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Formatting an external drive using different interfaces


Dave-H

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OK, this is what I got -

I:\>fc /b as4kbNTFS.bss as512NTFS.bssComparing files as4kbNTFS.bss and AS512NTFS.BSS0000000C: 10 020000000D: 01 080000001D: 20 000000001E: 00 0100000028: FF F800000029: EA 570000002A: 8D 6F0000002B: 0E 74I:\>dsfo \\.\J: 0 4096 mycurrent.bss'dsfo' is not recognized as an internal or external command,operable program or batch file.I:\>

Running the switcher again on the eSATA connected drive produces the same output as before with the same result in Drive Management.

Going back to the USB connected machine, everything is still fine, the drives are correct in Explorer and Disk Management, so it looks as if nothing has actually been changed by running the switcher on the eSATA connected machine.

:no:

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Well, of course you will need to copy dsfo.exe from C:\MkPriLog\ to I:\ if you run the command from I:\ (which is fine BTW).

 

From the FC results the sectors seem fine.

 

So the issue seems the one about the volume bootsector being somehow "protected" and allowing not the write of the new bootsector.

 

Try manually, running the Mountvol command. 

Check which volume has now (on the eSATA machine) the drive letter J:\.

It will be something like:

\\?\Volume{dcb73171-341c-11e3-b06c-001fc6bb76ce}\

copy and paste it *somewhere* (like a new .txt document).

 

then run:

mountvol J:\ /D

this will remove the mounting point/drive letter from the volume.

 

Then try writing manually the bootsector, that wii be:

dsfi \\.\Volume{dcb73171-341c-11e3-b06c-001fc6bb76ce}\ 0 4096 as512NTFS.bss

of course replace the Volume{dcb73171-341c-11e3-b06c-001fc6bb76ce}\ with the actual value you got.

Please note how the question mark in \\?\ has been changed into a dot, i.e. \\.\ .

Then run again mountvol, as:

mountvol J:\  \\?\Volume{dcb73171-341c-11e3-b06c-001fc6bb76ce}\

to reassign the drive letter to the volume.

 

Maybe that is the issue ....

 

jaclaz

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Ah, yes of course it would have helped if dsfo.exe had actually been in the folder I was trying to run it from!

:blushing:

Tried again and got -

I:\>dsfo \\.\J: 0 4096 mycurrent.bssOK, 4096 bytes, 0.000s, MD5 = e60735c779a4b11d0b454ba626c6a42bI:\>

Not sure about finding that ID for drive J:\.

Is that in the registry?

There don't seem to be any relevant entries if I search for J: in the registry.

:no:

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Ah, I thought it would be more complicated than just running mountvol without any switches!

:blushing:

Did it and got this -

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.3.9600](c) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.C:\WINDOWS\system32>mountvol J:\ /DC:\WINDOWS\system32>i:I:\>dsfi \\.\Volume{bc47db8c-a4c7-11e4-bf69-00304879f908}\ 0 4096 as512NTFS.bss\\.\Volume{bc47db8c-a4c7-11e4-bf69-00304879f908}\ - The volume does not containa recognised file system.Please make sure that all required file system drivers are loaded and that the volume is not corrupted.I:\>mountvol J:\  \\?\Volume{bc47db8c-a4c7-11e4-bf69-00304879f908}\I:\>

Drive J: is now back in Explorer as it was before, apparently unformatted.

Should I have deleted the incorrect partitions in Disk Management first before I tried this?

:)

Edited by Dave-H
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It still seems to me like an issue with access to the target.

 

The NTFS partition should start on sector 65536 (on a 512 bytes/sector) so you can try using the PhysicalDrive as target.

Since 65535*512=33554432 that would be:

dsfi \\.\Physicaldrive1 33554432 4096 as512NTFS.bss

 

As a side note, do you have on both the machines a XP installed?

I.e. can you try the switcher.cmd "as is" on a XP OS? (just to make sure that there is not *something* else besides this kind of "protection" on Windows 8.x)

 

jaclaz

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Tried again in XP.

Same result -

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600](C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.C:\XP User Files\Dave>i:I:\>switcher"DUAL" disk found as \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE5OK, NTFS volume is mounted to drive J:and it uses a 512 bytes/sector interfaceCurrent NTFS bootsector is NOT the 512 bytes/sector one.Do you want to switch to the 512 bootsector? [Y/N]yIf you are on Vista or later you may need to authorize the copy (UAC prompt).OK, written 4096 bytes at offset 0Press any key to continue . . .I:\>

Drive J: still reporting unformatted, and the same layout in Disk Management.

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Actually I am out, I'll be back in a few days, but apart the possibility that dencoso pointed out, the behaviour under XP is "not normal",

In other words it is possible that *something* is wrong in the values written to the "as512" bootsector (which should have been deployed  correctly, at least on XP).

As soon as I am back I will review the batches, veryifying the changes we introduced and adding a new batch to verify whether the correct bootsector has actually been written (and with the right values, though judging from what you posted on #121 they do seem right).

 

What you can check in the meantime by doing,

dsfo \\.\J: 0 4096 mycurrent.bss

FC /B mycurrent.bss as512NTFS.bss

is that the "as512" bootsector is currently the one on the drive,

 

jaclaz

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Hi jaclaz.

Sorry for the delay in replying, but the board seemed to be offline most of yesterday evening, and I've been busy sorting out other problems with my Windows 8.1 installation most of today!

All fixed anyway (I had installed a motherboard monitoring application that turned out to be incompatible, which cause no end of problems!)

Did you want me to run those commands in Windows XP or 8.1 (presumably while eSATA connected)?

:)

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It should be indifferent (both the OS and the connection).

The idea is just to check if - as your last output indicates - the bootsector of the volume is currently the "as512" one.

If it is and if the volume does not mount on the 512 bytes/sector connectoion (the eSata) it means that *something else*) the actual values inside the bootsecotr or in the EPBR are "wrong".

 

jaclaz

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OK, ran the check and got this, so it looks as if all is well.

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600](C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.C:\XP User Files\Dave>i:I:\>dsfo \\.\J: 0 4096 mycurrent.bssmycurrent.bss - The file exists.I:\>FC /B mycurrent.bss as512NTFS.bssComparing files mycurrent.bss and AS512NTFS.BSSFC: no differences encounteredI:\>

Disk Management in XP looks the same as in 8.1 -

post-84253-0-39945700-1423056740_thumb.j

:)

 

 

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Well, try again, after having deleted mycurrent.bss (you didn't actually dsfo a "really current" mycurrent.bss, as there was already an existing file and dsfo never overwrites a target).

It's likely that even with the "really current" one there will be no differences, but if we check, let's actually check ;).

 

jaclaz

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OK, sorry.

I deleted the mycurrent.bss file from drive I:, and tried again.

As you thought, I got the same result -

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.3.9600](c) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.C:\WINDOWS\system32>i:I:\>dsfo \\.\J: 0 4096 mycurrent.bssOK, 4096 bytes, 0.000s, MD5 = e60735c779a4b11d0b454ba626c6a42bI:\>FC /B mycurrent.bss as512NTFS.bssComparing files mycurrent.bss and AS512NTFS.BSSFC: no differences encounteredI:\>

:)

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