Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!sri-unix!rutgers!bellcore!wind!tr From: tr@wind.bellcore.com (tom reingold) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: format under 3.2 Message-ID: <3180@bellcore.bellcore.com> Date: Wed, 21-Oct-87 08:19:27 EDT Article-I.D.: bellcore.3180 Posted: Wed Oct 21 08:19:27 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 23-Oct-87 06:21:56 EDT References: <394@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> Sender: news@bellcore.bellcore.com Reply-To: tr@wind.UUCP (tom reingold) Organization: Bellcore, Morristown, Noo Joizy Lines: 29 In article <394@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> martin@iris.ucdavis.edu (Bruce K. Martin Jr.) writes: $ $ Can someone explaine why if a disk is formatted under MS-DOS 3.2, it $ can be read under 3.2 or older, but if a disk is formatted, say under $ 3.0 or 2.x, it (sometimes) cannot be read under 3.2. This question was addressed and answered by PC Magazine when DOS 3.2 came out. When a disk is formatted, a signature is put in the first few bytes of the first sector. It is a signature of the company selling the DOS, i.e. IBM, Compaq, Zenith, etc. IBM's version 3.2 refuses to read a disk if that disk's signature contains a signature other than "IBM". You can use debug to modify the signature on the disk. But the easier way is to boot under a version preceding 3.2, copying the files onto your hard disk, going back to 3.2 and reformatting the disk and copying the files onto the disk again. Yes, it's a real pain. Don't you love IBM? I was using disks that were formatted with Zenith's DOS 3.1 and the signature was "ZDS" (for Zenith Data Systems). I wonder if all the other manufacturers use a three-character symbol. That would make things easier. Tom Reingold INTERNET: tr@bellcore.bellcore.com Bell Communications Research UUCP: !bellcore!tr 435 South St room 2L350 SOUNDNET: (201) 829-5119 [work] Morristown, NJ 07960 (201) 287-2345 [home]