mbr for 40G harddrive?

"*selah*" wrote:
"Zvi Netiv" wrote in message

Moreover, you didn't answer the questions in my last post, to post here the
parameters of the current boot sector and MBR, as well as whether there is a FAT
signature in the vicinity of sector 16000.

There was a fat signature at 16204.

Exactly where predicted. That's bad news. See below why.

*********************** Setup Diagnostics ************************
* device detected *
* BIOS/CHS LBA not avail. *
* Number of Heads: 255 255 *
* Number of Cylinders: 1024 4111 *
* Sectors per Track: 63 63 *
* Disk Capacity in Mbytes: 8040 32247 *
* IDE Access Time: *
* Total sectors on drive: 66043215 *

Note the figure in the last line, above. It indicates that the 32 GB limiting
jumper is placed in position.

CHS address: Cyl 0 Head 0 Sector 1
******************** Partition Table Layout **********************
* Partition Starting Ending Reserved Total *
* Boot Type Head Cyl. Sec. Head Cyl. Sec. Sectors Sectors *
* Yes 12 1 0 1 254 885 63 63 80035767 *
* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *
* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *
* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *

Note the number of "total sectors" in the single partition in the MBR. It
belongs to a 40 GB drive, while the previous table indicates 32 GB found by the
BIOS. The settings do not match. From your previous posts, it seems that the
above table was recovered from a sector somewhere on the drive. Hence we may
assume that it reflects a configuration that was once used on that drive.

CHS address: Cyl 0 Head 1 Sector 1
******************** Boot Sector Data FAT-32 *********************
* Sectors per Cluster: 64 *
* Number of Heads: 255 *
* Sectors in Partition: 80035767 *
* Sectors per FAT Copy: 9766 *
* Reserved Sectors: 32 *
* Capacity in Kilobytes: 40977920 *

You don't say how and where from was that boot sector obtained. Was it
reconstructed by the ^F2 method from the above MBR, or was it pasted from some
backup that you found on the drive? It doesn't really matter now, but it
demonstrates lack of openness and cooperation.

CHS address: Cyl 0 Head 1 Sector 7
******************** Boot Sector Data FAT-32 *********************
* Sectors per Cluster: 64 *
* Number of Heads: 255 *
* Sectors in Partition: 80035767 *
* Sectors per FAT Copy: 9766 *
* Reserved Sectors: 32 *
* Capacity in Kilobytes: 40977920 *

This is the mirror boot sector, at CHS 017. No explanation how you recovered
that sector, since there was no mirror of the boot sector at that location,
previously.

************************************************** ****************
* Press Space to pause, Esc to stop searching *
* -------------------------------------------------------------- *
* First FAT-32 copy starts on sector 95, Cyl 0 *
* Second FAT-32 copy starts on sector 9861, Cyl 0 *
* Sectors per FAT copy: 9766 *
************************************************** ****************
Searching for existing FAT partitions on drive 1

Note the perfect match between the number of sectors per FAT copy here, and in
the current boot sector. Which suggests a rather grim prognosis.

As it seems, two different configurations existed on that drive at different
times. From the lack of openness and cooperation in your posts, it's impossible
to tell which one is the good one and what preceded to what, in order to roll
back at least part of the mess you did.

The current configuration is that of a 40GB drive, but set as a 32 GB drive by
the limiting jumper. Remove the jumper if you plan reconfiguring, format, and
use it. If you won't, then you'll start getting apparent bad sectors when the
used capacity nears 32 GB.

Your worst problem is what you did to the FAT, and the root directory. In the
40 GB configuration, the FAT occupies 2 x 9766 sectors starting from sector 95.
The root directory starts immediately after the end of the second copy of the
FAT, on sector 19627.

For the 32 GB configuration, the FAT occupies 2 x 16109 sectors, from sec 95,
and the root is located at sector 32313. In case you wonder why there is a
larger FAT for a smaller partition, then the reason is that the cluster size for
the smaller partition is only 32 sectors (64 sectors/cluster in the larger
partition) and more clusters are needed for the entire partition.

Regardless of which configuration is the "correct" one, you trashed both FAT
copies and probably the root too, of both configurations, as the FAT overlap,
either copy 1 on 2, or 2 on 2. There is not what to do now to correct this,
just try DR software.

Regards, Zvi
--
NetZ Computing Ltd. ISRAEL www.invircible.com www.ivi.co.il (Hebrew)
InVircible Virus Defense Solutions, ResQ and Data Recovery Utilities