[comp.os.minix] How do I prevent MS-DOS from seeing Minix partitions?

jlb@aipna.ed.ac.uk (John Beaven) (08/20/90)

Hi there-

I wonder if there is a simple (or even complicated) way to solve this one:
I have an AT clone with two hard disks. The first one is divided into 2
partitions and I keep my MS-DOS stuff in it, and the second one is
divided into 3 partitions, and I have installed Minix 1.3 there.

However, MS-DOS (3.30) still sees the Minix partitions (it thinks they
are empty) and assigns them drive letters. It also feels quite happy
about writing onto them (which predictably screws the Minix file
system) should I accidentally give a "wrong" disk specification.

I know there are utilities that make the HD read only, but is there any way
in which I can prevent MS-DOS from even _seeing_ my second hard disk
and assigning drive names to its partitions?

(I've tried changing the CMOS set up so that it thinks the second disk
isn't installed, but that confuses Minix too).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

John
jlb@aipna.ed.ac.uk

zalc0a@atanasof.trc.amoco.com (Arthur L. Corcoran) (08/22/90)

In article <2829@aipna.ed.ac.uk> jlb@aipna.ed.ac.uk (John Beaven) writes:
>I have an AT clone with two hard disks. The first one is divided into 2
>partitions and I keep my MS-DOS stuff in it, and the second one is
>divided into 3 partitions, and I have installed Minix 1.3 there.
>
>However, MS-DOS (3.30) still sees the Minix partitions (it thinks they
>are empty) and assigns them drive letters. It also feels quite happy
>about writing onto them (which predictably screws the Minix file
>system) should I accidentally give a "wrong" disk specification.

Assuming DOS assigns C: and D: to disk 1 and E:, F:, and G: to drive 2,
try this in your autoexec.bat:

        ASSIGN E=D F=D G=D

The drive letters will still be there but DOS will use D: instead of
E:, F:, or G:.  (You may use C: in place of D: if desired)

Hope this helps,
Art

-- 
--- "Views expressed are not necessarily those of Amoco Production Co." ---
  Art Corcoran                   # Amoco Production Co.
  corcoran@tusun2.mcs.utulsa.edu # Tulsa Research Center
  zalc0a@apctrc.trc.amoco.com    # Tulsa, OK, USA

droege@infko.UUCP (Detlev Droege) (08/24/90)

In article <1948@apctrc.UUCP> zalc0a@atanasof.trc.amoco.com (Arthur L. Corcoran
) writes:
>In article <2829@aipna.ed.ac.uk> jlb@aipna.ed.ac.uk (John Beaven) writes:
>>
>>However, MS-DOS (3.30) still sees the Minix partitions (it thinks they
>>are empty) and assigns them drive letters. It also feels quite happy
>
>        ASSIGN E=D F=D G=D
>
>The drive letters will still be there but DOS will use D: instead of
>E:, F:, or G:.  (You may use C: in place of D: if desired)

Use MINIX fdisk to mark the MINIX partition as MINIX (or non-DOS).
As far as I remember, even 1.3 fdisk can do that. 

1.5 fdisk does.

DOS should ignore any partition that is not marked to be
a DOS partition. At least on my system it does.

	Bye
		Detlev
--
Detlev Droege, Uni Koblenz (EWH), FB Informatik
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