UPGRADING REPAIRING PCs
UPGRADING REPAIRING PCs UPGRADING REPAIRING PCs
132 Chapter 4—SCSI and IDE Hard Drives and Optical Drives High-Level (DOS) Format The final step in the installation of a hard disk drive is the highlevel format. Similar to the partitioning process, the high-level format is specific to the file system you’ve chosen to use on the drive. On Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000 and DOS systems, the primary function of the high-level format is to create a FAT and directory system on the disk so the operating system can manage files. You must run FDISK before formatting a drive. Each drive letter created by FDISK must be formatted before it can be used for data storage. This process might be automated with setup programs for some operating systems, such as Windows 9x retail versions. In the following notes, I provide the steps for a manual drive preparation in which you’ll install a full operating system copy later. Usually, you perform the high-level format with the FORMAT.COM program or the formatting utility in Windows 9x/Me Explorer. FORMAT.COM uses the following syntax: FORMAT C: /S /V This high-level command formats drive C:, writes the hidden operating system files in the first part of the partition (/S), and prompts for the entry of a volume label (/V) to be stored on the disk at the completion of the process. The FAT high-level format program performs the following functions and procedures: 1. Scans the disk (read only) for tracks and sectors marked as bad during the LLF and notes these tracks as being unreadable. 2. Returns the drive heads to the first cylinder of the partition and at that cylinder (Head 1, Sector 1), it writes a DOS volume boot sector. 3. Writes a FAT at Head 1, Sector 2. Immediately after this FAT, it writes a second copy of the FAT. These FATs essentially are blank except for bad-cluster marks noting areas of the disk that were found to be unreadable during the marked-defect scan. 4. Writes a blank root directory. 5. If the /S parameter is specified, copies the system files, IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS (or IBMBIO.COM and IBMDOS.COM, depending on which DOS you run) and COMMAND.COM to the disk (in that order). 6. If the /V parameter is specified, prompts the user for a volume label, which is written as the fourth file entry in the root directory.
Now, the operating system can use the disk for storing and retrieving files, and the disk is a bootable disk. Note Because the high-level format doesn’t overwrite data areas beyond the root directory of the hard disk, using programs such as Norton Utilities to unformat the hard disk that contains data from previous operations is possible—provided no programs or data has been copied to the drive after high-level formatting. Unformatting can be performed because the data from the drive’s previous use is still present. If you create an extended partition, the logical DOS drive letters located in the extended partition need a simpler FORMAT command because system files aren’t necessary—for example, FORMAT D:/V for drive D: and FORMAT E:/V for drive E:, and so on. Replacing an Existing Drive Previous sections discuss installing a single hard drive or adding a new hard drive to a system. Although formatting and partitioning a new hard disk can be challenging, replacing an existing drive and moving your programs and files to it can be much more challenging. Drive Migration for MS-DOS Users When MS-DOS 6.x was dominant, many users used the following straightforward method to transfer the contents of their old hard drive to their new hard drive: 1. The user creates a bootable disk containing FDISK, FORMAT, and XCOPY. 2. The new hard drive is prepared with a primary partition (and possibly an extended partition, depending on the user’s desires). 3. The new hard drive is formatted with system files, although the operating system identifies it as D:. 4. The XCOPY command is used to transfer all non-hidden files from C:\ (the old hard drive) to D:\, as in the following: XCOPY C:\ D:\/S/E Replacing an Existing Drive 133 The XCOPY command also is used as necessary to transfer files from any remaining drive letters on the old hard drive to the corresponding drive letters on the new drive.
- Page 99 and 100: Determining the Motherboard Manufac
- Page 101 and 102: Table 3.8 Common Keystrokes Used to
- Page 103 and 104: Phoenix BIOS Beep Codes The followi
- Page 105 and 106: Port 80h Beep Code Codes Error Mess
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- Page 127 and 128: Bus-Mastering Chipsets for IDE 109
- Page 129 and 130: Table 4.13 Bus-Mastering Chipsets b
- Page 131 and 132: Table 4.14 Other IDE Drive Installa
- Page 133 and 134: standard single-ended SCSI devices
- Page 135 and 136: SCSI Drive and Device Configuration
- Page 137 and 138: SCSI Drive and Device Configuration
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- Page 141 and 142: SCSI Configuration Troubleshooting
- Page 143 and 144: Using FDISK 125 Using FDISK FDISK i
- Page 145 and 146: Benefits of Hard Disk Partitioning
- Page 147 and 148: How FDISK and the Operating System
- Page 149: How FDISK and the Operating System
- Page 153 and 154: The command switches are explained
- Page 155 and 156: MS-DOS Command-Line Access to CD-RO
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Now, the operating system can use the disk for storing and retrieving<br />
files, and the disk is a bootable disk.<br />
Note<br />
Because the high-level format doesn’t overwrite data areas<br />
beyond the root directory of the hard disk, using programs such<br />
as Norton Utilities to unformat the hard disk that contains data<br />
from previous operations is possible—provided no programs or<br />
data has been copied to the drive after high-level formatting.<br />
Unformatting can be performed because the data from the<br />
drive’s previous use is still present.<br />
If you create an extended partition, the logical DOS drive letters<br />
located in the extended partition need a simpler FORMAT command<br />
because system files aren’t necessary—for example, FORMAT<br />
D:/V for drive D: and FORMAT E:/V for drive E:, and so on.<br />
Replacing an Existing Drive<br />
Previous sections discuss installing a single hard drive or adding a<br />
new hard drive to a system. Although formatting and partitioning a<br />
new hard disk can be challenging, replacing an existing drive and<br />
moving your programs and files to it can be much more challenging.<br />
Drive Migration for MS-DOS Users<br />
When MS-DOS 6.x was dominant, many users used the following<br />
straightforward method to transfer the contents of their old hard<br />
drive to their new hard drive:<br />
1. The user creates a bootable disk containing FDISK, FORMAT,<br />
and XCOPY.<br />
2. The new hard drive is prepared with a primary partition (and<br />
possibly an extended partition, depending on the user’s<br />
desires).<br />
3. The new hard drive is formatted with system files, although<br />
the operating system identifies it as D:.<br />
4. The XCOPY command is used to transfer all non-hidden files<br />
from C:\ (the old hard drive) to D:\, as in the following:<br />
XCOPY C:\ D:\/S/E<br />
Replacing an Existing Drive 133<br />
The XCOPY command also is used as necessary to transfer<br />
files from any remaining drive letters on the old hard drive<br />
to the corresponding drive letters on the new drive.