rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) (03/29/89)
OK, here I am...peacefully working on a contract program. Suddenly, I decide that, for various reasons, it would be a useful thing to be able to detect whether GDOS is installed on the user's machine. If GDOS is not installed, maybe I can force it into memory...but the first part of the project is just to see if GDOS is there at all... Piece O' Cake, me thinks...I 'whip' together a 5 line assembler routine which essentially does a TRAP #2 and checks the D0 register. Low and behold this does work. I boot my machine with GDOS, my routine finds it. I cold boot without GDOS installed, and my routine informs me there is no GDOS on the system. 'Gosh,' I think to myself, 'I sure am smart.' Now I'm at the desktop after running my program. I open up the C:/AUTO/ directory, and rename a file. There is a disgusting flash as my machine mysteriously tries to reboot. It does: sans hard disk! (Keep in mind that it is now midnight, or thereabouts...) A quick check of drive C: with a sector editor confirms my fears: sector 0 (the boot sector) has been replaced with a copy of the FAT for C:/AUTO/... After swearing, throwing up, wishing I was a chartered accountant, and various other bad things...I sit down to rebuild my boot sector by hand. (It took three bleary-eyed hours, but I got it back...) My question is: was this a co-ink-ee-dink, or did the TRAP #2 put my Atari into the twilight zone? Any responses, theories, or shots-in-the-dark are appreciated, since I am hesitant to try this experiment again... Thanks... - Rob DeMillo | UUCP: ...ima!brunix!rjd Brown University | BITnet: DEMILLO%BRNPSG.SPAN@STAR.STANFORD.EDU Planetary Science Group | Reality: 401-863-3769 "I say you *are* the Messiah, Lord! And I ought to know, I've followed a few!"
kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) (03/31/89)
In article <2938@brunix.UUCP> rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) writes: |OK, here I am...peacefully working on a contract program. Suddenly, |I decide that, for various reasons, it would be a useful thing to |be able to detect whether GDOS is installed on the user's machine. | [stuff about HD boot sector mysteriously disappearing after TRAP #2] | |My question is: was this a co-ink-ee-dink, or did the TRAP #2 put |my Atari into the twilight zone? Coincidence? Maybe. But there is no way that a GDOS Trap #2 inquiry could waste your hard disk's boot sector. Got any other evil, insidious memory resident tools lurking in your system? -- Ken Badertscher | #include <disclaimer> Atari R&D Software Engine | GEMDOS LIVES! ...or is that Frodo? {portal,ames,imagen}!atari!kbad | I can never remember these things...
rjd@brunix (Rob Demillo) (04/02/89)
In article <1418@atari.UUCP> kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) writes: >In article <2938@brunix.UUCP> rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) writes: >|My question is: was this a co-ink-ee-dink, or did the TRAP #2 put >|my Atari into the twilight zone? > >Coincidence? Maybe. But there is no way that a GDOS Trap #2 inquiry >could waste your hard disk's boot sector. Got any other evil, insidious >memory resident tools lurking in your system? > >-- > Ken Badertscher | #include <disclaimer> > Atari R&D Software Engine | GEMDOS LIVES! ...or is that Frodo? > {portal,ames,imagen}!atari!kbad | I can never remember these things... Yeah, that's what I thought to. But when I pull out the assembler routine, the program functions fine. When I put it back in: blammo! (Don't worry, this time I had my ass covered because I was expecting it.) I am now beginning to expect the Laser C shell. I wonder if it is reacting badly with my TRAP #2 for some reason. Any comments? - Rob DeMillo | UUCP: ...ima!brunix!rjd Brown University | BITnet: DEMILLO%BRNPSG.SPAN@STAR.STANFORD.EDU Planetary Science Group | Reality: 401-863-3769 "I say you *are* the Messiah, Lord! And I ought to know, I've followed a few!"
to_stdnet@stag.UUCP (04/07/89)
From: omni!emh@stag.UUCP (Eric Hopper) In article <3179@brunix.UUCP> rjd@brunix (Rob Demillo) writes: >In article <1418@atari.UUCP> kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) writes: >>In article <2938@brunix.UUCP> rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) writes: >>>My question is: was this a co-ink-ee-dink, or did the TRAP #2 put >>>my Atari into the twilight zone? >>Coincidence? Maybe. But there is no way that a GDOS Trap #2 inquiry >>could waste your hard disk's boot sector. Got any other evil, insidious >>memory resident tools lurking in your system? >>-- >> Ken Badertscher | #include <disclaimer> >> Atari R&D Software Engine | GEMDOS LIVES! ...or is that Frodo? >> {portal,ames,imagen}!atari!kbad | I can never remember these things... >Yeah, that's what I thought to. But when I pull out the assembler >routine, the program functions fine. When I put it back in: blammo! >(Don't worry, this time I had my ass covered because I was expecting it.) >I am now beginning to expect the Laser C shell. I wonder if it is >reacting badly with my TRAP #2 for some reason. Any comments? I don't think so. If you look at the Laser C demo programs, they all use the trap #2 vector to check for GDOS. It's in their open_work() routines. I don't think they would stick in demo programs that they couldn't run from their shell. Eric Hopper (Omnifarious) Don't try to send to emh@omni.uucp, because omni is completely unkown to any system except stag. omni!emh@stag.UUCP or ....{rosevax, ems, umn-cs}!pwcs!stag!omni!emh /*****************************************************************************/ /* All opinions presented here are the result of my enviroment, or heredity. */ /* If you don't like them you only have yourselves or my parents to blame. */ /*****************************************************************************/ \**************************/ /) __ \* "I went insane to */ // / ') \* preserve my sanity */ // __. __ o ____. . _ / / ______ ____ o \* for later." */_//__(_/|_/ (_<_(_) (_/_/_)_ (__/ / / / <_/ / <_<_ \* Ford Prefect */ /> \****************/ </ /****************************************************************************/