boot failure: NTLDR missing

[Maverick]

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

 

[KM]

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

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

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]

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?

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).

 

[Maverick]

Maverick,


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.

 

[KM]

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

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

Hi Maverick

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.

How to check this?

Try using "chkdsk /?"

will give us more insight if this was CF wear problem of
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

 

[Slobodan Brcin \(eMVP\)]

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