Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!usc!nic.csu.net!csus.edu!ucdavis!csusac!usenet From: emmonsl@athena.ecs.csus.edu (L. Scott Emmons) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer Subject: Re: Turbo-C 2.0 absread() / abswrite() Message-ID: <1990Nov30.195117.28247@csusac.csus.edu> Date: 30 Nov 90 19:51:17 GMT References: <1990Nov30.183106.29270@cbnewsc.att.com> Reply-To: emmonsl@athena.ecs.csus.edu.UUCP (L. Scott Emmons) Organization: California State University, Sacramento Lines: 23 In article <1990Nov30.183106.29270@cbnewsc.att.com> tjr@cbnewsc.att.com (thomas.j.roberts) writes: >TC absread/abswrite use the DOS functions to read DOS' idea of what the >disk looks like. DOS reads (on a floppy) sector 0 to get the layout >of the disk; sector 0 is correctly set up (on a floppy) by the >DOS FORMAT command. You can use absread/abswrite on a non-DOS floppy, >as long as sector 0 contains the proper BIOS Parameter Block in bytes >11-28 of sector 0; this might well prevent reading diskettes written >by other operating systems. Ah ha! Thanks for this information; just the information I needed...I have since dropped using abs read/write and am using the biosdisk() call instead. non-msdos-formatted diskettes are now being read/written properly...all cylinders, all sectors, and all sides...biosdisk() does _not_ assume a dos formatted disk, so this is perfect for my application (it puts the burden of disk topology on the programmer, instead)... Thanks to those of you who responded! Scott L. Scott Emmons --------------- emmonsl@csus.edu ...[ucbvax]!ucdavis!csusac!athena!emmonsl Packet: kc6nfp@kg6xx.#nocal.ca.usa.na