions format it/them appropriately install XP Since you want to do that from USB, the most suitable solution is, among the 3 4 ( @Ponch ) you can find here: http://www.msfn.org/board/install-windows-usb-f157.html most probably this one: http://www.msfn.org/board/2-t121446.html jaclaz

@iamtheky All sdelete can do is to WIPE files/drives. Moreover, it is completely overkill to make 7 passes! http://www.msfn.org/board/hard-drive-secur...pe-t125900.html Also, you seemingly forgot how to put on the stick a NT compatible system (i.e. and environment capable of running sdelete). @COKEDUDEUSF Are you asking: How to wipe a disk drive clean? How to partition or re-partition a disk drive? How to format a volume on a partitoned disk drive? jaclaz

You're right, it's not like I mentioned a SCSI RAID card, 80 to 68 pin adapters, 68 pin cables and terminators You're right , I read it as (besides the innuendo and the nice lesson on calculating electricity costs and hints towards the calculation of T.C.O.): it's pointless SCSI it's no good anymore RAID PERC (whatever it is ) might be better, but you cannot use it it's old card it's vain 80 to 68 pin you are wasting your money and doubted than one asking the question would have been able to extract from the above the actual answer to the original question. I mean, and as said I may be wrong, I read the original question as: and not as: jaclaz

Hey peeps, as always I may be wrong, but if someone asks a question, wouldn't it be nice to answer that question AND if needed bash the idea that led to it, instead of just the latter? @shahed26 The drives look like SCA ones or "SCA 80", a "special" version used on Servers that integrate an 80 Pin connector that includes the power ones, to be used on hot-swap trays, like the one in the pictures that looks a lot like Compaq ones. Most "user level" SCSI interfaces, even if Ultra3 will have "conventional" 68 Pin connectors (without the power ones) in which case you will need a converter, similar to this one: http://www.pccables.com/01071.htm However if you take a bit of time on e-bay you will probably find a "server level" SCSI card with the 80 Pin cable and connectors for a few bucks. Most cards were/are manufactured by Adaptec thus "Adaptec" is a good "keyword" to search for. This: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8706 is very handy for a quick reference of connectors. jaclaz

Sometimes it's only the choice of words that makes the difference: if you google for "deassign key" you find nothing (if not the present thread ), if you do it for "remap key" you find lots. Happy it worked . jaclaz

I am sure you also own a mallet or large, heavy hammer, and from experience, disposing of a failed piece of hardware by hitting it several times and really hard with a hammer is a practice that brings a lot of relief and peace of mind, much more than using a degausser. jaclaz

See if any of these is what you are looking for: http://webpages.charter.net/krumsick/ http://www.sellsbrothers.com/tools/#scancodeMapper http://www.randyrants.com/2008/12/sharpkeys_30.html manually: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/w2kscan-map.mspx http://forum.soft32.com/win4/Disabling-Win...pict215607.html http://www.northcode.com/blog.php/2007/07/...-Use-As-A-Kiosk Google for "scanmap" for more examples/apps. jaclaz

So, you are convinced that it is a hardware originated (intermittent) error and that the install is allright? Good. Which OS are you planning to use? I mean you cannot use that 2K install, right? I guess that a Live CD would be advisable. This could be a quick and easy solution: http://clonezilla.org/ jaclaz

If I may : I doubt that Western Digital (or any other brand) ensures you against "any future problems". What it seems to me as a general failure of perception in this thread is that hard disk drives are very similar one to another, no matter which brand/manufacturer. Seagate is not "worse" than "Brand B" (nor "better"), similar problems happened for a given model to a number of other manufacturers, what Seagate really sucked at was in the support and official resolution of the problems, besides trying to hide the gravity and extent of them. They showed off as a child being caught with his hands in the marmalade, trying to deny the evindent truth of facts. BUT Hard disk drives FAIL, for a number of reasons. The ONLY way to make sure that a certain data will be retrievable in the future is redundancy, the probabilities of two or three different media failing ALL is very, very low. It seems to me perfectly pointless. If the problem is your privacy i.e. ensuring that noone will be able to read the data, just zero out the drive with cmm secure erase and be done with it. Moreover, once a drive has been properly re-conditioned and with an updated firmware, it has roughly the same chances of failing that any other drive (if it failed for the known "320" in log problem) from any other manufacturer, so, being cheap, I wouldn't "throw away an otherwise perfectly working HD, I would rather use it as "supplemental" storage. jaclaz