Windows 98 command LOCK A: failure
Edward
I needed to use low-level disk editor (it rund in DOS) to fix few things
on hard drive.
I tried LOCK command in DOS BOX and in "pure" DOS after boot.
I couldn't get access to hard drive or floppy. Command seemed to pass
OK, but when I tried to start disk editor - it crashed all the time,
with the same errors (don't remember phrase).
I have got an impression that this LOCK command exists as a blinder, it
is nothing but a rudiment.
32-bit access driver simply did not release hard drive for direct
access.
Micro$oft sux, everybody knows it.
The only thing is why on earth they make things harder even for those
who know more than average contryside-bumpkin-like typical micro$soft
user "Click-and-Go" ?
It's just very annoying that micro$soft wiseacres decide for you - how
you may or may not operate your hardware.
I was obliged to load from floppy with PTS-DOS (+ Drfat32 driver) to get
proper access to hard drive.
Maybe I did something wrong, but if it's necessary to waste 2 hours
for figuring out how to get access to hard drive - who needs this kinda
crap?
Edward
Marco van de Voort
> I faced the same problem:
>
> I needed to use low-level disk editor (it rund in DOS) to fix few things
> on hard drive.
> I tried LOCK command in DOS BOX and in "pure" DOS after boot.
Do you use a simple fat16 filesystem? Otherwise the disk editor maybe cracks
on that.
Edward
(without any external driver but when booted under appropriate system
DOS/WIN/NT).
Maybe it was malfunctioning then.
I can not vouch for it.
I don't even think I have it now.
Edward
------------------------
Donnan Anrias
XXXXXXXXX>> SOME HELP PLEASE.
Can anybody help us please. We are ‘new' to computing, all of us over
65 and we have needed to master this HTML, Javascript and Perl (Small
amount) to build our web-site and achieve our collective ambition. We
have been going along OK in the two years since we started. Our
original ‘box' which is networked into smaller boxes on the tables, is
now the work-horse. Not by choice but by financial need – It was a
midget in terms to what it has become with the hardware we have added
and up-dated, we have meddled along quite well. We lost a Hard Drive
last year in that virus thing that seems to eat capacity for
breakfast. You have enough background there. Our Problem!!!
We know not and have no idea of MSDos. (Think you can tell by the way
I wrote it!)
In October to January we had the new Hard Drive 20GB running extremely
well. The original 4GB backing up for storing work. The big disc
holding all the program's and applications. Something happened a
couple of weeks ago. We are not sure how, it was not off e.mails,
(Just so many with attachments everyday!) or from anything that we
caught. It was our own stupidity. When it's running right, don't fix
it! We have always said that. But, we needed to get into CD
read/write. Our web-site is now 31MB and keeping an up-to-date
‘floppy' version was becoming unrealistic. We saved our pennies and
pooled our bits. We had enough to buy a ‘new' CD Read/Write. It was
duly purchased and brought back to the office by the young errand boy
(Our youngest just 65 in Nov) We read all the books and instructions,
checked out the CD on the existing drive to make sure it worded and
the drivers were all there. Everything fine. We got the top off. Easy
as shelling peas. Got it all sorted, no problems. Its running, it
‘burning' – The machine is running just – Just a touch temperamental.
We made one mistake. Although the kit is working. There is no sound.
More serious, it will not ‘defragment' - just about scans, but will
not go fast in the middle and the end. Takes a ‘holiday' but remembers
to come back eventually. Starting, it keeps asking for the PCI Sound
Driver Software. Which is another story. Refuses to shut Windows down
20% of shutdowns. All together an utter mess. Yet still working HTML
Editor, Floppy Drive, CD, but NO sound.
We think we put the sound and graphic in the wrong way round. We
should have loaded the sound first. Then the grahics we had that a few
times over the last couple of years. When we did, we just went right
back to the beginning again and ‘FDISK' on the C:\ and ‘Bobs your
Uncle!' Reload in the right order and everythings OK.
This time we cannot get an ‘FDISK' to work. Tried FDISK/ACTOK – No,
says there is a first partition area not available. FDISK/STATUS tells
us everything is OK. What we then did was got almost to the point
where it started after asking us which of the 4 options we wanted. We
tried all of them in sequence and some estimated logic. Then it tells
us the primary boot area is unavailable. We then went through the
FDISK 1/PRI:100 routine. No joy.
It seems to us, if we could go into pure DOS , not the Windows 98
permitted version. We could do better.
So at start-up, ‘DELETE' to get to the choices. Where you can choose
‘SAFE MODE' or MsDOS. We choose DOS (We are now three days in – Still
not at that time got the machine going again yet after the CD going
in.) Finally. We get to that moment where it might be working, and it
Tells us we are Not Permitted. It's locked. So now. We are stuck.
We cannot get the sound on – We cannot get a bigger screen than 640 X
480 32 color. In addition we are unable to find the right driver for
the monitor. So we need some help. Not with that, but getting the Hard
Dive cleared so we can start again.
The Motherboard is a PC100 – M598LM – That was working perfectly. Any
suggestions or a sequence (Simple Please) of MSDos Code we can take
charge of the rouge Hard Drive again! This is a software problems.
It's a mixture of a lack of our knowledge and a simple code that will
unlock the hard drive. Or clean it in MSDos. We have no books on the
language. We have tried to get the code off the web. Problem. We do
not know what we are looking for. We know if you enter C:\DIR you can
just see the files. We realise in C:\ we could, if we knew the
sequence. Wipe the C:\ drive with FDISK. But I argue to the others. If
it wont do it in the MSDos we are in now, were is the new DOS they are
talking about. It's a pure lack of knowledge of the coding.
Well, that's the saga. Any advice suggestions would be most welcome.
Kind Regards.
Donnan Anrias.
Voluntary Editor.
Targ Organisation Trust.
http://www.targ.org