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Can I convert the boot partition to FAT32?

Started by BookWorm, 2009.08.25, 16:44:50

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BookWorm

I understand the FAT32 driver must be installed after OS/2 is installed. After that I can convert a partition to FAT32.

If I convert the boot partition to FAT32 will it still boot?

Radek

AFAIK, no. The boot process needs to start somehow, before it proceeds to the CONFIG.SYS (the file must be read from the disk, that means, the system must understand the boot partition before it starts processing the file). Now, which file systems does the kernel know without installing IFS?

(a) FAT16
(b) HPFS
(c) JFS (the newest versions of the operating system).

Therefore, the boot partition must be one of these. Otherwise, the system will not boot. You cannot boot from FAT32 even if you can access FAT32 partitions later.

Blonde Guy

Any file system can boot OS/2 as long as there is a mini file system. There is a UFAT32.DLL,already, so maybe it works?
Expert Consulting for OS/2 and eComStation

ivan

You forgot one other thing - the necessary booting functions are not included in the UFAT32.DLL at the moment therefore OS/2 can't boot a FAT32 partition.

Pete

Hi All

Possibly a stupid question but...

Why would anyone want to boot from a slow file system that is prone to crapping out? - especially when *all* the tools required to fix the problem are not available in os/2 based systems.

I have recently sacked all fat32 drives - offloaded the data, reformatted JFS and restored data.

No more silly messages along the lines of " fats do not match run SCANDISK from Windows to fix this problem" after a system hang and reboot - not uncommon with eCS2.0RC7, probably ACPI related.

I only load the fat32 driver these days just in case I need access to a "visiting" drive formatted fat32.

Regards

Pete

Saijin_Naib

Same could be said for using HPFS, no? :P

BookWorm

> Why would anyone want to boot from a slow file system that is prone to...

Compatibility.

> Same could be said for using HPFS,

Probably. But There's such a limited supply of software for OS/2, so why use it? Because it's stable, reliable, and fast, and because we like it. Why would anyone want to use an unstable OS like Windows? Software. And maybe they like it.

I don't mind having a flamewar, but if we must, can it be against all PC's and other 32-bit computers? I'm a TRS-80 fan myself, but I'd gladly ally with Atari, Comodore & Apple II users.

If you guys want to fight over pee see operating systems, wake me up when you're done. 8)

... ... ...

Does anyone know if Windows 2000 can be installed to an HPFS partition?

Saijin_Naib

It was more of a joke. Jesus, no one has a sense of humor any more.

Win2k needs the pinball.sys driver. Maybe if you slip-streamed that into the install CD it could install/boot from a HPFS partition.

Radek

Book Worm, which kind of compatibility do you need? OS/2 binaries are unusable both in winblows and in linux so that FAT32 OS/2 boot partition would bring no additional compatibility. FAT32 data partition is perfectly possible (I am using one for communicating between Debian and eCS).

As far as stability is concerned, I've never seen a HPFS fault which would need reformating. The worst problems were solved with chkdsk easily. On the other hand, I do have seen ugly FAT32 faults repeatedly.

Saijin_Naib

#9
Using what FAT32 driver/IFS? I've never had fat32 instability under Windows, but our lovely FAT32 driver is another thing entirely. But even then, I'm not entirely sure if I can place the blame there or on the ACPI driver or the USB MSD driver or....

Yes, FAT32 may not be the most robust filesystem around, but I've yet to have irreversible issues using it and it has a huge plus of being a defacto filesystem on many mobile devices, storage devices & media as well as being supported (to some degree or another) by pretty much every operating system.

As you have noted, it makes a decent data partition in a mixed environment. It is NOT my boot FS for a good reason, lack of journaling be among the top. Same reason I won't use HPFS.

ivan

BookWorm, what exactly are you trying to do?

If you just want to run some windows programs then do what I do - use virtualBox and install windows there.  That way you stop any problems with file systems. 

If you find problems with vBox there is always VirtualPC for OS/2 which will do the same thing - available in the demo version with a fix.

Radek

To BookWorm: No, winblows 2000 cannot be installed to HPFS. HPFS is OS/2-specific. Certain winblows branches pretend that they mistake HPFS for FAT16. This could result in complete destroying the partition data when you access HPFS partition from winblows accidentally.

ivan

First part correct Radek, but the remainder not quite so.

There is a way of getting w2k - and I think nt4 - to see and use an HPFS partition.  It requires PINBALL.SYS and RS.DLL from nt4 and some additions to the w2k registry.  I know this works because a friend uses it to allow him to use data from my HPFS formatted USB sticks.

Pete

Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2009.08.27, 10:07:19
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As you have noted, it makes a decent data partition in a mixed environment. It is NOT my boot FS for a good reason, lack of journaling be among the top. Same reason I won't use HPFS.


I used to use fat32 as a "shared" data volume between eCS and W2K.

I no longer have a Windows installation - and no real interest in having 1 - so my need to share data between systems is now non-existent.

Not having a Windows installation means that when eCS2.0RC7 crashed (yet again) while writing to the fat32 volume I had no way of correcting a serious problem reported by chkdsk during the reboot: "copies of fat do not match run SCANDISK to fix".

No, until the fat32 driver has the tools to fix the problem natively I will *Not* be formatting any drives with that filesystem.

Maybe while fixing the above problem the fat32 driver could be given an injection of speed to make it more useful as well. An example of what I mean:

Using Java142_09 and Limewire with Limewire configured to use the fat32 drive as download and shared locations the startup time for Limewire can be measured in minutes; the same drive formatted jfs with Limewire configured to use it results in Limewire fully ready to use in less than 5 seconds.


Regards

Pete


Radek

Ivan, I haven't written about "ways around". I wrote about the behaviour of certain winblows versions - and I do not even know, whether the intentional "mistake" is made by winblows 2000 or by another version.

But I am sure that certain winblows do the mistake intentionally and that it can foul HPFS partition beyond repair. That's what I wanted to stress. If it is possible to slash the mistaking by suitable drivers and patches of registry data so it is good.

At present, I do not have winblows on my comp at all. When I had winblows, I separated state and church by forgetting winblows "hard disk management", allowing winblows access only its own partition, and by using a Zip drive (FAT16 formatted) for communicating between eCS and winblows.