[ale] If you own (almost) ANY HDD, repartition with 4k boundaries

Ron Frazier (ALE) atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com
Thu Jan 17 23:11:54 EST 2013


Hi Phil,

It was good to meet you tonight.  Sorry I couldn't hang around longer.

What enjoyable beverage (or food) did you get with your winnings?

Jim, enjoyed the presentation tonight.

Ron


On 1/17/2013 3:13 PM, Phil Turmel wrote:
> Hi Ron,
>
> I got my Mini-ITX mobo and parts yesterday.  I found time this afternoon
> to play with XP on the AF drive (so I can claim my beverage tonight...)
>
> On 01/07/2013 04:50 PM, Phil Turmel wrote:
>    
>> Hi Ron,
>>
>> On 01/07/2013 01:04 PM, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:
>>      
>>> Hi Phil,
>>>
>>> OK, I guess I left myself open for that.
>>>        
>> :-)
>>
>>      
>>> I'll make the bet under the following criteria.  I have to clarify
>>> some things so we're on the same page.  Here's what you have to do to
>>> win.
>>>
>>> You must get Windows XP running on bare metal on an advanced format
>>> HDD , partitioned on 1 MiB boundaries, with XP's own bootloader as
>>> follows:
>>>
>>> * This bet is between Ron Frazier and Phil Turmel only.  No other
>>> participants can claim the prize.  Helpers are allowed.
>>>        
> No Help needed.
>
>    
>>> * Windows XP must be running on bare metal, no virtual machines.
>>>        
> Bare metal on a new mobo, an Asus C60M1-I.
>
>    
>>> * The storage medium must be a hard drive, not an ssd or a hybrid
>>> drive.
>>>        
>>      
>>> * The hard drive must have 4 KB physical sectors.  This must be
>>> documented on the hard drive maker's site.  Please provide a link.
>>>        
>> Seagate Barracuda Green:
>> http://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/barracuda-green/
>>
>> # smartctl -i /dev/sdf
>> smartctl 5.42 2011-10-20 r3458 [x86_64-linux-3.6.2] (local build)
>> Copyright (C) 2002-11 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net
>>
>> === START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
>> Model Family:     Seagate Barracuda Green (Adv. Format)
>> Device Model:     ST2000DL003-9VT166
>> Serial Number:    5YD2EZNB
>> LU WWN Device Id: 5 000c50 032ffff5b
>> Firmware Version: CC32
>> User Capacity:    2,000,398,934,016 bytes [2.00 TB]
>> Sector Size:      512 bytes logical/physical
>> Device is:        In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]
>> ATA Version is:   8
>> ATA Standard is:  ATA-8-ACS revision 4
>> Local Time is:    Mon Jan  7 16:10:20 2013 EST
>> SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
>> SMART support is: Enabled
>>
>>      
>>> * You may NOT use the jumper on some drives that lies to the pc and
>>> claims sector 64 is 63.
>>>        
>> Not applicable for a partition starting at 2048, but no, no such
>> twiddling on my part.
>>      
> I used the drive above.  Before installing XP, I performed the following
> steps:
>
> 1) Booted a USB thumb drive containing SystemRescueCD
> 2) Partitioned with plain old "fdisk" to achieve the following:
>
>    
>> fdisk -l /dev/sda
>>
>> Disk /dev/sda: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
>> 81 heads, 63 sectors/track, 765633 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors
>> Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
>> Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
>> I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
>> Disk identifier: 0x8f248134
>>
>>     Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
>> /dev/sda1   *        2048  3907029167  1953513560    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
>>      
> 3) Formatted the partition with "mkfs.ntfs -Q -L WinXP2048 /dev/sda"
> 4) Captured the above fdisk output to the thumb drive.
> 5) Powered off to remove the thumb drive and set up my USB CD drive.
> 6) Installed Windows XP OEM SP3 from an original CD, no extra drivers
> supplied.
> 7) When prompted, instructed the Windows installer to use the existing
> partition, and to not re-format it.
>
>    
>>> * AFTER the XP installation.  The first partition of the hard drive
>>> must begin on sector 2048 according to gparted.  A screenshot of the
>>> gparted information screen for that partition will act as proof.  If
>>> Windows XP repartitions the drive during installation and changes
>>> the beginning sector, it must be repartitioned again to put the
>>> beginning sector at 2048.  The hard should use MBR format.
>>>        
>> If XP repartitions during install when I tell it to use the partition I
>> prepared for it, I'll concede the bet.
>>      
> Windows did not re-partition or re-format.  Post install and screen
> capture, I repeated the "fdisk -l":
>
>    
>> Disk /dev/sda: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
>> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors
>> Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
>> Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
>> I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
>> Disk identifier: 0x8f248134
>>
>>     Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
>> /dev/sda1   *        2048  3907029167  1953513560    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
>>      
> Unchanged.
>
>    
>>> * Windows XP must be installed on the first partition.
>>>        
> Yup.
>
>    
>>> * Once the installation is done, Windows XP must boot and load
>>> properly on the above referenced hard drive..  A screenshot of the
>>> my computer properties screen will act as proof.
>>>        
> Screenshot available here:
>
> http://www.turmel.org/wp-uploads/2013/WinXPonAFdrive.png
>
>    
>>> * Windows XP must boot with its own native bootloader.  If you have
>>> to repair a failed boot sequence, you may use only the Windows XP
>>> install disk, not Windows Vista or 7 or 8.  If you use a Linux tool
>>> to repair a broken boot sequence, you cannot replace the Windows XP
>>> bootloader.  Booting to Grub, for example, is not allowed.
>>>        
>> I expect no repair required.
>>      
> No repair or other intervention required.
>
>    
>>> * Results of the testing should be published here to ALE with
>>> screenshots linked to in a publicly accessible place.
>>>        
>>      
>>> * If you get it working, you have to tell the rest of us how you did
>>> it.
>>>        
>> Of course.
>>      
> As above.
>
>    
>>> If you get it working under these conditions, I will buy you a drink
>>> up to $ 5.  If you try and fail, I get the $ 5.
>>>
>>> Let me know what you think.  8-)
>>>        
>> You're on.  And I'll buy Jim a drink anyways.
>>      
> See you all this evening.
>
> Phil
>
>
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>    

-- 

(To whom it may concern.  My email address has changed.  Replying to former
messages prior to 03/31/12 with my personal address will go to the wrong
address.  Please send all personal correspondence to the new address.)

(PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
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Ron Frazier
770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
linuxdude AT techstarship.com



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