Company Name

 

Employee Names

 

Team Lead

 

Module Name

Removable Media

Certification Test

 

Vendor

 

Objectives covered

 

Time allotted

8 days

Time Taken

 

Date Started

 

Date Completed

 

Item

Complete

Incomplete

Points Awarded

 

Group Test Score

 

 

 

 

Lab Test Score for Each Member

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Completed solution to problem portfolio (see rubric for score)

 

<  Customer Overview

 

 

 

 

<  Jargon list

 

 

 

 

<  Questions

 

 

 

 

<  Current needs

 

 

 

 

<  Future needs

 

 

 

 

<  Solution, including graphics and drawings as necessary

 

 

 

 

<  Resource list

 

 

 

 

<  Presentation of solution.

 

 

 

 

Other

 

Review Questions

 

 

 

 

Floppy Drive Troubleshooting

 

 

 

 

 

Budget for Unit

500

 

 

Expenditures

 

Remaining Budget

 

Tardies (5/day)

 

Labs

N/A

Absences (10/day)

 

Hardware Test Score Average

N/A

Off Task (50/student/day)

 

Objective Test Score Average (100)

 

Consultation Fees (50/consultation)

 

Project (400)

 

Seminar (100)

 

Total (500)

 

Missed deadline (100/day)

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

Budget remaining

 

 

 

 

 


Removable Media

 

The first disk drive

           This (1)_________________ just part of a the first “(2)_________________ drive” being loaded onto a truck (3)_________________ 1956

           RAMAC was the first (4)_________________ with a hard drive built in (5)_________________

           Consisted of 50 24” disks (6)_________________ held about 4.4 MB of data.

(7)_________________ at how far we’ve come in (8)_________________ than 30 years

Why do we (9)_________________?

           Removable media is going to (10)_________________ to be a necessity in the (11)_________________ age

           We can move data (12)_________________ networks, but securing data will continually (13)_________________ some form of storage that can (14)_________________ taken off site*

How Data is (15)_________________ on a Disk

           Floppies are (16)_________________ up of mylar coated with cobalt (17)_________________ iron oxide that can hold a (18)_________________ charge.

           When you format a (19)_________________ it maps concentric circles called tracks (20)_________________ pie shaped wedges called sectors.

•(21)_________________ side of the disk has 80 (22)_________________ and 9 sectors.*

How data is (23)_________________, cont…

           Data is written to (24)_________________ tracks as 1 or 0 (bits)

•(25)_________________ difference between a 1 and (26)_________________ is the magnetization of the spot

•(27)_________________ bit is separated by a (28)_________________ so bits don’t interfere with each (29)_________________

           Data is written and read (30)_________________ the read/write head in the floppy (31)_________________.*

 

Review

1.    Data is stored in ____ and ___s

2.    ____ are concentric circles.

3.    _____ are pie shaped wedges.

4.    Floppies are made of ______ coated with either ____ or _____ oxide.

5.    Data is written via _____ ____ heads

6.    Why don’t bits interfere with each other?*

 

 

Floppy Drives

•(39)_________________ to the controller card or motherboard (40)_________________ a ribbon cable with 34 pins (41)_________________ 2 connections.

           Powered by a (42)_________________ connector that connects to the power (43)_________________.

           Data is written via a (44)_________________/write head that is housed on an (45)_________________ arm.

           The arm moves freely (46)_________________ the disk.*

Floppy Drives, cont.

•(47)_________________ arm has one read/write head above (48)_________________ disk and below.

           The heads (49)_________________ lightly across the disk as the (50)_________________ spins either 300 or 360 rpm

•(51)_________________ heads do NOT touch the (52)_________________. If they do it causes a (53)_________________ crash and the disk is toast.*

(54)_________________ Drives, cont.

           As data is (55)_________________, eraser heads on either side of (56)_________________ r/w head clean up so there (57)_________________ no data bleed.

           This ensures (58)_________________ track is uniform in size.

•(59)_________________ turns on a spindle

 

Floppy Disk Types

Type

Storage Capacity

Numbers of Tracks/Side

Number of sectors/side

Cluster type

3.5 in extra high density

 

80

 

2 sectors

3.5 in high density

1.44 B

 

 

1 sector

3.5 in double density

 

80

 

2 sectors

5.25 in high density

1.2 B

 

15

 

5.25 in double density

 

40

 

2 sectors

 

 

Review Two

1.    Describe how the read/write arm works.

2.    Floppy drives attach to motherboard how?

3.    What is the point of the eraser head?

4.    Disks turn on a ____.

5.    ____ pins on a ribbon cable.*

 

 

Flash Memory

•(67)_________________ memory is non-volatile memory that can (68)_________________ electrically erased and reprogrammed. It is (69)_________________ technology that is primarily used in (70)_________________ cards.

           Unlike EEPROM, it is (71)_________________ and programmed in blocks consisting of (72)_________________ locations (in early flash the entire (73)_________________ had to be erased at once).

•(74)_________________ memory costs less than EEPROM (75)_________________ has become the dominant technology wherever (76)_________________ significant amount of non-volatile, solid-state storage (77)_________________ needed.

           Examples of (78)_________________ include digital audio players, digital cameras (79)_________________ mobile phones.

           Flash memory is (80)_________________ used in USB flash drives

•(81)_________________ has also gained some popularity in (82)_________________ gaming market, where it is often (83)_________________ instead of EEPROMs or battery-powered SRAM (84)_________________ game save data. *

 

  1. ______________________
  2. ______________________
  3. ______________________
  4. ______________________
  5. ______________________
  6. ______________________
  7. ______________________
  8. ______________________

Secure Digital Cards

•(90)_________________ Digital (SD) is a flash (91)_________________ (non-volatile) memory card format used in (92)_________________ devices,

           SD cards are based (93)_________________ the older MultiMediaCard (MMC) format, but (94)_________________ are physically slightly thicker than MMC (95)_________________.

           The additional thickness offers two (96)_________________ over MMC cards:

          The contacts (97)_________________ slightly recessed beneath the surface of (98)_________________ card (like Memory Stick cards), protecting (99)_________________ contacts from contact with the fingers;

–(100)_________________ SD card is shaped so (101)_________________ it cannot be inserted upside down, (102)_________________ slightly, whereas an MMC card will (103)_________________ in most of the way but (104)_________________ make contact if inverted.

           They (105)_________________ boast higher data transfer rates, but (106)_________________ is always changing, particularly in light (107)_________________ recent improvements to the MMC standard.

(108)_________________ Digital Cards

           Most offer a (109)_________________-protect tab on the side.

           This (110)_________________ not a switch, and it is (111)_________________ to the device into which the (112)_________________ is plugged to sense the tab (113)_________________ protect the card from writes.

•(114)_________________ rights management features are available but (115)_________________ little used.

           SD cards generally (116)_________________ 32 mm × 24 mm × (117)_________________.1 mm, but can be as thin (118)_________________ 1.4 mm, just like MMC cards

(119)_________________ Digital Cards

           Each of these (120)_________________ holds 2 GB data

          SDC

•(121)_________________

          SD Mini

           MP3 (122)_________________

           Some phones

          SD Micro

•(123)_________________

 

ReReview

    Flash drives are made of what kind of memory?

 

    What are some applications for flash memory?

 

 

    Flash memory is volatile/non-volatile

 

    How is flash memory different from EEPROM?

 

 

    What is the difference between MMCs and SDCs?

 

    What must happen for write protect to work on an SDC?

 

How (131)_________________ is Logically Stored on a floppy

•(132)_________________ can refer to segment of (133)_________________ track or the entire wedge. A (134)_________________ (segment of a track) holds 512 (135)_________________ of data.

           A sector is (136)_________________ physical designation while a cluster is (137)_________________ logical one.

           The BIOS recognizes (138)_________________ disk as a set of sectors, (139)_________________ the OS recognizes it as a (140)_________________ line of 2880 clusters.*

Clusters

•(141)_________________ OS reads data from and writes (142)_________________ to chunks called clusters (aka file (143)_________________ units).

           The disk keeps track (144)_________________ what is stored where by way (145)_________________ a file allocation table (FAT)

•(146)_________________ on the disk, a cluster can (147)_________________ 512-720 K. Even if the data (148)_________________ smaller than 512, it’ll still take (149)_________________ the whole cluster.*

Formatting

           Creates (150)_________________ and sectors by writing a series (151)_________________ F6s (hex value=246).

           Writes a (152)_________________ address at the beginning of each (153)_________________

           Creates the master boot record ((154)_________________)

           Creates 2 copies of the (155)_________________

           Creates the root directory.*

Master (156)_________________ Record (MBR)

           The first sector (157)_________________ a floppy

           Contains basic disk (158)_________________

          Number of sectors

          Number (159)_________________ clusters per sector

          Number of (160)_________________ in each FAT entry

          Information (161)_________________ BIOS needs to read the disk

–(162)_________________ small program that allows the (163)_________________ to boot if there is an (164)_________________ on it.*

MBR Continued

           MBR (165)_________________:

          Contains a record of which (166)_________________ of DOS or Windows was used (167)_________________ format the disk.

          Is always (168)_________________ track 0, sector 1 of the (169)_________________

          Is also known as the (170)_________________ boot record (these are the same (171)_________________ a floppy but different on a (172)_________________ disk).

           On floppies, the MBR (173)_________________ always the same, even if it (174)_________________ bootable.*

File Allocation Table (FAT)

•(175)_________________ the locations of the files in (176)_________________ column table.

           Each entry is (177)_________________ bits “wide” which is why floppy (178)_________________ is FAT12.

           Lists how each (179)_________________ is currently being used.

           Lists (180)_________________ clusters (marked as FF7h)

           The (181)_________________ copy is stored right after the (182)_________________ in case of a problem.*

Writing (183)_________________ file to disk

           Writes the (184)_________________ of the file, the size of (185)_________________ file, and other attributes into the (186)_________________ on the disk.

           Writes the (187)_________________ the first bit is in (the (188)_________________ of information is stored in the (189)_________________)

           The end of the file (190)_________________ indicated by a cluster of all (191)_________________ (fff or 111111111111)

Relationship of Hex (192)_________________ binary

           Each cluster is 12 (193)_________________

           One number in hex is (194)_________________ 4 bit number. If it is (195)_________________ 1s=f in hex. (1+2+4+8=15, 15=f)

•(196)_________________ are made in hexadecimal. Each cluster (197)_________________ a series of 3 hex numbers.*

(198)_________________ data is written to a disk

(199)_________________!

           Files are not necessarily written (200)_________________ contiguous clusters. They can be written (201)_________________ clusters all over the disk.

•(202)_________________ is called a fragmented file.

The (203)_________________ Directory

           The main directory on (204)_________________ disk

           Contains a table that (205)_________________ all files and subdirectories in the (206)_________________

           Depending on the disk, a (207)_________________ can have up to a specific (208)_________________ of files/subdirectories…no more.

           Each directory (209)_________________ is 32 bits long (although only (210)_________________ are used)*

Directory information

Attribute Bits

 

 

1.    Each sector can hold __ bytes.

2.    A sector is ____, while a cluster is ____.

3.    Define cluster.

4.    I write a 2 byte data to a normal disk. How much space will it use if each cluster is 512 bytes?

5.    When a disk is formatted, what hex value is written in each sector?*

 

Review Four

1.    Steps of formatting

2.    Define FAT

3.    What is contained in the MBR?

4.    A bad cluster is marked with what hex value?

5.    A cluster with FFF indicates what?

6.    What is in the root directory?

7.    What is a fragmented file?*

 

Directory information

Root Directory Bytes

Usage

8

 

3

 

1

 

10

 

2

 

2

 

2

 

4

 

 

Attribute Bits

Bit

Description

Bit=0

Bit=1

1,2

Not used

 

 

3

 

Archive

Don’t archive

4

 

File

Subdirectory

5

 

Not volume label

Is volume label

6

 

Not

Is

7

 

Not hidden

Hidden

8

 

Read/write

Read only

 

 

Review Five

1.    A directory entry is ____ bytes, but only ____ of them are used.

2.    Where is cluster information about a specific file stored (2 places)?

3.    Why are 2 copies of FAT created?

4.    What version of FAT is used on a floppy?

5.    The BIOS recognizes a floppy as a series of _____ clusters.

 

How data is written to (235)_________________ memory

           There is a grid (236)_________________ columns and rows with a cell (237)_________________ has two transistors at each intersection

•(238)_________________ transistors are separated by a (239)_________________ layer of oxide

          One transistor (240)_________________ a floating gate

          The other (241)_________________ a control gate

          The control (242)_________________ allows the floating gate to connect (243)_________________ the row. If this link is (244)_________________ place, the value is 1.

•(245)_________________ change the power to 0 the (246)_________________ in the floating gate are altered (247)_________________ an electrical charge of 10 to (248)_________________ volts.

           The charge comes from (249)_________________ column aka bitline, goes through the (250)_________________ gate, drains to a ground.

•(251)_________________ charge causes the FG transistor to (252)_________________ like an electron gun

Repairing Floppy (253)_________________

           Don’t…they’re so cheap and they (254)_________________.

           Buy a new one.

Removable (255)_________________

           Increase storage capacity of a (256)_________________

           Make it easy to move (257)_________________ files from computer to computer

•(258)_________________ excellent for backing up data

•(259)_________________ help secure data (store in safe (260)_________________ off site)*

Other removable media

•(261)_________________ drives—generally used for backup only

•(262)_________________ drives.

           Notebook or pocket drives

–(263)_________________ are hard disks, but are (264)_________________ small form factor like a notebook (265)_________________ drive

           MP3 players, cell phones, (266)_________________.

          More and more as SD (267)_________________ get cheaper, these are being used (268)_________________ carry data as well as music*

(269)_________________ Disk Alternatives

           USB Flash Drives

•(270)_________________ Digital Cards

           Memory stick

•(271)_________________ portable hard drives

           Cloud (272)_________________

          Internet based storage

           Other (273)_________________ are currently in development

Why Cloud?

•(274)_________________ available wherever there is Internet (275)_________________

           Platform agnostic

           Storage industries (276)_________________ your files are backed up (unless (277)_________________ site is free, obviously)

Why Cloud?

•(278)_________________ are off site and more (279)_________________

          Physically

          Logically

           Small (280)_________________ may not be able to afford (281)_________________ storage area network implementation, but they (282)_________________ afford a subscription to the cloud.

•(283)_________________ on many platforms, including mobile (284)_________________, MP3 players, etc.

           There are (285)_________________ drawbacks

          Internet goes down, data (286)_________________ not accessible (but that’s the same (287)_________________ if a file server goes down, (288)_________________ with the availability of wifi now (289)_________________, it’s a short drive to the (290)_________________ Starbucks

          Ensure the company is (291)_________________

          Cannot ensure physical security…have to (292)_________________ another company

Future of removable storage (293)_________________

           Floppies are dead as dead

•(294)_________________

          Holographic drives aka 3-D (295)_________________ storage

          Metal Disk for archival (296)_________________

          MRAM (Magnetoresistive RAM)

          Optical (297)_________________ Cards

          Blu-RAY disks

          What (298)_________________?

Review Seven

What do you do with a bad floppy drive?

 

 

How can you test a floppy drive?

 

 

What are some common errors?

 

 

What type of POST error will you get if a floppy drive fails the POST?

 

 

How do you create an emergency DOS floppy?

 

 

Review Eight

Name the different kinds of removable drives.

 

 

Most removable drives are ___ and ___.

 

 

How do you create an emergency floppy in Win 9x? Win NT? Win 2000?*

 


Lab Check off Sheet and Report

 

Certification Tests and Objectives Covered in Labs

A+ Operating System

A+ Hardware

Network+

Windows 2000 Professional 70-210

Windows 2003 Server 70-290

CISCO 640-801

X

1.0 OS Fundamentals

X

1.0 Installation, Configuration, and Upgrading

 

1.0 Media and Topologies

 

Installation

 

Managing and Maintaining Physical and Logical Devices

 

Planning and Designing

 

2.0 Installation, Configuration and Upgrading

X

2.0 Diagnosing and Troubleshooting

 

2.0 Protocols and Standards

 

Implementing and Conducting Administration of Resources

 

Managing Users, Computers, and Groups

 

Implementation and Operations

 

3.0 Diagnosing and Troubleshooting

 

3.0 Preventative Maintenance

 

3.0 Network Implementation

 

Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Hardware Devices and Drivers

 

Managing and Maintaining Accesses to Resources

 

Troubleshooting

 

4.0 Networks

 

4.0 Motherboards, Processors, and Memory

 

4.0 Network Support

 

Monitoring and Optimizing System Performance and Reliability

 

Managing and Maintaining a Server Environment

 

Technology

 

 

 

5.0 Printers

 

 

 

Configuring and Troubleshooting the Desktop Environment

 

Managing and Implementing Disaster Recovery

 

 

 

 

 

6.0 Basic Networking

 

 

 

Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Network Protocols and Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Implementing, Monitoring, and  Troubleshooting Security

 

 

 

 

 

Check off each of the labs as you complete them below. Turn this in with your lab reports.

 

Requirement

Completed

Filled Out Lab Sheet

Not Attempted (0 on labs for unit)

Lab 5.1 Configuring Removable Media

 

 

 

Lab 5.2 Using a Recovery Tool in DOS

 

 

 

Lab 5.3 Using Diagnostic Software

 

 

 

Lab 5.4 Do some internet research

 

 

 

Lab 5.5 Creating a Boot Disk in Windows 98

 

 

 

Lab 5.6 Troubleshooting

 

 

 

Lab 5.7 Installing two floppy drives

 

 

 

Lab 5.8 Working with a Cabinet File

 

 

 

 

Lab 5-1: Configuring Removable Media

Objectives

4 Locate CMOS screen for configuring floppy, USB devices, and changing boot order.

4 Configure the computer to boot in various scenarios

 

Note: If your computer does not have a floppy, work with a partner.

 

  1. Enter the CMOS settings on your lab computer.
  2. Locate the floppy disk controller area.
  3. Disable the floppy disk controller.
  4. Restart.
  5. Put a floppy into the drive.
  6. From the run command, type A: and hit enter.
  7. What happens?

 

 

  1. Why?

 

 

  1. Go back in and re-enable the controller.

 

One purpose for disabling an FDC is to allow a kiosk computer to be available for use, but not allow users to access the floppy drive and potentially walk away with data. The controller can be re-enabled when an administrator needs it for some reason.

 

Repeat the steps above, only this time disable (from the CMOS) the USB controller. Before you hit save in your CMOS answer the following!

 

  1. What are the steps you took to disable the USB ports?

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Is your keyboard or mouse USB?

 

 

  1. If so, what will happen if you save and continue?

 

 

  1. Yeah, that would not be cool, would it?

 

  1. Don’t save the settings unless you LIKE reinstalling your lab system! I mean if you do, by all means knock yourself out!

 

Lab 5-2: Using a Recovery Tool in DOS

Objectives

4 Using DOS, recover files from a bad floppy.

4 Use the program to locate and recover files.

 

Note: If your computer does not have a floppy, work with a partner.

 

  1. Download a copy of RecoverFD from our website.
  2. Unzip it and write down where the file was unzipped (probably c:\unzipped\rfd14[1]). You will need this to run the program. ________________________________________________________
  3. Boot into Windows 98 and open the command prompt.
  4. Get a floppy disk from me. Put a bunch of files onto it. It doesn’t matter what they are. Just make some quick text and paint files and give them names. Create one or two directories (folders) and throw some stuff in there too.
  5. Head on into DOS.
  6. Navigate to the folder that your recovery tool is located in.
  7. Type recovrfd and hit return. It will show you a list of switches that can be used with the program. It should look like this.

 

 

  1. List the switches you can use with this program. A switch is a modifier that works with a command.

 

Switch

What it does

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Type recovrfd a: List what you see:

 

 

 

 

  1. Do you see folders (directories)? Why or why not?

 

 

  1. What command do you type to show directories?

 

 

  1. Do that. Take a screenshot and attach to your lab report.

 

 

Lab 5-3 Using Diagnostic Software

·         Start in XP and download the program below.

·         Go to: http://www.msdus.com/diags/

  • MicroSystems Development provides a diagnostic program called TestDrive for examining and diagnosing problems with floppy drives and floppy disks. We have it available on our website. Download and unzip it. Put it onto the C: drive so it is accessible from Windows 9x.
  • Reboot into 98.
  • When you download or copy the zipped file to your PC, explode it, and then do the following. (Most of the options on the TestDrive menu require that you have a DDD disk, but you can perform a few tests without one.)
  • Execute the TestDrive software by double-clicking the file TESTDRIVE.COM in
  • Windows Explorer.
  • Select the option to perform the Write/Read test. The warning box will appear. Perform the test with a disk that has nonessential data on it that can be erased. While the test is running, answer these questions.

 

1.     In what order are these components on the disk tested: heads, tracks, and sectors?

 

 

 

2.     Did you get any errors? If so, where?

 

 

 

3.     If you got a significant number of errors, try another disk. Do you see a pattern of errors when moving from one disk to another?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Installing Data Doctor Removable Media Recovery

  1. Go into the pub folder into software and find the labfiles for this unit.
  2. Install Removable Media Recovery Tool.
  3. Insert a Flash drive (borrow one if you don’t have your own).
  4. Open the program.
  5. What information does it give you about your media?

 

Physical Disk Number

 

Model

 

Media type

 

Cylinder

 

Head

 

SectorsPerTrack

 

Disk Size

 

 

 

  1. Go into My computer and right click on your drive. Write down the file system (it’ll be FAT, FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS).
  2. Go back to the program. Click on your drive and select “Standard Search”
  3. Click next.
  4. Read the directions. If it doesn’t like standard mode, go back to advanced.
  5. Select Partition Type
  6. Let it do its thing.
  7. Were you able to find anything to recover? What?

 

 

  1. Try this program on a floppy. Does it work?

 

 

Lab 5-4 Doing Some Internet Research

Comparing the Data Storage Cost of Devices

Research the market (using, for example, Computer Shopper) and fill in the following table to compare the storage costs of different secondary storage devices.

 

 

HD DVD

REV Drives

Zip Drives

BluRay

Manufacturer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capacity

 

 

 

 

Price of drive and first disk

 

 

 

 

Price of additional disks

 

 

 

 

Cost per KB of drive and first disk

 

 

 

 

Cost per KB of additional disks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lab 5-5 Create a Boot Disk in Windows 9x

 

  1. Get a floppy disk from me.
  2. Go to http://www.winxpcentral.com/basics/win98bootdisk.php and read the directions on how to create a Windows 98 boot disk.
  3. That page is gone? Google it!
  4. Show me your boot disk by booting into it and having me come check it off.

 

Answer the following questions.

 

  1. What control panel do you access to create a boot recovery disk in 98?

 

 

  1. List the files on the recovery disk below.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. What options are you given when you boot using this disk?

 

 

 

  1. What is the purpose of a recovery disk?

 

 

 

 

  1. Do you need a boot disk for Vista or XP?

 

 

 

  1. Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

Lab 5-6 Troubleshooting Skills

  1. A customer has Windows 98 installed and can’t start up. She’s tried everything she knows, which isn’t much. Explain to her how to go to another Windows 98 computer and create a boot disk.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Wild Thing calls you. He has upgraded his version of DOS to 6.22 but a program he’s running keeps giving him the error “Incorrect DOS Version”. You have no idea what’s going on, but you pretend you do and tell him you’ll get back to him within 3 hours. What would be your first step to solving this problem?
  2. Go online and research this error. What are three possible causes of this error?

 

 

 

  1. Your friend has just built a new computer. The floppy drive is brand new so he knows it works (or at least SHOULD work). When he starts the computer the BIOS finds the drive, the light comes on and stays on, but floppy disks will not read in the drive. Research the problem…what’s going on?

 

 

 

  1. Cause DOS to give you the error “Incorrect DOS version.”

 

Lab 5-7 Creating a REAL Windows 98 ERD

As you probably know, both Windows 95 and Windows 98 allow you to create an emergency repair disk (ERD). However, if you've ever looked at the contents of this disk, you may have questioned its ability to help you out of a jam. For example, in some versions of Windows 95, this disk contains nothing more than the files necessary for booting to a DOS prompt from the disk. Although subsequent releases of Windows 95 and Windows 98 include more files on the ERD, you're still better off creating your own repair disk. In this article, we'll show you how to make a truly effective emergency repair disk.

What should an ERD be able to do?

Ideally, a good ERD should be able to recover any PC from any crash. However, such versatility is impossible because of limited disk capacity, and because it's impossible to predict every potential problem. Therefore, you need to make the best possible use of the space you do have on the disk. To do so, it helps to make a list of the main functionality you hope to gain from your ERD. Such a list may contain things like the following.

Bootable

Since the entire purpose of an ERD is to repair Windows, you must assume when you create the disk that Windows doesn't work. Therefore, it's important to make the disk bootable so that you can access the hard disk of a damaged computer via a DOS prompt.

Access CD-ROM drives

As you probably know, you can't access a CD-ROM drive through DOS unless you've loaded drivers for the CD-ROM drive. Because virtually all software ships on CD-ROM, it's extremely important for your ERD to be able to access your CD-ROM drive. You should also keep in mind that you'll probably be using this disk in a variety of PCs. Therefore, if possible, it's a good idea to set up a multiboot environment on your disk that allows you to use a menu to load the driver for any CD-ROM drive in your organization. Doing so isn't as difficult as you might think; we'll show you how to do this later on.

Repair a damaged hard disk

Because corrupted files cause many Windows problems, you should consider making a disk that's capable of scanning your hard disk for damaged files and directories.

Maintain files and disks

Because you'll be working in a DOS environment when using your ERD, it's especially helpful to include files for maintaining your hard disk and files for maintaining individual files. Although many commands such as COPY and ERASE are built into DOS, other, more powerful commands aren't. Later on, we'll show you which of these files you should include on your disk and why.

Edit text files

Some of Windows' most critical files are text based. When there's a problem with Windows, you need to be able to make changes to files such as Config.sys, Autoexec.bat, System.ini, Win.ini, and other configuration files. Making these changes is virtually impossible without a text editor. Therefore, it's important to include a text editor on your ERD.

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Our disk

So far, we've given you a general explanation of what functionality you should include in your ERD. Now it's time to go over the specifics of creating such a disk.

Making the disk bootable

To begin making your ERD, boot your computer in the usual manner and open an MS-DOS Prompt window. Next, insert a blank disk and type the command FORMAT A: /S

Doing so will create a bootable floppy disk.

Adding the CD-ROM driver

Once you've made a bootable disk, you need to add the CD-ROM drivers to it. If you look at your computer's Config.sys file, you should see a command similar to the following:

DEVICE=C:\CDROM\D011V110.SYS /D:MSCD0000

Because this command varies from computer to computer, yours may be slightly different. To add CD-ROM drivers to your ERD, copy your Config.sys file to the floppy disk. Now, edit the Config.sys file on your disk and remove each command except for the CD-ROM driver command. Then, change the path of the device driver from the C drive to the root directory of the A drive. For example, if your original CD-ROM driver command looked like our earlier example, you'd change it to

DEVICE=A:\D011V110.SYS /D:MSCD0000

Now, copy the file specified in your CD-ROM driver command from its original location on your hard disk to the root directory of the disk you're creating. For example, if your original command was the one we've been using, you'd copy the file D011v110.sys from C:\Cdrom to A:\.

The device driver is only half of the necessary CD-ROM files. Normally, Windows automatically loads another file to make the CD-ROM drive functional. However, in DOS you must manually load a similar file. To do so, copy the file Mscdex.exe from the \Windows\Command directory to your ERD's root directory. Next, create an Autoexec.bat file on your disk. Your Autoexec.bat file should contain a command similar to the following:

A:\MSCDEX /D:MSCD0000

The A:\MSCDEX portion of this command will work for all computers. The /D:MSCD0000 portion of the command will vary depending on your device driver. Notice that part of our device driver command contains /D:MSCD0000. Whatever your device driver command contains in this location, you'll attach to the end of your MSCDEX command. For example, if your Config.sys file contains the following command, you'd use the command below it in Autoexec.bat:

DEVICE=A:\BPCDDRV.SYS /D:BPCDDRV$
A:\MSCDEX /D:BPCDDRV$

Next, reboot your computer with the ERD and make sure you can access your CD-ROM drive. As we mentioned earlier, it's helpful to have your disk contain drivers for each type of CD-ROM drive in your company. For example, in Figure A, you can see that our disk boots to a menu we can use to select the driver that we want to use for the CD-ROM drive.

Figure A: This menu lets us select the CD-ROM driver that our ERD will load.

Figure A: This menu lets us select the CD-ROM driver that our ERD will load.

Although creating such a menu may seem complex, it's actually quite simple. DOS has all of the menu commands built in—you need only make Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files that use this built-in functionality. Below is a sample Config.sys file. You can use our sample file to create your own multiboot environment.

Sample Config.sys

[MENU]
MENUCOLOR=15,1
MENUITEM=AZ, AZI CD-ROM Drivers
MENUITEM=HP, Goldstar CD-ROM Drivers for HP Vectra
MENUITEM=MC, Hitachi CD-ROM Drivers
MENUITEM=BP, Back Pack CD-ROM Drivers
MENUITEM=SY, Sony External CD-ROM Drivers
MENUITEM=NN, No CD-ROM Drivers
 
[COMMON]
device=himem.sys
device=drvspace.sys
 
[AZ]
REM AZI CD-ROM Drivers
DEVICEHIGH=a:\SGIDECD.SYS /D:MSCD000
 
[HP]
rem The following line is for the HP Vectra
DEVICEHIGH=a:\gscdrom.SYS /D:MSCD000
 
[MC]
REM Standard Hitache CD-ROM Drivers
DEVICEHIGH=a:\d011v110.SYS /D:MSCD000
 
[BP]
rem the following line is for the backpack CD-ROM
device=a:\bpcddrv.sys /d:bpcddrv$
 
[SY]
rem the following line is for the external Sony CD-ROM
DEVICE=SLCD.SYS /D:SONY_000 /B:340 /M:P /V /C /E:2
 
[NN]
rem No CD-ROM Drivers

Notice the MENUITEM commands at the beginning of the file. Each menu item contains two initials followed by a description that will appear on the actual menu. When the user selects a menu choice, the Config.sys file will process all instructions in the [COMMON] section and all instructions in the section whose initials match those specified in the MENUITEM command.

The Autoexec.bat file works in a similar manner. DOS processes the commands at the beginning of the Autoexec.bat file. When DOS reaches the GOTO %CONFIG% command, it causes the command interpreter to skip to the section of Autoexec.bat that matches the initials specified in Config.sys's MENUITEM command. Here is a sample Autoexec.bat file:

Sample Autoexec.bat

@echo off
prompt $p$g
path=a:\;c:\windows\command;c:\windows
GOTO %CONFIG%
 
:AZ
REM AZI CD-ROM Driver
mscdex /d:mscd000
GOTO END
 
:HP
REM Goldstar CD-ROM Driver for HP Vectra
mscdex /d:mscd000
GOTO END
 
:MC
REM Hitachi CD-ROM Driver
mscdex /d:mscd000
GOTO END
 
:BP
REM Back Pack CD-ROM Driver
MSCDEX /D:BPCDDRV$
GOTO END
 
:SY
REM Sony CD-ROM Driver
MSCDEX /D:SONY_000
GOTO END
 
:NN
REM No CD-ROM Driver
GOTO END
 
:END
Rem End of file

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Other files to add to your disk

When you have your CD-ROM driver or drivers working, you should add several other files to your ERD. Below is a list of these files and the reason for including them. Unless we've specified otherwise, each of these commands are available in the \Windows\Command directory.

Sys.com

The Sys.com command allows you to make any floppy disk or hard disk bootable. For example, if you were working on a computer whose boot sector had been destroyed by a virus, you might run the command SYS C: to add the Io.sys, Msdos.sys, and Command.com files to the hard disk.

Attrib.exe

The Attrib.exe program is critical for working with three types of files in a DOS environment. By following the ATTRIB command with a filename, a plus or minus sign, and the letter H, R, or S, you can add or remove the hidden, read-only, and system attributes, respectively from a file. For example, if you wanted to make every file in your current directory visible, you could type this command to remove the hidden attribute: ATTRIB *.* -h

To hide a visible file, you'd change the minus sign after the file name to a plus.

Mem.exe

The Mem.exe command is useful for viewing what's currently loaded in memory. To use this command, simply type MEM /C.

XCOPY*.*

XCOPY*.* includes all Xcopy and Xcopy32 files. The XCOPY command works exactly like the COPY command. However, you can add the /S switch to copy subdirectories, while the COPY command can copy only the current directory. For example, if you wanted to copy the current directory and all of its subdirectories to the D drive, you'd type XCOPY *.* /S D:

Deltree.exe

If you've ever tried to delete a large directory structure from the DOS prompt, you know how tedious it can be. You must remove the contents of each subdirectory individually before you can erase the main directory. For example, suppose you had a directory called Letters that contained the subdirectories A, B, and C. Using the normal DOS commands, you'd have to type the following sequence of commands to remove the Letters directory:

CD\LETTERS\A
ERASE *.*
CD..
RD A
CD B
ERASE *.* 
CD..
RD B
CD C
ERASE *.*
CD..
RD C
ERASE *.*
CD..
RD LETTERS

This long sequence of commands can be easily replaced by typing the simple command DELTREE LETTERS. Needless to say, the DELTREE command is a big timesaver.

EDIT.*

The Edit files allow you to use the MS-DOS EDIT program. The EDIT program is a text editor that you can use to alter system files such as Config.sys, Autoexec.bat, and System.ini, to name a few.

Chkdsk.exe

Although CHKDSK's repair capabilities are obsolete, using the CHKDSK command is still the quickest method in a DOS environment to check your hard disk size and remaining free space. To do so, simply type CHKDSK followed by the letter of the drive you want to check.

Format.com

The FORMAT command is useful for formatting blank floppies. You can also use it to reformat a damaged hard disk.

Diskcopy.com

The DISKCOPY command duplicates a floppy disk. To use this command, type DISKCOPY followed by the source drive and the destination drive. For example, you might type

DISKCOPY A: A:

Extract.ext

If you've ever looked at the contents of your Windows CD, you probably know that all the files that make up Windows are stored in a compressed format within CAB files. If you need to replace a damaged Windows file, you can use the EXTRACT command to decompress the file you need. For detailed instructions on using this utility, type EXTRACT /?.

Mode.com

Occasionally, a problem may result in your not being able to read the screen. If this happens to you, you can use the mode command to return the screen to a readable state. For example, to view a standard DOS format screen you'd type MODE CO80.

Scandisk.exe

If you've used Windows for any time at all, you're probably already familiar with the Scandisk utility. Scandisk allows you to correct hard disk problems.

Fdisk.exe

The FDISK command can be used to repartition your hard disk. You should be cautious when using FDISK, because once you delete a partition, you can't recover it through conventional means.

Doskey.com

The DOSKEY command allows you to repeat commands you've already typed by pressing the up arrow. This shortcut is especially handy if you're doing a complex procedure with a lot of repetitive typing.

More.com

Using the MORE command causes the computer to show you only one screen full of information at a time. For example, suppose you have a long text file called Readme.txt. If you type the command TYPE README.TXT the computer will display the file too quickly to read. However, typing TYPE README.TXT |MORE will cause the computer to display the file while pausing after each screen full of information.

Himem.sys

You may have noticed that we used the Himem.sys command in Config.sys. We did this to load our CD-ROM drivers into high memory and preserve precious conventional memory. You can use Himem.sys to load a variety of drivers into high memory.

PKZIP and PKUNZIP

Many times, when trying to repair a malfunctioning computer, you'll have to use a patch that's stored in ZIP format. Under normal circumstances, you'd probably use a utility like WinZip to decompress such a file. However, if Windows won't load, you won't be able to use WinZip. PKZIP and PKUNZIP offer similar functionality to WinZip, but they work in a DOS environment. You can download these utilities from http://www.pkware.com .

What about XP and Vista?? Since Windows 2000 the CD ROM has served as the Emergency Repair Disk. You can insert and boot from the CD and then run the command console to repair, delete, and replace files. We will use the command console more in Networking.

Keep this disk for your lab test! Now take the ERD quiz on Examview!

 

1. Create a Windows 98 emergency startup disk.

2. Copy the cabinet file to a new directory on the disk.

3. Get a printed list of the files in the cabinet file.

4. Extract all files from the cabinet file into the new directory.

5. Get a printed list of the files in the new directory.

 

Requirement

Completed (10)

Incomplete (5)

Not attempted (0)

Create a Windows 98 startup disk

 

 

 

Extracted cabinet files

 

 

 

Created new directory

 

 

 

List of files in the new directory

 

 

 

 

So…what is a cabinet file?

 

 

Lab 5-8 Creating a Bootable USB ERD

This is a challenge lab. Anyone who can complete this AND type up the instructions on how they did it, will receive extra credit points for their group.

 

There are a number of ways to do this. There are utilities, there’s simply making the drive bootable from a floppy, or using the WinPE (MiniNT) from the Windows AIK (I have that on the server in software).

 


Unit Project

Module: Removable Media

 

Description of Problem

A customer comes into your shop. He has a small Real Estate franchise. He would like to purchase some form of removable storage that could be used to make things easier in his business. The files he’s using are too big for floppies. They can use USB, but they want something more reliably secure. USB drives have been left around by employees, and even lost. The data is too sensitive to risk that happening.

Current Needs

Removable storage that can be used to store large files, work with both MAC and PC operating systems, will work in laptops, cameras, and video cameras.

 

They will probably need more than one type of storage to handle this.

Interviews with employees

After you have completed the jargon and list of questions you need to have answered, see me and I’ll give you the rest of this information.

Expansion plans/Future needs

The company plans to expand. The interviews will help you understand what they need.

Your Requirements

Task One: Develop a list of terms/jargon to be defined for the customer. Define the jargon.

Task Two: Develop a list of questions that must be answered before you can begin your research.

Task Three: Develop a list of current customer needs.

Task Four: Develop a list of future customer needs.

Task Five: Research solutions to the problems and develop a solution to present to the customer.

Task Six: Keep a list of resources consulted as you go. It will be part of your portfolio.

Task Seven: Create a spreadsheet of prices to the solution.

Task Eight: Present the solution. Be sure to include pictures of the items you have chosen.

Deliverables

m  Jargon list

m  Questions

m  Current needs

m  Future needs

m  Solution, including graphics and drawings as necessary

m  Resource list

m  Presentation of solution.

 


Project Rubric

Criteria

Outstanding

Good

Needs Work

Poor

0

Customer Overview

20

17

13

8

 

Definitions of jargon/terms used in project

20

17

13

8

 

Developed a list of questions that should be answered before beginning.

20

17

13

8

 

Customer current needs identified.

40

34

26

15

 

Customer future needs identified

40

34

26

15

 

Media can be read in cameras

40

34

26

15

 

Media can be read on all different computers

40

34

26

15

 

Media can be read in video camera

40

34

26

15

 

Backup solution

40

34

26

15

 

Solution is completely priced out

20

17

13

8

 

Media is clearly defined

40

34

26

15

 

Entire team participates in project

20

17

13

8

 

List of resources used

20

17

13

8

 

Project portfolio is put together and is complete

20

17

13

8

 

Total Points on Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR REMOVABLE MEDIA MODULE

1.    How many sectors per track are there on a 3 ˝ " high-density floppy disk?

2.    What two cables are connected to a floppy drive inside a computer?

3.    What symbol is written to a disk to indicate that the track is formatted and data can be written to it?

4.    What is the difference between a sector and a cluster?

5.    What is another name for a cluster?

6.    What is the purpose of the master boot record on a disk?

7.    If a file is fragmented, describe how the entries in the FAT will look.

8.    What cluster information for a file is found in the directory entry for the file?

9.    Which bit in the file attribute byte tells if the file is a hidden file?

10.  What is the difference between an external DOS command and an internal DOS command?

11.  How can you make an exact copy of a disk if you only have one floppy drive on your computer?

12.  List the steps to create an emergency startup disk using Windows 9x.

 

 

 

 

13.  Why is it helpful to have EDIT.COM on the startup disk?

14.  If a floppy drive is not working, why is it better to replace the drive than to repair it?

15.  What might cause the error, “General failure reading drive A”?

16.  How can you look at a 3 ˝ -inch floppy disk and tell if it is a high-density or double-density disk?

17.  What do you check if you get the error, “Write protect error writing drive A:”?

18.  List the steps that you would follow to install a new floppy drive as drive B.

19.  How does the computer distinguish drive A from drive B?

20.  Which holds more data, a Zip drive or a Jaz drive?

21.  What are the names of the three upcoming storage technologies?

 

 

 

22.  List the description and maximum capacity of the following storage technologies.

Type

Description

Capacity

SDC

 

 

USB flash drive

 

 

Microdrive digital

 

 

Magnetic ZIP drive

 

 

Magnetic portable USB drive

 

 

CompactFlash

 

 

SmartMedia

 

 

PocketZip

 

 

Micro-optical

 

 

Memory stick

 

 

Flash drives

 

 

QIC

 

 

DAT

 

 

DLT