Partitioning Tools

Fdisk

Fdisk is a command line utility that is DOS (disk operating system), based allowing the deletion, creation and manipulation of partitions. This comes on most of our restore CDs however, for the newer systems it is not commonly needed to delete the partition as the restore process does that for us. Reasons we might use fdisk are as follows:

• Older system that has 98 and there is reason to believe something is wrong with the partition.
• We believe there might be a virus infecting the master boot record
• If you cannot be certain if it’s a problem with the hard drive or the restore CD. We would run fdisk to see if it can delete and re-create the partition and if it can, then we assume it’s the restore CDs at fault.
• When the restore fails at different percentages of completion and gives write errors.

Fdisk being a DOS command has what are called switches. Switches are modifiers that allow you to do different things with the program. The most common switch is /mbr which re-writes the master boot record from the restore CD. The next switch that is commonly used is /status, which shows some common partition information such as how many partitions and what drive letter each partition is assigned.

Disk Part

This is the upgraded version of Fdisk for the Windows XP environment. You cannot access this utility except from the recovery console CD or from within windows itself. This utility is rarely used as the restore CDs themselves have no way of accessing this utility. There is however some changes to the newest restore CDs that will be able to access this utility. The newest restore CDs also come with a new way of being able to delete and re-create partitions so that we don’t have the need to use disk part.

Disk Manager

This is a built in utility for the Windows XP environment that allows you to view the partition information. You can access this by right clicking My Computer then selecting Manage then selecting Disk Management.

File System

A file system is the way in which information is arranged on a partition. There are two types that will be discussed FAT32 and NTFS. You can have a partition that doesn’t have a file system and in a situation such as that the partition is unusable.

Operating System 98 and Millennium

The file system that comes with Windows 98 and ME is FAT32. FAT32 is a file system that has been around for many years and has been standard with both of the above operating systems. It can be read by all versions of DOS versions of Windows 98 and beyond, that does include Windows XP.

Windows XP

NTFS is the file system that comes shipped with all eMachines Windows XP systems. A few of the many advantages that NTFS has over FAT32 are: Security, More efficient space utilization, and Compression. NTFS can only be read by an NT based operating system, such as Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, because of the level of security that is present. As will be discussed in much more detail later, when booting to a command prompt from the restore CD it boots to a DOS prompt making it impossible to backup data, as DOS cannot read the file system present. This is an intentional choice made by Microsoft when designing the NTFS file system. The problem with the old FAT32 file system is even if the OS wasn’t functioning or you wished to bypass security within the OS all together you simply needed to boot to a DOS prompt and all security measures were defeated. With NTFS there is no way to access the file system outside the recovery console, which requires the administrator password when booting, and the OS, which can also be made to require a password.

Kernel

At the core of most operating systems there is what is called a kernel. The kernel in the most basic definition is a program or piece of software that is in charge of all resources. When we talk about resources we are talking about all of the following:

•  Memory
•  CPU processing time (Central Processing Unit)
•  IRQ's (Interrupt Requests)
•  I/O (Input/Output) operations

There are many other things it keeps track of, however for our purposes the above list is all we need to know for a basic understanding of a kernel. A kernel allocates all of the resources to both hardware and software entities. If the kernel wasn't in control of all the resources, devices would conflict over trying to use the same resource at the same time.

Registry

The windows registry is the system database for Windows operating systems. It contains information about the configuration of system hardware and software, as well as about users of the system. Any Windows-based program can add information to the registry and read information back from the registry.

The registry is structured as a hierarchy of keys, sub keys, and named values or single default values. These keys and values each store specific information about an installed program, piece of hardware or setting.

To further understand the registry think of it like a phone book, map and translator all rolled into one. It is a phone book in the sense it keeps track of all installed applications. It also keeps track of what file types go with what applications. It's a map in the sense that, it keeps track of all the locations of where programs and drivers are located. One thing to note about it keeping track of files is that it only keeps track of programs and drivers it does not keep track of specific files. An example of this is a simple text document is created, the OS doesn’t automatically know where that file is at. When trying to open that file you still have to go to the directory that it is located. It's a translator because it translates simple things like right clicking into bringing up the correct menu.

Often times the registry can be corrupted or simple values in the registry can be lost. When such things happen the OS will not know what to do and generally the application or driver will cease to function. This is normally what prompts us to reinstall the driver or reinstall the application.

Drivers

A driver is a piece of software that tells windows how to use a hardware device. An instruction manual is identical to a driver. Windows doesn’t, by default, know how to use all hardware devices that exist. For that very reason drivers are designed by the manufacturer of a device to tell Windows how to use it. Would a Ferrari be driven exactly the same way as a Geo Metro? They would be very different in how they drive for acceleration, turning, over all speed, and in many other ways.

Signed Driver Vs. Unsigned Driver

A signed driver is a driver that has passed base line compatibility testing with Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). This testing does not ensure that a driver will work or that it will not cause adverse effects. Signed drivers are, in general, more stable because of the base testing done on them by windows. Windows has three responses to when an unsigned driver is trying to install:

•  Block: This will completely block the installation of any unsigned driver
•  Warn: This option will bring a pop-up anytime an unsigned driver is being installed and give the user a choice of installing or not installing the unsigned driver
•  Ignore: Installs the software and does not prompt the user for more information

The Windows default option is set to warn when trying to install an unsigned driver. If a customer ever calls up and asks if they should install an unsigned driver suggest against it and refer to the manufacturer of the device they are trying to install.

Upgrading Drivers

eMachines does not regularly have updated drivers unless a malfunction has been found. Commonly a 3rd party source will refer a customer to us with instructions on updating a driver, however this will rarely be possible. If a customer is referred to us asking for an updated driver probe the situation and do whatever we can for them. Customers will on rare occasions demand an updated driver and in a situation such as that simply look on our website and see if there is a newer version and if there isn’t explain we don’t have an updated driver because the driver that is currently on the system is a stable working driver.

Idea behind reinstalling drivers

When a driver is installed originally it installs itself into the registry along with putting a backup copy in the INF folder. Computers are not perfect and are bound to make mistakes from time to time, thus causing the driver to become corrupted in the registry. Windows only uses the driver from the registry and never touches the backup unless you are reinstalling the driver. Because of this failsafe mechanism removing the driver from device manager (which removes the driver from the registry) will prompt the OS to begin looking for the backup of the driver and puts the registry keys back for Device Manager. This effectively returns the version of the driver to the original that was installed.

Take the following as an analogy and example. You have a letter from a dearly departed friend that you treasure very much. You don’t keep that letter with you at all times for fear of destroying it by some accident. What you do is make a copy of it and carry the copy. Eventually over time of opening, closing, general wear and tear the copy will be destroyed. At some point in time you can no longer read the letter, so what do you do? You throw it away and make another copy of the original. Now you have a fresh new copy from which you can read and should it happen again you still have the original. The letter represents the backup of the driver in the INF folder. The copy represents the driver as it is used in Device Manager.

Forcing the Driver to reinstall from the restore CD

Occasionally reinstalling the driver from the backup is not good enough. Situations this might be applicable are:

•  Reinstalling the driver and it still shows an exclamation mark or a question mark
•  It has never worked before
•  Error stating the correct driver could not be found

With Windows XP in most situations it will automatically reinstall the driver from the backup it has stored in the INF folder. In the situations above that is not what is wanted and we take specific steps beyond just removing the driver from Device Manager. The following is what needs to be done:<![endif]>

1. Search for OEM*.inf, ensuring to include “search for hidden files”.
2. There should be multiple files that appear
3. Double click any OEM file that has a number after the word OEM
4. Check the first line and see if it has the name of the driver you wish to force to reinstall from the CD.
5. Once you find the correct file delete it
6. Remove the driver from Device Manager
7. This will force it to reinstall from the restore CD