Ian Moote,

31-Oct-99 18:42:00, Ian Moote wrote to ANDY ROBERTS
          Subject: M$ "screw you" FAT32

 AR>>>> But don't expect OS/2 FDISK to be able to delete the type "b"
 AR>>>> FAT32 partition, because OS/2 was released before FAT32
 AR>>>> existed, so OS/2 does not know how to deal with it.

 IM>>> ??? Do you know something about this "type b" partition that I
 IM>>> don't? Why do you think that OS/2 won't delete it?

 AR>> Because while I was on the voice phone with Dave Davidson, he
 AR>> attempted to use FDISK to delete what was reported as a type "b"
 AR>> partition.  He then used "Save and Exit" FDISK which forced him
 AR>> to reboot.  When he got into FDISK again the type "b" partition
 AR>> was right back where it was before.

 IM> Such is obvious, but why would you _expect_ FDisk to behave that
 IM> way simply because it doesn't know what a type B partition is?

I don't have a good reason.  I thought I read that somewhere, but probably
not.  As JdeBP mentioned FDISK should delete it and any other partition type,
provided the MBR is not corrupted.  In that respect I have had Win95 corrupt
the MBR on my ThinkPad so many times that I have totally given up.  So I guess
I just wrongly assumed that M$ always screws it up.  

 IM> All partition types are stored in the MBR in the same manner and in the
 IM> same format. Switching from one type of partition to another is
 IM> literally a matter of changing one byte in the partition's entry (then
 IM> re-formatting, of course).

 AR>> While my personal experience with FAT32 is very limited, I think
 AR>> that behavior has been reported by others.

 IM> Oh? Interesting.

I'm probably wrong about that.  I'm getting old and my memory is not a good as
it used to be.  And since I avoid M$ if at all possible, I also tend to skip
reading anything about FAT32.  I just try to remember to use LLF or at least
Format fs:hpfs /L to clean any old M$ partitions.  Since that didn't work for
Dave Davidson, I thought it best to get him involved in this echo to get
better and maybe more accurate advice from others.  Obviously I don't think
I'm up to the job if it has anything to do with FAT32.

 AR>> Although FDISK does not say type "b" is a FAT32 partition, I
 AR>> found a web site that lists what is probably over 100 different
 AR>> partition ID types.

 IM> Would you be so kind as to pass on that URL? That information
 IM> would be handy in my business.

I lost the URL, but I sent you the file partition_types-1.txt/zip

     Thanks and Good Luck,        Andy Roberts
                                  andy@shentel.net
--- Terminate 5.00/Pro*at