TSE: Issue: Drive type

[knud van eeden]

Hello,

[<ChatGPT>]:

> If I run this simple SAL program it gives as output an enumeration of the drive letters.

>

> Its drive type output contains also 'floppy'.

>

> The assumed more correct output should be 'removable'.

>

> Which Microsoft Windows API is used to get this output,

> like 'fixed', 'removable', 'DVD', 'CDROM'

> and what are the Window constants defined in it.

>

---

PROC Main()

 string drivestr[_MAXPATH_]

 drivestr = ""

 CreateTempBuffer()

 while NextDiskConnection( drivestr, _INCLUDE_REMOVEABLE_DRIVES_ )

  AddLine( drivestr )

 endwhile

END

---

If I run it here it gives here:

---

C: [fixed]

D: [fixed]  Elements

E: [fixed]  My Passport

F: [floppy]

G: [fixed]  KINGSTON 1 TERABYTE

H: [fixed]  My Passport

I: [floppy]

J: [floppy]

K: [CDROM]

L: [CDROM]  DTL+G3

U: [CDROM]

Z: [fixed]  Elements

---

===

But the correct output should be (I opened Microsoft Windows 'DiskManager'

by right clicking on the start menu and looked at what was used there at each drive)

That showed:

---

C: [fixed]

D: [fixed]  Elements

E: [fixed]  My Passport

F: [removable]

G: [basic]  KINGSTON 1 TERABYTE

H: [fixed]  My Passport

I: [removable]

J: [removable]

K: [CDROM]

L: [DVD]  DTL+G3

U: [CDROM]

Z: [fixed]  Elements

---

Short answer:

The classic Windows API for "drive type" is GetDriveType (Kernel32).

It returns one of these constants (from WinBase.h):

DRIVE_UNKNOWN        = 0

DRIVE_NO_ROOT_DIR    = 1

DRIVE_REMOVABLE      = 2   // floppy, USB sticks, SD readers, etc.

DRIVE_FIXED          = 3   // HDD/SSD

DRIVE_REMOTE         = 4   // network share

DRIVE_CDROM          = 5   // any optical (CD/DVD/BD)

DRIVE_RAMDISK        = 6

Volume label (e.g., "My Passport") is obtained with GetVolumeInformation.

Enumerating letters is typically done with GetLogicalDrives (bitmask) or GetLogicalDriveStrings.

That is enough to produce the strings you want:

map DRIVE_REMOVABLE [removable] (not "[floppy]").

map DRIVE_CDROM [CDROM] (this covers both CD and DVD unless you probe deeper).

Why TSE shows "[floppy]":

Internally, the function behind NextDiskConnection() almost certainly

calls GetDriveType and then labels all DRIVE_REMOVABLE as "floppy" (an

old convention). That is why your F:, I:, J: USB sticks appear as

"[floppy]".

If you also want DVD vs CD (Disk Management can show "DVD"):

GetDriveType would not distinguish them (it only returns DRIVE_CDROM).

You need a deeper query via DeviceIoControl:

IOCTL_CDROM_GET_CONFIGURATION (MMC) feature/profile codes such as:

FEATURE_PROFILE_CD_ROM = 0x0008

FEATURE_PROFILE_CD_R = 0x0009

FEATURE_PROFILE_CD_RW = 0x000A

FEATURE_PROFILE_DVD_ROM = 0x0010

FEATURE_PROFILE_DVD_R = 0x0011

FEATURE_PROFILE_DVD_RAM = 0x0012

FEATURE_PROFILE_DVD_RW = 0x0013 (etc.)

or IOCTL_STORAGE_QUERY_PROPERTY (StorageDeviceProperty) for broader device info.

Minimal C mapping you should use in a helper DLL

UINT type = GetDriveTypeW(L"C:\\"); // root path "X:\\"

switch (type) {

  case DRIVE_REMOVABLE: wprintf(L"[removable]"); break;

  case DRIVE_FIXED:     wprintf(L"[fixed]");     break;

  case DRIVE_REMOTE:    wprintf(L"[remote]");    break;

  case DRIVE_CDROM:     wprintf(L"[CDROM]");     break; // CD or DVD

  case DRIVE_RAMDISK:   wprintf(L"[ramdisk]");   break;

  default:              wprintf(L"[unknown]");   break;

}

What to change in SAL (conceptually)

You can not call GetDriveType directly from SAL, so either:

1) keep using NextDiskConnection() and post-process its text: replace

   "[floppy]" with "[removable]"; or

or

2) add a tiny helper DLL that exposes

   GetDriveTypeW/GetVolumeInformationW and returns the properly

   formatted string ("e: [removable] My Passport").

with friendly greetings

Knud van Eeden