Re: old DOS partitions

From: Valentin Guillen (usenet1_at_myrealbox.com)
Date: 05/24/04 

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 21:26:50 -0600

Alan Searle wrote:
>
> I have been experimenting with several distros of Linux on an old
> machine of mine and would now like to clear everything and start again
> with a dual-boot Win98/VectorLinux.
>
> However, I have been trying to zap away all my old partitions and find
> that I cannot get rid of them.
>
> I have been using (DOS) fdisk (including fdisk /mbr) and find that I
> just can't get the stuff off my disk.
>
> Any tips on how to do this? Maybe there is a good utility for this? Or
> a DOS command/switch (format? fdisk?) that I don't know?
>
> Any tips would be a great help.
>
> Cheers,
> Alan Searle

You can NUKE the partition table on the harddrive, and then start over
from scratch. You can find instructions on using the DOS "debug"
command, and executing a script, which will destroy the partition table
which is kept on hidden sectors of any hard drive. The script can be
found over at http://www.firmware.com and follow the links for hard
drive utilities.

You can find the script here also:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;106419

**************Post again here if you have
difficulty following the script************************
Here it is:

There are two ways to use the following Debug script:
Run Debug and type the Debug commands from the center column of Table 1
at the corresponding Debug prompt. (The left column of the table shows
the prompts that are displayed by Debug. You do not need to type the
comments in the right column.)

 -or-

Type the command in the center column of Table 1 into a file using a
text editor such as MS-DOS Editor and then use input redirection to feed
the resulting file into Debug. For example, if you typed the commands
into a file called HDPART.SCR, you would clear your partition table by
typing the following at the MS-DOS command prompt and then pressing
ENTER:

debug < hdpart.scr

      Table 1: Debug Script to Erase Hard-Disk Partition Table
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
      Debug Enter Debug Comments
      Prompts Commands
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
      - A 100 Assemble from CS:0100.

      nnnn:0100 INT 13 Call interrupt 13.

      nnnn:0102 press the (nnnn in the segment address).
                   ENTER key

      - RAX Replace AX register.

      AX 0000

      : 0301 Write on sector.

      - RBX Replace BX register.

      BX 0000

      : 0200 Start from ES:200.

      - F 200 L 200 0 We want to write zeros.

      - RCX Replace CX register.

      CX 0000

      : 0001 Cylinder, 0, sector 1.

      - RDX Replace DX register.

      DX 0000

      : 0080 First physical hard disk, head
                                     0. (Substitute 0081 for this
                                     entry if you are clearing the
                                     table on the second physical
                                     hard disk, 0082 if you are
                                     clearing the third physical
                                     hard disk, and so forth).

      - P Proceed (Debug will display
                                     several lines of information).

      - Q Quit Debug.
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                
 This script completely clears the partition table on your hard disk,
preparing the hard disk for repartitioning using the MS-DOS Fdisk
program. (When you run Fdisk for the first time after using this
procedure and before reinstalling MS-DOS, the message "No partitions
defined" should be displayed if the partition deletion procedure was
successful.) For more information about using Fdisk, see the Microsoft
MS-DOS" User's Guide and Reference" for version 3.2, 3.21, 3.3, 4.0,
4.01, or 5.0, or the Microsoft MS-DOS" User's Guide" for version 6.0 or
6.2.

For additional information on how to recreate a partition using the
Fdisk utility, click the article number below to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

255867 How to Use Fdisk and Format to Partition or Repartition a Hard
Disk

Non-DOS partitions on your hard disk are also erased if you perform a
low-level format. Consult your hardware manufacturer for specific
instructions on performing a low-level format on your hard disk.
 WARNING: Performing a low-level format will completely erase all data
on your hard disk, including all defined partitions.

Relevant Pages

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