🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct27.103809.1930@ucbeh.san.uc.edu>,
smithdv@ucbeh.san.uc.edu writes:

>    Here is another CHKDSK problem for you.
> I currently have DOS 4.01 and when I use chkdsk
> on my C: drive , I get the error message
>    "Probable Non-DOS disk"
>    "Continue (Y/N)?"
> I then continue and it still works.  All the files
> on the disk are still there and the ones I tested
> still run.  This problem occured after I had compiled
> a program on TP 6.0. Chkdsk worked before without the
> error message and now it works with the error message.
> So why do I get this message? Any help is very appreciated.

This is simple, but a little known fact.  The warning you report arises
when CHKDSK doesn't see the "correct" DOS hard disk media descriptor at
the beginning of the first file allocation table (FAT).  The "error" per
se is of little concern -- what wrote the incorrect value there though
should be of concern (especially if your claim that it happened whilst
compiling a program is correct).

Using a disk sector editor, look at the first byte in the first copy of
your FAT.  For a "valid" DOS HD this value should be F8.  Change it to
F8, save the change, exit and run CHKDSK again -- it should no longer
report the warning message.  CHKDSK is (normally) the only thing which
gets upset by the media descriptor byte being incorrectly set.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 Nick FitzGerald, PC Applications Consultant, CSC, Uni of Canterbury, N.Z.
 n.fitzgerald@csc.canterbury.ac.nz  (64)(3)  364-2337 Voice,  364-2332 FAX


+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 Nick FitzGerald, PC Applications Consultant, CSC, Uni of Canterbury, N.Z.
 n.fitzgerald@csc.canterbury.ac.nz  (64)(3)  364-2337 Voice,  364-2332 FAX