Thread: help on Compact Flashes MBR /Boot Sector

  1. 03-30-2007 #1
    BrownB
    BrownB is offline
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Posts
    106

    help on Compact Flashes MBR /Boot Sector

    Hello, I'm using CF cards as Hard Disks (TrueIDE mode) on a cutom hardware. There I can find MBR informations and partitions Boot Sectors. I followed the ufficial indications to parse MBR informations and FAT32 BootSectors, but still I have problems with some Compact Flashes: in some cases I can't find the MBR, other times I found some errors in the Boot Sector (usually the BPB_NumFats field is 0 instead of 2). The strange thing is that Windows can open those cards without problem!!

    Is there some "unofficial" undocumented information? Also, how can I see the MBR of a CF card from Windows? I'm using Hexplorer to work on LBA level of the disk, but with LBA 0 it takes up the Boot Sector...

    Any information is really welcome!!
    Thanks,
    BrownB
  2. 03-30-2007 #2
    Salem
    Salem is offline
    and the hat of int overfl Salem's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    The edge of the known universe
    Posts
    39,659
    Are you sure you're not reading the partition table at LBA 0.
    AFAIK, the boot block (with the number of FAT entries) is at the start of a partition, not the start of a disk.
    If you dance barefoot on the broken glass of undefined behaviour, you've got to expect the occasional cut.
    If at first you don't succeed, try writing your phone number on the exam paper.
« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed