Resolved Floppy disk is not accessible

Hi

This article:- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/140060 - concerns something I'm currently struggling with, so far with complete lack of success.

The background is that I'm trying to carry-out a simple task (which I've carried-out successfully before) and continually coming up against the same barrier, which prevents me completing the task. The task is to install Smart Boot Manager ( "SBM ") in the boot sector of my system partition C: I had it installed there before, and running perfectly for many months, but I hamfistedly managed to corrupt it without realising what I was doing. So I set about repeating (as I thought) the same process as when I installed it the first time around. But this time, no luck!

I start by formatting a boot floppy in XP. To that I then copy the two SBM files which are needed, downloaded from SBM's Sourceforge pages. By experiment (after I began trying to diagnose my problem) I've found that if I boot from the boot floppy without the two SBM files on it and then (from the 'A' prompt) just exit DOS and reboot into Windows, the contents of the floppy can still be read in Explorer. On the other hand, if the boot floppy contains the two SBM files, and I use it (which is what it's for) to try to install SBM to the boot sector:- a) SBM doesn't install, b) after exiting DOS and rebooting to Windows I can no longer access the floppy disk. Instead I get the message (one of those referred to in the MS article) "The disk in drive A is not formatted. Do you want to format it now? "

The MS article says "To resolve this problem, re-format the floppy disk with Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003." But, of course, I've already done just that (more than once) and it hasn't helped, the loop just keeps repeating.

Can anyone suggest what else I might try?

 

Have you tried SBM's help forum?

 

No, wildfire. I hadn't come across it.

But, looking at it now, it seems pretty moribund don't you think? The most recent "last action" was as long ago as August 2008, which doesn't indicate a very lively forum (unlike windowsBBS!). Or am I being cynical?

 

To be honest I haven't heard of SBM upto now, but I am a member of several forums that rarely have traffic. Still worth a post there whilst you wait here for assistance.

Post feedback if any though so members here can see what's happening.

 

Point taken, wildfire. I'll probably try that next - all else so far having failed.

Meanwhile however, with the aim of perhaps stimulating other responses here as well, I'll elaborate on the behaviour I'm experiencing. With an eye to what the MS article says is the cause of the error message, what seems to be happening is that if I write the SBM image file to an empty, formatted, floppy disk it causes the media descriptor byte in the disk's BIOS parameter block to be deleted/overwritten.

I can't recall whether or not this was the method for producing an SBM floppy that I followed last time but I certainly don't recall having had this problem on that occasion. Perhaps, however, I used the alternative method; this is to make a boot floppy and copy to it the two SBM files which are needed to install this app. This method (I find) does not delete/overwrite the media descriptor byte in the BIOS parameter block: no error-message is displayed and the resulting disk, containing the added two files, continues to be readable. It does, however, lead to equally strange behaviour further along the chain - which I'm quite certain I never encountered last time.

Rebooting with the disk in the drive produces the DOS error message: "The following file is missing or corrupted: COMMAND.COM..." Switching it for a "standard" boot floppy and hitting <dir> shows 'command.com' among the files listed, and switching back again to the SBM boot floppy, then hitting <dir> produces no error-message this time but a normal file listing (including 'command.com'). If I then go through its install process, SBM installs successfully (at least, I get it's message telling me so). However, it doesn't (as I'm sure I remember last time) thereupon open SBM's GUI: nothing at all happens. If I exit DOS and reboot, SBM doesn't kick-in, and if in Windows I then try to open the SBM floppy (which previously could be opened) I now get that error-message saying it isn't formatted. So evidently, at some point in this process too, the media descriptor byte in this disk's BIOS parameter block has also got deleted/overwritten.

BTW I have run Avast's anti-virus boot scan, and no such viruses were detected.

 

OK,

I've just downloaded the UserGuide and I'll try to assist.

Some information requested,

1) Please confirm your current Hard Drive configuration (physical and logical)

If this is your main system it would be helpfull if you add your system details to your profile. Please click on the link and follow those instructions it could save some time when resolving this or further issues.

A common error is to forget to show your system details in your profile

If you do add your system specifications be sure to do the above

2) What command are you trying to use when installing SBM?

 

This is VERY embarrassing but they say confession is good for the soul, so here goes...

I've now (only now!) just realised that all this time I've been typing the wrong command at the DOS prompt Instead of the DOS code for my first hard drive ( "128 ") I've been typing the Linux term ( "/dev/hda ").

I imagine that SBM has defaulted each time to installing itself on the boot sector of the floppy disk. So, exactly as described by the MS article, the media descriptor byte in the BIOS parameter block (BPB) of the boot sector (of the floppy) is - along with all the rest of its boot sector I presume - being removed/overwritten each time I've attempted to install SBM. And it has been installed each time - but on the floppy not on my system drive, so it hasn't come up of course when I've subsequently booted into Windows. There just had to be a logical explanation but I hadn't ascribed it to my own idiocy.

Apologies to you especially, widfire, having taken the trouble you did. To make some amends I'll dutifully follow your instructions about adding system details to my profile

Regards and thanks.

 

lol That's even more of a faux pas than I thought, I'd assumed you were using 0 (floppy) rather than 128

Still, glad you've got it sorted. Don't forget to mark the thread resolved.