[b1caez01]

Testing a floppie that was used as an XP cache disk...therefore it was probably formatted as FAT32/NTFS. There was a "hot spot" on the disk which could not be read by the computer... probably a demagnetized portion, or whatever... copied off what I could then sic-ed Bad Copy Pro on to it. ... it could not salvage the files ...went into the c:\windows\system32 folder and plucked them out.

Went back to the floppie to work on recovering the hot spot ...which was apparently done, using: "Flobo Floppy Bad Sector Repair.exe" WARNING: This is a destructive process...all data will be lost!

But, what it did not say...was that it was going to revert the formatting back to RAW. Now, I have had this problem in the past, and the net still has not provided any help in re-formatting the RAW back to FAT32. I usually just trashed the disk.

Any suggestions that work?

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put the disk into the floppy drive. Right click on the A drive in My Computer, select Format. Don't use the quick format.

Edited by silverbeard, 18 August 2006 - 12:58 AM.

[silverbeard]

put the disk into the floppy drive. Right click on the A drive in My Computer, select Format. Don't use the quick format.

Edited by silverbeard, 18 August 2006 - 12:58 AM.

[b1caez01]

And you have done this before?

Now, think about it for a minute...if XP cannot read the disk, then XP is not going to be able to format it! The disk does not exist as it has no recognizable boot sector...

I have enough experience to have done this already...

thanks anyway...Al

[Neil Jones]

AFAIK, XP doesn't support NTFS/FAT32 on floppy disks. It will insist on talking to them in FAT12 format and complain bitterly if it can't do that.

Not sure how one's going to get round it though, short of finding some software that can rewrite the boot sector on the floppy...

[warriorscot]

I think knoppix or Dban on a CD should be able to handle it although there is a way to do it windows but its been a long time since ive had to do it.

[b1caez01]

Ditto...on all counts...that's what we get for not sqawking long and hard as MS squeezed DOS out of our blood. I have a feeling though that it will return in a limited format. We all have to have more control over the OS from the back door.

[warriorscot]

Lol, i loved DOS,in the early days i just skipped windows most of the time and booted straight to DOS, any of you guys remember DOS shell that was a great way to work and navigate files best of DOS but with a bit of a gui.

[b1caez01]

Well, then, "warriorscot" you an understand the urgency...to get our sanity back, and take control of this dad blamed hard drive as it was meant to be controlled. Turning over control to Windows is like giving into Darth Vader

You can get usable new floppies, but once XP-NTFS get hold of it, it is useless for anything after the fact...except for saving more XP-NTFS files. What we have to figure out is how to take it to RAW format and then to FAT32. It can be done, it is a matter of shaking a few of the more creative of us out of our numbness and get going on it.

There has to be a hacker or three floating around that is reading these posts


...Al

[warriorscot]

Im afraid we dont have any "hackers" here, XP doesnt format floppies to NTFS it keeps them in FAT most things will use NTFS or at least support it even most linux distros now support NTFS, if you really like the command script more up to date options are linux without a GUI as DOS is so out of date it would be unsusable.

Like i said something like knoppix or Dban would probably work but floppy disks cost so little these days its usually easier to get a new one or 10 new ones. Also fdisk or gparted would work, partion magic would also do it.

[b1caez01]

Thanks for the feedback...Al

[warriorscot]

I was reading yesterday HP make a formating tool for going to raw to FAT if you still cant find something.

[b1caez01]

Thanks, I shall look into that.

Right now I am "fighting" with the issue of finding a site to download "knoppix." What a convoluted process!

I have downloaded and installed, Bit Torrent and Azeurus. Azeurus appears to have more bells and whistles, therefore a "bit" complicated for my wee brain [sorry, for the pun]. Which do you recommend for my Windows XP-NTFS system, or does it matter? Once installed, then what

I am very suspicious of any program that runs on my computer, over which I do not have relatively total control...so I have been reading up on it.

O.k., let me get this straight...

1. I try to find a site to download the knoppix file from...that has not been successful yet...I seem to be running around in circles
2. once downloaded as an ISO [?], then burn to a CD... this is where I get scuppered. Some sites seem to insinuate that you to burn the ISO directly to a CD, while others tell you to open it in an ISO manager [I use ISO-COMMANDER] and burn the results to a CD...which is it? The computer cannot read an ISO directly from the CD...I've tried both methods, wasted a few CDs in the process, and the one with the opened and exposed files from within the ISO seems to work, while the other does not. So, I am assuming that once I get the ISO downloaded and opened, then I am to...by the way, for the benefit of those "others" reading this, it appears that you do not need to use any other burning software, except for what is already a part of the Windows XP setup.
3. burn the ISO files to a CD
4. shut down the computer
5. reboot
6. I will be given options, to boot from the CD or boot from the standing OS Windows XP
7. I select "from the CD"
8. I will be provided options, yet to be seen...
9. I will assume that I chose to boot to the CD and the KNOPPIX OS...
10. I will be given options to proceed down a particular line of inquiry, one of which will be to reformat the a:\ RAW disk to FAT32, not the standard FAT16...and it can do that?

I tried the "Partition Magic" option, it did not acknowledge an a:\ drive, and therefore was not able to format the floppie.

[b1caez01]

O.k., downloaded "KNOPPIX_V5.0.1CD-2006-06-01-EN.iso...712926 KB...6/02/06...4:49:00 PM" from ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/dist/knoppix/

There are a lot of files on that page, do I only need the one? Did I get the right one?

...Al

P.S.: father's folks from Nairn and Newton St. Boswell's...having a h... of a time trying to find info on the Nairn bunch...are you able to share off-line? I am an amateur genealogist as well as computer junkie

Edited by b1caez01, 20 August 2006 - 11:55 AM.

[warriorscot]

Its a live CD you just burn the iso(an iso is a precompiled disk image just burn it as such with burning software like nero or the powertoy isorecorder, you then boot from it as a live cd. Everything you need is on here http://www.knoppix.org/ or linked to here. I would reccomend using CDRWs when messing with setting up live CDs.

Man if you think you have even the smallest bit of control in windows you have some magic version of XP. Many use linux because it is completely open from the sounds of it you are a linux junkie that hasnt quite realised it yet.

[b1caez01]

So, burn the ISO straight from the download... [ KNOPPIX_V5.0.1CD-2006-06-01-EN.iso] ...straight to disk, no opening involved...mmmm...did not work for me in the past ...but I am always the learner ...here goes ...will let you know later, after I reboot and test it out ...at worst I have two disks, one open and one closed with just the ISO image on it...

I most probably am a closet LINUX wannabee, but I am reticent to put two OS's on my drive for fear of screwing things up...and not knowing what to do once it is done! I am old to computers, but technology has outpaced my enthusiasm for making mistakes and having to spend days correcting them ... I've read a bit about it, but am also a closet COWARD when it comes to messing with something that ...well... I hazzard to say it... works. ..oh that stuck in my throat...gag....


...Al