If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
formatting compact flash
Hi, I have a doubt while formatting a compact flash card to fat 16
file system using windows OS(XP). I'm not going to use compact flash as a booting device. If that is the case will the first sector will be a MBR as in the case of hard disk or will it be a boot record as in the case of floppy disk. I'm using USB card reader to read the card. thanking you in advance Hari |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
I think you'll find that thuis group isn't so much for just "storage", but
"archival storage" (= tape etc) so you're not really in the right place here. Anyway, the only reason a HD has an MBR as well as the individual partition boot sectors is that a HD CAN HAVE multiple partitions (= logical drives) on it.... so it needs the MBR to (a) start booting the PC; (b) describe the partition shapes & locations; (c) say which is the BOOT partition (if it's a bootable disk). Given that a flash card, like a floppy, or even a CD, is only ever a SINGLE drive, then there is no purpose in it having an MBR. Conversely, not having an MBR doesn't stop the device being bootable. Once the OS has worked out which partition on the HD is going to boot, it boots from it... just like you can boot from a floppy, CD etc. However, in the case that the device IS bootable, then there will be OS files on it to allow it to boot. The boot sector still remains as a single sector.... which is STILL there, even if the device is NON bootable: it provides some basic information about the media (eg its size!) Paul Blitz "Hari" wrote in message om... Hi, I have a doubt while formatting a compact flash card to fat 16 file system using windows OS(XP). I'm not going to use compact flash as a booting device. If that is the case will the first sector will be a MBR as in the case of hard disk or will it be a boot record as in the case of floppy disk. I'm using USB card reader to read the card. thanking you in advance Hari |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 09:20:38 -0000, "paul blitz"
wrote: I think you'll find that thuis group isn't so much for just "storage", but "archival storage" (= tape etc) so you're not really in the right place here. Actually, Storage Architectures, not "archivale storage". But you're right about this not being the ideal place! [ Snip ] Paul Blitz Malc. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
At least the USB flashes always get the MBR by formatting, dunno on CF
card - whether this is a removable drive or a removable media in the removable drive. -- Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP StorageCraft Corporation http://www.storagecraft.com "Hari" wrote in message om... Hi, I have a doubt while formatting a compact flash card to fat 16 file system using windows OS(XP). I'm not going to use compact flash as a booting device. If that is the case will the first sector will be a MBR as in the case of hard disk or will it be a boot record as in the case of floppy disk. I'm using USB card reader to read the card. thanking you in advance Hari |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
How Windows handles this issue:
- for all disk LUNs (IDE disks, SCSI disks, SBP-2/1394 disks, USB disks, this also includes IoMega and magneto-optics and NOT includes CD/DVD/RW) - the MBR partition table is tried. For both removable and fixed media. - if the media is removable, and if the MBR is invalid - then it is checked to be the valid FAT boot block, and the device is considered to be a "super-floppy" - having 1 partition over the whole device. - for removable media, only the first partition in the MBR is used in case if device has MBR. - so, removable media always have 1 partition. Note that USB flashes are not removable media. They are removable _devices_. Magneto optics is removable media. Dunno on CF cards. -- Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP StorageCraft Corporation http://www.storagecraft.com "paul blitz" wrote in message t... I think you'll find that thuis group isn't so much for just "storage", but "archival storage" (= tape etc) so you're not really in the right place here. Anyway, the only reason a HD has an MBR as well as the individual partition boot sectors is that a HD CAN HAVE multiple partitions (= logical drives) on it.... so it needs the MBR to (a) start booting the PC; (b) describe the partition shapes & locations; (c) say which is the BOOT partition (if it's a bootable disk). Given that a flash card, like a floppy, or even a CD, is only ever a SINGLE drive, then there is no purpose in it having an MBR. Conversely, not having an MBR doesn't stop the device being bootable. Once the OS has worked out which partition on the HD is going to boot, it boots from it... just like you can boot from a floppy, CD etc. However, in the case that the device IS bootable, then there will be OS files on it to allow it to boot. The boot sector still remains as a single sector.... which is STILL there, even if the device is NON bootable: it provides some basic information about the media (eg its size!) Paul Blitz "Hari" wrote in message om... Hi, I have a doubt while formatting a compact flash card to fat 16 file system using windows OS(XP). I'm not going to use compact flash as a booting device. If that is the case will the first sector will be a MBR as in the case of hard disk or will it be a boot record as in the case of floppy disk. I'm using USB card reader to read the card. thanking you in advance Hari |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Should I format a Compact Flash card before use? | Dave | General | 4 | February 18th 05 06:10 PM |
ASUS PC-DL bios disaster | biomorphic | Asus Motherboards | 3 | September 22nd 04 02:11 AM |
Compact Flash as IDE HDD | W.Wallace | General | 3 | February 20th 04 06:08 AM |
Bootabe Compact Flash Card on USB ... Possible on the P4C800E-Deluxe | kda | Asus Motherboards | 0 | January 28th 04 07:06 PM |
Compact Flash Reader USB Problem | Stevesco | General | 1 | November 30th 03 03:46 PM |