jaclaz

First thing try same USB stick on ANOTHER computer and report what happens. jaclaz

Yes, you need to. For all that matters to grub4dos, an USB stick (a partitioned one, I hope you are not using a superfloppy one ) is a hard disk. Take your time reading in the grub4dos Forum: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=66 What did you use to partition/format it? Use RMPREPUSB: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showforum=95 or any of the other ones listed here: http://www.msfn.org/board/4gb-iso-file-siz...93-page-17.html Are you familiar with command line apps? The post explains the 4 simple steps: download extract from .zip archive run fsz with given parameters run dsfi with appropriate parameters Which one is a problem? Making sure of the number of physical drive? jaclaz

The data you report is "strange" Kingston has VID 0951 or 2385 decimal, see here: http://flashboot.ru/index.php?name=iflash&...&pagenum=35 http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1659 The VID 8086 appears like one of the "fake" ones. And yes, the data on: http://flashboot.ru/index.php?name=iflash shows a couple of results for 8086 27C8 8086 27C9 all "coupled" to different "real" makers, in one case "coupled" with: so it is very possible that the 27CB is the PID for a newish version of a "fake". 8086 is the code for Intel, according to the "unofficial" Linux list: http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids and Intel does not AFAIK produce USB thingies. If ChipGenius cannot detect (independently from VID&PID) the chip, I guess that you are stuck. But of course you can still use cfadisk.sys or dummydisk.sys. Where did you buy the stick? jaclaz

Hmmm, it is well possible that it is then NOT a LAB0 or BSY problem , but before giving up I would try again following CarterinCanada method: http://www.mapleleafmountain.com/seagatebrick.html including the removing of SATA power: and/or check the "variations" Aviko posted and/or the googlepages guide: http://sites.google.com/site/seagatefix/ http://sites.google.com/site/seagatefix/Ho...le-instructions (which however also advises a power cycle after S.M.A.R.T. wipe) jaclaz

Everything is possible, however, unless you edited grldr, the choices are in menu.lst, and in menu.lst ONLY. If I were you I would (in this order): study a bit the grub4dos guide: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5187 http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/Grub4dos.htm wipe the first 100 sectors of the stick: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...=4015&st=21 use the grub4dos toolbox: http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7328 jaclaz

Sure, you can even boot from a Linux LiveCD a with a perl script to install XP, to keep tjings as simple as possible you could mount it in a XEN VM and remotely boot the PC through a VPN, for that matters , I usually tend to answer questions as they are asked: and the answer is: Yes, it is possible. Or, strictly speaking: Yes. http://homepages.tesco.net/J.deBoynePollar...no-answers.html Had the question been: What is the best|easier|safer|foolproof|faster|recommended way to instal a second XP on the given situation? The answer may have been different. jaclaz

The fix you ran is for LBA0 problem. I.e. when BIOS sees the hard disk, BUT it sees it as having a size LBA of 0. If the drive is NOT detected, it's a BSY (busy) error that needs another set of commands. jaclaz

PLease DON'T (if it's "years old") . Use TESTDISK, which is surely up to date, most probably you just have an overwritten partition table: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk And comes both as Windows and Linux. jaclaz

There are some issues with the Forum software, that kind of link does not work right now. See here: http://www.msfn.org/board/broken-links-for...19.html&hl= http://www.msfn.org/board/broken-links-for...19-page-15.html These kinds of links appear to be the only ones working: http://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-second-win98-xp-same-computer-t118623.html&st=27 http://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-second-win98-xp-same-computer-t118623-page-27.html http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=118623&st=27 http://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-se....html&st=27 http://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-se...23-page-27.html http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...18623&st=27 jaclaz

I don't want to seem a hassler (actually I am one ), but still the Forum links DO NOT work properly. As an example see this post: hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-second-win98-xp-same-computer-t118623-page-146.html (this link I made "manually") If you click on the actually "properly quoted" text in it, which links to: hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?act=findpost&pid=800275 the board gives you back: hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-second-win98-xp-same-computer-t118623-pid-800275.html which is NOT the right post, but rather the beginning of the whole thread! The post is here: hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=118623&view=findpost&p=800275 (this is from copying and pasting from the popup when you click on the post #) which ALSO get's you back to the beginning of the thread: hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-second-win98-xp-same-computer-t118623-pid-800275.html The only ways to link it seems to be: hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/create-easily-second-win98-xp-same-computer-t118623-page-18.html or hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=118623&st=18 BOTH these: hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=118623&view=findpost&p=800275 hxxp://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?act=findpost&hl=&pid=800275 that should work, DO NOT. The latter is the result of a Search for "all posts made by Herbalist" on page 9 there is the link to the specific post that returns the page where the post is (as opposed to the actual post). jaclaz

Among the others, the easyness of use. You have a volume which is represented physically by a file. You can copy/move the whole (encrypted) file to other media more easily than if it were a "real" volume (or partition). Other ones: FreeOTFE: http://www.freeotfe.org/ BestCrypt (COMMERCIAL): http://www.jetico.com/encryption-bestcrypt/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of...yption_software Since you have no reason for having pre-boot authentication, FreeOTFE is the "right" thing for you, and you cannot beat it's price . jaclaz

That doesn't matter. It matters if when booted under XP the drive where currently XP is is D:\ AND the First Active Partition (where Vista is is C:\ ). If you confirm the above, all you have to do is run (from Vista) bootsect.exe /NT52 on the C:\ drive and copy to it NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and BOOT.INI (should for any reason they NOT be already there. (or format the partition from XP AND later copy to it the said files BEFORE rebooting) BEFORE doing the above, make sure that the BOOT.INI points to the correct partition, and/or have ready a NT boot floppy: http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy33.htm With either the correct entry or several entries of the type: y=0 means first disk z=1 means first partition In your case it should be jaclaz

There are N programs capable of backing up/restoring a RAW bootsector or MBR. Under DOS DEBUG is as good as any other. (there are scripts for it). One of the "forgotten" pages with some useful things for DOS lovers: http://web.archive.org/web/20021016205201/...wnloads/rec.htm If you know what you are doing: http://www.partitionsupport.com/utilities.htm Under windows, MBRFIX, or MBRWIZ (dos version also available) or HDHACKER or dsfo/dsfi of the DSFOK toolkit among tens of other ones do it allright. jaclaz

You don't want to use SERIAL (RS-232) voltage and signals! You need to use TTL levels (and signals). Check what adapter you have. Do a loopback test. http://www.msfn.org/board/solution-seagate...-page-1730.html http://www.msfn.org/board/solution-seagate...-page-1613.html http://www.msfn.org/board/solution-seagate...-page-1661.html jaclaz

HXDOS: http://www.japheth.de/HX.html It allows (of course only some "simple") GUI apps to run. YMMV. jaclaz

...but remember that if there wasn't the Mac, you would probably be using Bob, right now : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Bob http://toastytech.com/guis/bob.html jaclaz

We wouldn't have FAT32 vs. NTFS or 9x vs. XP kind of flame threads? BUT, we would have some "is Mac Linux or is Mac BSD" or "linux vs. BSD" flame threads allright. No, it wouldn't change the world.... jaclaz

I guess that sixcentgeorge helpdesk98 may want to contact patchworks: http://www.msfn.org/board/open-sourcing-wi...99.html&hl= jaclaz

While you wait, you may use the time for getting a camera capable of making a picture that is not an out-of-focus blurring example! jaclaz

You don't need one. It's "default" (up to ten versions) in the program. Do read the docs. jaclaz

I had a friend telling me that elefants fly, but I was never able to spot one , maybe because I was using my binoculars upside down , or because I don't live in Africa or India. jaclaz

ABSOLUTELY NOT! That is the schematics for ANOTHER adapter! We have NO way from a distance to know which is which. You need to find it yourself, by using a multimeter and experimenting (or, as SEVERAL times advised to less-than-fully-knowledgeable people, buy a "real" TTL adapter, with KNOWN pinout). The only one that is obvious from the picture you posted is that the black wire (that goes to number 5 ) is the GROUND. Check the FIRST image here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=881965 Open the "other end" of the cable. Check that Pin1 in the picture is connected to the black wire (and to number 5 on the board). Check that possibly Pin5 in the picture is maybe connected to green wire (and to number 1). ...and so on. The Chip is a prolific PL-2303-HX, here is the datasheet/pinout: http://www.stkaiser.de/anleitung/files/PL2303.pdf verify with that pinout. jaclaz

AFAIK it is not available for download, it is sent to "elected" people (those that happen to have a drive Serial Number that Seagate thinks is affected). Call Seagate. Tell them you need it. Try convincing them. File should be named : brinks-3d6h-sd3b.iso as Aquafire reported. You might try how lucky you are with Google, but I would check with Seagate first. It is not clear whether this update is actually needed, in the past Seagate did release "bad" updates, maybe, just maybe, your best option is: get another drive backup everything live the firmware as is (untill it is clear whether an update is needed or not) jaclaz

Whether one agrees or not, it is nonetheless very well written and an interesting approach to the OS world and to "evangelists". jaclaz

Well, technically speaking, not strictly exact. WINE is a recursive acronym for WINE Is Not an Emulator: http://wiki.winehq.org/Debunking_Wine_Myths WINE allows support for Windows applications inside Linux, by giving it a replacement for the Windows API, it doesn't really emulate Windows, it provides an alternate environment where Windows programs (some of them) can run. jaclaz