stephenc@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Stephen Chung) (10/11/90)
Hi NetLanders, I am currently running DOS 4.01 on an 80M IDE drive. I want to create a separate partition (maybe 10M or so) so that DOS 3.3 can recognize it when I boot it up from a floppy. The problem: I don't want to backup my hard disk (I have about 40M of stuff and no tape backup unit). Somebody suggests to me that I: 1. Defragmentize the hard drive, push all files to the front 2. Use fdisk to create a partition at the end or Modify the partition table using a sector editor I am a little skeptical about this because the manual says that using fdisk will trash all data on the hard disk. Does anyone know whether it is save to do that? Thanks a lot. Reply to this account is appreciated. - Stephen
david@gisatl.FIDONET.ORG (David Deitch) (10/15/90)
You won't believe this, but back on 11/Oct/90 (was a Thu BTW) at about 14:46, this guy Stephen Chung said this to All: > I am currently running DOS 4.01 on an 80M IDE drive. I want to create > a separate partition (maybe 10M or so) so that DOS 3.3 can recognize > it when I boot it up from a floppy. The problem: I don't want to > backup my hard disk (I have about 40M of stuff and no tape backup > unit). Why go to any of this trouble? The file formats used by 3.3 and 4.01 are the same. Only the utilities are different. Simply set up two DOS directories on your HD, one for each version. In your HD's autoexec and config.sys, set up a path to the 4.01 dos directory and shell to the command.com in your 4.01 directory. Then do the same thing on your floppy for the 3.3 directory. David Deitch (GIS) deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org 1:133/411@fidonet -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Deitch - via FidoNet node 1:133/411 UUCP: galbp!gisatl!david INTERNET: david@gisatl.FIDONET.ORG
phys169@canterbury.ac.nz (10/15/90)
In article <1990Oct11.144632.6332@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>, stephenc@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Stephen Chung) writes: > I am currently running DOS 4.01 on an 80M IDE drive. I want to create > a separate partition (maybe 10M or so) so that DOS 3.3 can recognize > it when I boot it up from a floppy. The problem: I don't want to > backup my hard disk (I have about 40M of stuff and no tape backup unit). > Somebody suggests to me that I: > > 1. Defragmentize the hard drive, push all files to the front > 2. Use fdisk to create a partition at the end or > Modify the partition table using a sector editor > The only way it could avoid ruining the data there already is if the new partition is created ("by hand", e.g. Norton's utility) overlapping the end of the existing partition, and you make an imaginary file in the original partition taking all of the used space. Otherwise shrinking the first partition will make the FAT wrong (the 2nd copy will want to start earlier on the disk). A very messy operation. Best to back up and repartition, unfortunately. Why do you want to boot up on Dos 3.3? Mark Aitchison, Physics, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
mlord@bwdls58.bnr.ca (Mark Lord) (10/19/90)
In article <628.2719DE7C@gisatl.FIDONET.ORG> david@gisatl.FIDONET.ORG (David Deitch) writes: >You won't believe this, but back on 11/Oct/90 (was a Thu BTW) at >about 14:46, this guy Stephen Chung said this to All: > > > I am currently running DOS 4.01 on an 80M IDE drive. I want to create > > a separate partition (maybe 10M or so) so that DOS 3.3 can recognize > > it when I boot it up from a floppy. The problem: I don't want to > > backup my hard disk (I have about 40M of stuff and no tape backup > > unit). > > Why go to any of this trouble? The file formats used by 3.3 and >4.01 are the same. Only the utilities are different. Simply set up Simply because the file formats are NOT the same in this case. Specifically, DOS 3.3 does not recognize huge DOS 4.01 partitions. For the original poster: Back it up, and reformat/partition from scratch. It's the only sure way to end up with proper FATs for both partitions. I have tried what you suggest in the dark past, and it didn't work. Not wanting to backup the drive is no excuse, as you ought to be doing that on a regular basis anyway if you value the contents of your hard drive. Besides, it's FUN sitting there spoonfeeding your computer ! :) -- ___Mark S. Lord__________________________________________ | ..uunet!bnrgate!mlord%bmerh724 | Climb Free Or Die (NH) | | MLORD@BNR.CA Ottawa, Ontario | Personal views only. | |________________________________|________________________|