Hi, all

I am using CF card to boot my XPE image on my released devices. Sometime
after I power off my device by directly turned off the power switch, then I
turn it on, at this time my XPE image won't boot and appears a black screen
which says "NTLDR missing".My image has no EWF, and file system is FAT32.

Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how did
this happen? How to avoid it?

maverick

Maverick,

Since you mentioned the weak peices of your image (FAT32, no EWF, CF) you probably know the answer already but just for the record:
- FAT32 is not really realible FS. Moving to NTFS may be better (not on unprotected CF, though)
- Protect CF with EWF (FAT would probably be a better choice here as NTFS is chattier)

With your current image implementation your CF will probably last not long.
It is not reccomended to not have a graceful shutdown on XP/XPe system with the system partition unprotected.
(There is no reason to list all the bad things that could happen otherwise. You already saw that).

KM

> Hi, all
>
> I am using CF card to boot my XPE image on my released devices. Sometime
> after I power off my device by directly turned off the power switch, then I
> turn it on, at this time my XPE image won't boot and appears a black screen
> which says "NTLDR missing".My image has no EWF, and file system is FAT32.
>
> Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how did
> this happen? How to avoid it?
>
> maverick
>
>

Maverick,

> Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how did
> this happen? How to avoid it?

This is very strange behavior even for FAT without EWF. (You should use RAM EWF though).
This would mean that sector containing data about root folder file was somehow corrupted.

Try connecting this CF to development machine and reading/browsing its content.
Do you see filesystem?
Is FAT corrupted?
Do you have second FAT table?
Try scanning disk for bad blocks and see if you can repair data. This all will give us more insight if this was CF wear problem of
filesystem problem

Regards,
Slobodan

"Maverick" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi, all
>
> I am using CF card to boot my XPE image on my released devices. Sometime
> after I power off my device by directly turned off the power switch, then I
> turn it on, at this time my XPE image won't boot and appears a black screen
> which says "NTLDR missing".My image has no EWF, and file system is FAT32.
>
> Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how did
> this happen? How to avoid it?
>
> maverick
>
>

Thanks KM.

Actually, my device is used on Indutrial Control area, where common shutting
down the device by pressing SHUTDOWN button in XPE is not possible. As what
you said, the best solution is to add all of things:
- FAT32 -> NTFS
- no EWF -> EWF
- unprotected CF -> protected CF

The first two solutions I can understood, except for the third one. How to
protect a CF?


"KM" <konstmor@nospam_yahoo.com> дÈëÓʼþ
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Maverick,
>
> Since you mentioned the weak peices of your image (FAT32, no EWF, CF) you
probably know the answer already but just for the record:
> - FAT32 is not really realible FS. Moving to NTFS may be better (not
on unprotected CF, though)
> - Protect CF with EWF (FAT would probably be a better choice here as
NTFS is chattier)
>
> With your current image implementation your CF will probably last not
long.
> It is not reccomended to not have a graceful shutdown on XP/XPe system
with the system partition unprotected.
> (There is no reason to list all the bad things that could happen
otherwise. You already saw that).
>
> KM
>
> > Hi, all
> >
> > I am using CF card to boot my XPE image on my released devices. Sometime
> > after I power off my device by directly turned off the power switch,
then I
> > turn it on, at this time my XPE image won't boot and appears a black
screen
> > which says "NTLDR missing".My image has no EWF, and file system is
FAT32.
> >
> > Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how
did
> > this happen? How to avoid it?
> >
> > maverick
> >
> >
>
>

"Slobodan Brcin (eMVP)" <(E-Mail Removed)> дÈëÓʼþ
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Maverick,
>
> > Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how
did
> > this happen? How to avoid it?
>
> This is very strange behavior even for FAT without EWF. (You should use
RAM EWF though).
> This would mean that sector containing data about root folder file was
somehow corrupted.
>
> Try connecting this CF to development machine and reading/browsing its
content.
> Do you see filesystem?
I can see the file system.

> Is FAT corrupted?
How to check this?

> Do you have second FAT table?
no

> Try scanning disk for bad blocks and see if you can repair data. This all
will give us more insight if this was CF wear problem of
> filesystem problem
yes, there are so called dirty bits on my CF, which is at:
windows\CSC\00000001 or windows\CSC\00000002.

>
> Regards,
> Slobodan
>
> "Maverick" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi, all
> >
> > I am using CF card to boot my XPE image on my released devices. Sometime
> > after I power off my device by directly turned off the power switch,
then I
> > turn it on, at this time my XPE image won't boot and appears a black
screen
> > which says "NTLDR missing".My image has no EWF, and file system is
FAT32.
> >
> > Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how
did
> > this happen? How to avoid it?
> >
> > maverick
> >
> >
>
>

Maverick,

By "protection" I meant EWF.

Or, if acceptable, you can switch to more reliable (but more expensive too) uDOC flash solution from M-System.

KM

> Thanks KM.
>
> Actually, my device is used on Indutrial Control area, where common shutting
> down the device by pressing SHUTDOWN button in XPE is not possible. As what
> you said, the best solution is to add all of things:
> - FAT32 -> NTFS
> - no EWF -> EWF
> - unprotected CF -> protected CF
>
> The first two solutions I can understood, except for the third one. How to
> protect a CF?
>
>
> "KM" <konstmor@nospam_yahoo.com> дÈëÓʼþ
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Maverick,
>>
>> Since you mentioned the weak peices of your image (FAT32, no EWF, CF) you
> probably know the answer already but just for the record:
>> - FAT32 is not really realible FS. Moving to NTFS may be better (not
> on unprotected CF, though)
>> - Protect CF with EWF (FAT would probably be a better choice here as
> NTFS is chattier)
>>
>> With your current image implementation your CF will probably last not
> long.
>> It is not reccomended to not have a graceful shutdown on XP/XPe system
> with the system partition unprotected.
>> (There is no reason to list all the bad things that could happen
> otherwise. You already saw that).
>>
>> KM
>>
>> > Hi, all
>> >
>> > I am using CF card to boot my XPE image on my released devices. Sometime
>> > after I power off my device by directly turned off the power switch,
> then I
>> > turn it on, at this time my XPE image won't boot and appears a black
> screen
>> > which says "NTLDR missing".My image has no EWF, and file system is
> FAT32.
>> >
>> > Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how
> did
>> > this happen? How to avoid it?
>> >
>> > maverick
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

Hi Maverick
> > This would mean that sector containing data about root folder file was
> somehow corrupted.
> >
> > Try connecting this CF to development machine and reading/browsing its
> content.
> > Do you see filesystem?
> I can see the file system.

So you see other files when you browse it right? Do you see ntldr. file in root? If you do can you copmare it with the one that you
have on HDD image.

> > Is FAT corrupted?
> How to check this?

Try using "chkdsk /?"


> > Do you have second FAT table?
> no
>
> > Try scanning disk for bad blocks and see if you can repair data. This all
> will give us more insight if this was CF wear problem of
> > filesystem problem
> yes, there are so called dirty bits on my CF, which is at:
> windows\CSC\00000001 or windows\CSC\00000002.

I do not follow you here :-(

Regards,
Slobodan

> Actually, my device is used on Indutrial Control area, where common shutting
> down the device by pressing SHUTDOWN button in XPE is not possible. As what
> you said, the best solution is to add all of things:
> - FAT32 -> NTFS
> - no EWF -> EWF
> - unprotected CF -> protected CF
>
> The first two solutions I can understood, except for the third one. How to
> protect a CF?

Since EWF protect only selected partitions and not disk area itself, some software bug or virus could go around EWF and tamper with
data.
Solution to this would be to disable write trough hardware itself.
For CF you could modify/find CF reader that has disabled write pin.

For devices with some processor on them like M-Sys USB disk you can set write protection trough proprietary call to firmware.

Regards,
Slobodan

>
> "KM" <konstmor@nospam_yahoo.com> дÈëÓʼþ
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Maverick,
> >
> > Since you mentioned the weak peices of your image (FAT32, no EWF, CF) you
> probably know the answer already but just for the record:
> > - FAT32 is not really realible FS. Moving to NTFS may be better (not
> on unprotected CF, though)
> > - Protect CF with EWF (FAT would probably be a better choice here as
> NTFS is chattier)
> >
> > With your current image implementation your CF will probably last not
> long.
> > It is not reccomended to not have a graceful shutdown on XP/XPe system
> with the system partition unprotected.
> > (There is no reason to list all the bad things that could happen
> otherwise. You already saw that).
> >
> > KM
> >
> > > Hi, all
> > >
> > > I am using CF card to boot my XPE image on my released devices. Sometime
> > > after I power off my device by directly turned off the power switch,
> then I
> > > turn it on, at this time my XPE image won't boot and appears a black
> screen
> > > which says "NTLDR missing".My image has no EWF, and file system is
> FAT32.
> > >
> > > Everytime when this happened, I had to ghost the CF card again. But how
> did
> > > this happen? How to avoid it?
> > >
> > > maverick
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>