> Hi,
>
> > No No No No! Page 3-7 of the MS-DOS Technical information (the real
> > system integrator's manual) states:
> >
> > "For disks containing more than 4085 clusters (note that
> > 4085 is the correct number), a 16-bit FAT entry is used."
>
> This is correct, but not sufficient for FAT type detection as you can
> have a disk with _less_ than 4085 clusters and 16-bit FAT.
>
> Have a nice fortnight
> --
Not if it's a disk supported by MS-DOS or created using MS-DOS tools.
MS-DOS format will not (read cannot) make such a disk. Even with its
media type/size/heads options, it doesn't have the code necessary to
produce a disk under any other rules because it calculates the
clusters not you, and it uses the 4085 cluster rule for writing the FAT.
Just because, in principle I can make a disk with one cluster and a 16-bit
FAT, does not mean that it is a MS-DOS disk. MS-DOS will not understand
such a disk so no other OS should bother with such a deviation either.
Cheers,
DJ
Richard B. Johnson
Analogic Corporation
Penguin : Linux version 2.1.51 on an i586 machine (66.15 BogoMips).
Warning : It's hard to stay on the trailing edge of technology.
Linux : Engineering tool
Windows : Typewriter