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Increasing success rate from about 95% to nearly 100%


Cosmin3

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Nonetheless describe boot behaviour.

Make / let make pictures.

Which messages are displayed? Even a blinking cursor is a hint.

I wasn't now at his home, I got the report with TeamViewer.

I don't have a way to take pictures.

Is trying several hd(n1, n2) and finally says it can't find grldr.

When I'll go again to his home I will note all that it says.

That's greater 128GB.

Some BIOS does support 48 bit LBA internally, but dosn't support 48 bit LBA at USB boot.

Did you create one 500GB partiiton? Did you create several partiitons?

Are all installation files within first 128GB of hard disk?

I created a 500 GB partition. And all installation files are in first 40 GB (was defragmented).

How does this BIOS handle a USB hard disk?

It sees it as normal HDD and it's displayed in list if it was connected before POST.

Edited by Cosmin3
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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. :unsure:

jaclaz

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As for testing purposes:

can you use another USB media?

can you empty and create a single 120GB partition at 500GB hard disk?

Was grub4dos integrated to MBR?

Use a windows default MBR at hard disk and add grub4dos to partition boot code.

Or replace MBR boot code with mbr.bin from syslinux project.

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As for testing purposes:

can you use another USB media?

I have only a 1 GB Kingston Data Traveler USB Key/Stick..

can you empty and create a single 120GB partition at 500GB hard disk?

For testing, yes.

Was grub4dos integrated to MBR?

Yes, I always integrate it to MBR.

Use a windows default MBR at hard disk and add grub4dos to partition boot code.

Or replace MBR boot code with mbr.bin from syslinux project.

Ok, I will try.

One thing: I bought the USB HDD recently. With it I had problems with grub4Dos on 2 computers.

Before I had a 16 GB Kingston Data Traveler USB Key/Stick. Formatted single primary partition, grub4Dos in MBR.

With it I had problems on 5..6 computers.

So it's a strong possibility that the problem is not caused by the fact that the partition is larger than 128 GB.

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It's known: some BIOS dosn't like grub4dos MBR.

Other BIOS will fail at partition size, file LBA.

And there are more reasosns.

Most likely there are different BIOS and different causes.

So far any reason is possible.

Test very thoroughly, make notes:

which version works at which machine, which BIOS and version.

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@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 :blushing: , 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 :angel , 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 :ph34r:, 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. :rolleyes:

There is an ongoing project for a "minimal" grub4dos MBR code which you may also want to follow:

http://reboot.pro/12436/

jaclaz

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In addition I'm convinced out of experience, no full proof so far:

(often I've access to testing hardware short time only, fixing a special problem is more important)

certain BIOS access first part of USB drive only. There is no fixed size, can be 512MB, 2GB, 8GB or another

Imagine a BIOS access first 512MB only.

Basic windows boot files are withing first 512MB. Basic booting and installation does work.

Imagine a winnt.sif at end of 2GB drive. Setup won't read the file winnt.sif.

File layout is important at media.

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Ok, then I'll use MBR and report :whistle:

No prob :rolleyes: , anyway I had LIED to you. :whistle:

On some machines you may need to modify the 2K/XP MBR nonetheless ;):

http://reboot.pro/2246/

http://reboot.pro/2246/page__st__15

Or you can use the upatch command in MBRBATCH.CMD:

http://reboot.pro/3191/

http://reboot.pro/3191/page__st__42

http://reboot.pro/3191/page__st__49

jaclaz

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I managed to generate a error in VirtualBox.

I don't know if it's normal or not to show it...

How can you do this: attach 2 HDD; Primary master should be with something else like Windows XP, Primary slave should have Grub4Dos in MBR.

Start the virtual machine and press F12 to show boot menu.

Choose 2 (for the second HDD).

The virtual machine freezes with the message "Missing MBR helper". Oh, the second HDD didn't have a MBR when I used grub4Dos Gui to add one.

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Oh, the second HDD didn't have a MBR when I used grub4Dos Gui to add one.

Well, I don't know WHAT/HOW you used it, but a hard disk NEEDS a MBR (and needs at least one partition, formatted with a filesystem on which to store grldr).

In other words, you create a "normal" hard disk with disk management, (or fdisk or whatever), and then you install (if you want) the grub4dos MBR (+hidden sectors) code and copy the grldr to the filesystem.

jaclaz

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On that virtual HDD I have a partition, of course (NTFS).

When I said that is "without MBR" I meant that I didn't installed one before installing grub4Dos in MBR.

And is booting fine when is set as the first HDD in VirtualBox.

Oh, btw, I use this virtual HDD to simulate that USB external HDD in VirtualBox, so I have about the same data on it.

Later edit:

I attached the files for those 2 Virtual HDD's. In them I included only what was really necessary.

storage.png

VirtualBox HDD\'s.rar

Edited by Cosmin3
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