1 reply to this topic

[ktp]

vdk tool has a particularity that on start (vdk install, vdk start) it "creates" by default
four physical drives. For example if you already have two hard disks:
(hd0)
(hd1)
then on vdk start you get (without knowing it):
(hd0) *
(hd1) *
(hd2)
(hd3)
(hd4)
(hd5)
(*) means real disk (disk ready).
(hd0) is equivalent to dsfo/dsfi notation of \\.\physicaldrive0.
(hd1) is equivalent to dsfo/dsfi notation of \\.\physicaldrive1...


Usually you will use vdk open/link to assign to a hard disk image. By default vdk drive 0, so you get:
(hd0) *
(hd1) *
(hd2) *
(hd3)
(hd4)
(hd5)

Now if you use ptedit32 you will see ONLY the first 3 disks with their associated size :
(hd0) * size0
(hd1) * size1
(hd2) * size2
If you use beeblebroxNT you will see all hard disks but no distinction of which one is really ready:
(hd0)
(hd1)
(hd2)
(hd3)
(hd4)
(hd5)
With beeblebrox if you choose e.g. (hd3) you will get some popup errors since the drive is not ready.

The best is using grubinst_gui.exe (part grub4dos-0.4.3 or later package). In its combo-box for drive,
you will see:
(hd0) * size0
(hd1) * size1
(hd2) * size2
(hd3)
(hd4)
(hd5)
which is the perfect display since it told you what disks are ready.


Now if you plug an external HDD or USB key, there will a \\.\physicaldrive6 (hd6) assigned,
but this disk will NOT appear under ptedit32, since apparently it stops at first not ready drive.
grubinst_gui.exe display is execellent since it continues all physical drives emuneration:
(hd0) * size0
(hd1) * size1
(hd2) * size2
(hd3)
(hd4)
(hd5)
(hd6) * size6

Personally I prefer ptedit32 to beeblebrox (hard disk size identification), but you must be aware of
'missing' physical disks due to vdk reservation gap.

To eliminate the gap (hd2)-(hd5) you have to issue a vdk close (or of course vdk remove).
Then you need to unplug the HDD (hd6) to free this slot, replug it (so it will be assigned (hd2)) and it
will be seen by ptedit32 and hence usable.

The above lines could be a little confused but I hope forum specialists have no problem reading it. :-)

[was_jaclaz]

I guess I can apply as "forum specialist", as I can read them allright , but it seems to me a non-problem.

Reading the help file of apps usually helps

Try this:
VDK remove (to make sure VDK is not running or is installed)
then:
VDK install (this will install the driver)
VDK DISK 1 (this tells VDK to create just one drive)
VDK Start (not really needed, as the following open command will however start the driver)
VDK OPEN 0 your.img /RW

So, in "normal operation", all you need to do is to use
VDK OPEN 0 your.img /RW which will install the driver (if not already installed), start it (if not already started) with the default 4 hard disks and mount the image, and when you are finished, VDK remove.

If you want to have just one drive, you must run at least once the previous sequence of commands, and then, instead of using VDK remove, just use VDK stop, and next time you use the VDK open command, the number of disks will be the same as before.

Making a few batch files for starting the driver with a different number of drives instead of doing it everytime on command line might be advisable.



jaclaz