Windows HD sectors
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neowert
Windows HD sectors
My OS needs to co-exist with windows, without the user creating partitions. My OS only take 512 bytes, and I need to know if windows95-me has a 512 byte sector that I can safely write over(I would rather not search for one, cause I dont know how and I dont have room for a second stage loader). My OS is small enough to actually be the bootsector, so it takes up the HD bootsector. It needs that free 512 bytes on the HD to re-locate the windows bootsector.
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PlayOS
Re:Windows HD sectors
First off, Id love to see that OS, what does it actually do?
The only way I can think of you being able to achieve this is to have a dummy file on the system, that uses at least 1 sector, this way windows will not overwrite it.
Any reserved sectors on the disk would be exactly that, reserved, so you could never guarentee it would always be free.
The only problem with my suggestion is that you will need to implement a FAT file system driver to manage the dummy file.
What you want is impossible with an OS that is only 512 bytes.
Also, why dont you have room for a second stage loader? If you are willing to steal 1 sector from windows then why steal not 50 and give yourself room!
The only way I can think of you being able to achieve this is to have a dummy file on the system, that uses at least 1 sector, this way windows will not overwrite it.
Any reserved sectors on the disk would be exactly that, reserved, so you could never guarentee it would always be free.
The only problem with my suggestion is that you will need to implement a FAT file system driver to manage the dummy file.
What you want is impossible with an OS that is only 512 bytes.
Also, why dont you have room for a second stage loader? If you are willing to steal 1 sector from windows then why steal not 50 and give yourself room!