Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!aipna!jlb
From: jlb@aipna.ed.ac.uk (John Beaven)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: How do I prevent MS-DOS from seeing Minix partitions?
Message-ID: <2829@aipna.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 20 Aug 90 15:48:26 GMT
Reply-To: jlb@aipna.ed.ac.uk (John Beaven)
Organization: Dept of AI, Edinburgh University, UK.
Lines: 23

Hi there-

I wonder if there is a simple (or even complicated) way to solve this one:
I have an AT clone with two hard disks. The first one is divided into 2
partitions and I keep my MS-DOS stuff in it, and the second one is
divided into 3 partitions, and I have installed Minix 1.3 there.

However, MS-DOS (3.30) still sees the Minix partitions (it thinks they
are empty) and assigns them drive letters. It also feels quite happy
about writing onto them (which predictably screws the Minix file
system) should I accidentally give a "wrong" disk specification.

I know there are utilities that make the HD read only, but is there any way
in which I can prevent MS-DOS from even _seeing_ my second hard disk
and assigning drive names to its partitions?

(I've tried changing the CMOS set up so that it thinks the second disk
isn't installed, but that confuses Minix too).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

John
jlb@aipna.ed.ac.uk