Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!hsdndev!husc6!purdue!mentor.cc.purdue.edu!zeus.mgmt.purdue.edu!landers From: landers@zeus.mgmt.purdue.edu (Christopher Landers) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: Re: CHKDSK --> "Probable non-DOS disk." Keywords: chkdsk disk DOS FAT Message-ID: <1991Apr12.001337.12780@zeus.mgmt.purdue.edu> Date: 12 Apr 91 00:13:37 GMT References: <1991Apr10.173621.26608@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Organization: Krannert Graduate School of Management, Purdue University Lines: 31 In article elund@graphics.rent.com (Eric W. Lund - Subop) writes: >dslg0849@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Daniel S. Lewart) writes: > >> Recently, when I 'chkdsk' my hard disk, I get the following error message: >> c:\> chkdsk >> Volume BIG_BLACK created Jan 1, 1991 12:00a >> Probable non-DOS disk. >> Continue (Y/N)? >> If I type 'y', it continues and everything works fine. The DOS manual claims >> the FAT ID byte is bad and that the disk has become 'badly damaged'. In fact >> the disk seems to be functioning perfectly well. >> >> Is there any way I can fix this problem besides reformatting the disk? > >Something has partly trashed your FAT. The first byte in the FAT should be >hex F8. The first byte is the "media descriptor byte", and F8 is for "fixed >disks". To stop the message, use a sector editor and change the first byte >back to what it should be. If your system is working fine now, then I >wouldn't worry about it, but you should realize something has altered your >FAT, and that's not a healthy thing for a program to do. The FAT should >never be touched except by programs such as FDISK or FORMAT. Norton Disk Doctor does a good job fixing these kinds of errors with little input (knowledge) needed by the user. Saved my, and my users', data so many times that the $150 price seems like nothing. -- <================================><===============================> || Christopher Landers || PURDUE UNIVERSITY - KRAN 708 || || Krannert Computing Center || West Lafayette, IN 47907 || <=================== landers@zeus.mgmt.purdue.edu ================>