Volume numbers in MSDOS 5.0 ???

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2 total messages Started by S|ren Erland Vest| Tue, 29 Dec 1992 15:57

#2824

Author: S|ren Erland Vest|
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 15:57

14 lines
793 bytes

Hi all,

I was just wondering: Can anyone tell me, what the volume-number, that MSDOS 5
format gives the disks, is for ? It consists of 2 four-digit hex numbers, but 
I can't seem to see a connection between each. Are they just random?

Regs,
Soeren E.

-- 
Strapped to the chair at the city's gaschamber,
               why I'm here I can't quite remember

                            -Guns'n'Roses

Re: Volume numbers in MSDOS 5.0 ???

#3620

Author: Richard M. Hartman
Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1993 18:09

19 lines
1264 bytes

I think they are pseudo-random using the time of formatting
as a seed, but don't count on it.

The main thing is that it is statistically unlikely that one
user will run across two disketts w/ the same volume #, but
you may run across many with the same (or no) volume name.

Installation programs may make use of these #s to ensure that
the diskette hasn't been swapped between reads or writes.  You
could also use that information for some sort of security key.

However, I am not aware of any programs that currently make
use of that number, so it is mainly potential in it's usefulness.

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