"Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>
>>
>> snip>
>>>
>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>> news:e1CiPP15FHA.2716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>>>> To use a USB drive with DOS you need to load a USB driver, I use DUSE.
>>>> It
>>>> simply is not correct to say you cannot use USB or firewire with DOS,
>>>> you
>>>> can provided you load the drivers. The drivers are readily available
>>>> via
>>>> 'Google'.
>>>
>>>
>>> Edward:
>>> Thanks for the information re the DUSE program. I note that in a number
>>> of prior postings you have mentioned that program in this context. I had
>>> previously requested additional details from you about using that
>>> program
>>> but I haven't come across any response.
>>>
>>> Would you be good enough to provide details about using that program? I
>>> note the DUSE 4.4 program can be downloaded from the
>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ site.
>>>
>>> 1. Is it simply a matter of adding the DUSE.exe (and DUSELDR.COM?)
>>> file(s) to a DOS boot disk, e.g., a Win9x/Me Startup floppy boot disk)
>>> in
>>> order to use the program? Could you provide specific details re using
>>> the
>>> program?
>>>
>>> 2. Do I understand from what you're indicating that when you boot to a
>>> DOS boot disk containing the DUSE file(s) with a USB external HD
>>> connected to the system, the USBEHD will be recognized for the purposes
>>> of utilizing the FDISK & FORMAT commands? So that one could
>>> delete/create
>>> partitions and format partitions on a USBEHD in this manner?
>>>
>>> I (and I'm sure others) look forward to your response.
>>> Anna
>
>
> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
> news:uvUzBRC6FHA.4012@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>> I'm sorry I didn't respond to your question, I must have missed it. On
>> the
>> site you have mentioned I note the author has done all the 'hard work'
>> and
>> compiled bootable disks that incorporate the USB drivers. Just download
>> one of his files, run the 'exe' and create a floppy, that should do the
>> trick. I am sure fdisk and format are included on his disks but I haven't
>> checked. If the utilities you need aren't on the disk you can add them
>> yourself of course.
>>
>> If you want to create your own disk you need to add the 'duse.exe' file
>> to
>> the bootable floppy and modify 'config.sys' with the line
>> 'device=duse.exe' or 'devicehigh=duse.exe'.
>> When you now boot from the floppy, you will be able to read and write to
>> your USB drive.
>>
>> As a suggestion go to www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm where you will find
>> everything you need to build a suitable floppy.
>>
>> As others have mentioned and you almost certainly know, format in DOS
>> will
>> only allow you to format FAT, however once the disk is formatted
>> converting to NTFS should not be a problem.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>
>
> Edward:
> Thanks for the additional information re the DUSE program.
>
> We usually use a standard DOS boot floppy created as a Win9x/Me Startup
> floppy disk to boot to DOS to access the FDISK & FORMAT commands when the
> need arises to partition/format large-capacity HDs FAT32. I assume there's
> no need to use any other type of DOS boot floppy to use the DUSE program
> after one modifies that boot floppy disk along the lines you indicated.
>
> I added the duse.exe (and duseldr.com) files to a DOS boot floppy disk and
> modified the config.sys file as you described. With a USBEHD connected to
> the system, we booted with that floppy. But we could not get to a prompt.
> The final message at the end of the boot process indicated "DUSE version
> 4.4
> Build 110 Release (General) ..." and then a blinking cursor. No prompt. We
> tried it with different USBEHDs connected with the same results.
>
> If you could shed any light on this initial failure I would appreciate
> hearing about it.
> Anna
>
It's a little difficult to troubleshoot your problem. I suppose there is an
outside chance that the DUSE file is corrupt. I assume your config.sys file
is similar to that shown in example 2 at www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm.

Your problem has nothing to do with connected USB devices but with the
bootable disk. What is strange is if you have a mistake in the config.sys
script it is usually ignored and shows up as a error. In your case the boot
process hangs which may indicate a corrupt driver file, likely the DUSE
file. You could download a fresh copy of DUSE and retry.

What I would do is to download a bootable 'USB' floppy from
http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ and try that. If
it functions then it will tell you the problem lies with the configuration
on your floppy disk and isn't something more fundamental. You can then
compare the differences between the disks and identify the differences. My
money is on a 'bad' copy of DUSE.exe

Hope this helps and good luck.

"Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:Oc57mvO6FHA.1148@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>
> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>
>>>
>>> snip>
>>>>
>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:e1CiPP15FHA.2716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>>>>> To use a USB drive with DOS you need to load a USB driver, I use DUSE.
>>>>> It
>>>>> simply is not correct to say you cannot use USB or firewire with DOS,
>>>>> you
>>>>> can provided you load the drivers. The drivers are readily available
>>>>> via
>>>>> 'Google'.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Edward:
>>>> Thanks for the information re the DUSE program. I note that in a number
>>>> of prior postings you have mentioned that program in this context. I
>>>> had
>>>> previously requested additional details from you about using that
>>>> program
>>>> but I haven't come across any response.
>>>>
>>>> Would you be good enough to provide details about using that program? I
>>>> note the DUSE 4.4 program can be downloaded from the
>>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ site.
>>>>
>>>> 1. Is it simply a matter of adding the DUSE.exe (and DUSELDR.COM?)
>>>> file(s) to a DOS boot disk, e.g., a Win9x/Me Startup floppy boot disk)
>>>> in
>>>> order to use the program? Could you provide specific details re using
>>>> the
>>>> program?
>>>>
>>>> 2. Do I understand from what you're indicating that when you boot to a
>>>> DOS boot disk containing the DUSE file(s) with a USB external HD
>>>> connected to the system, the USBEHD will be recognized for the purposes
>>>> of utilizing the FDISK & FORMAT commands? So that one could
>>>> delete/create
>>>> partitions and format partitions on a USBEHD in this manner?
>>>>
>>>> I (and I'm sure others) look forward to your response.
>>>> Anna
>>
>>
>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>> news:uvUzBRC6FHA.4012@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>>> I'm sorry I didn't respond to your question, I must have missed it. On
>>> the
>>> site you have mentioned I note the author has done all the 'hard work'
>>> and
>>> compiled bootable disks that incorporate the USB drivers. Just download
>>> one of his files, run the 'exe' and create a floppy, that should do the
>>> trick. I am sure fdisk and format are included on his disks but I
>>> haven't
>>> checked. If the utilities you need aren't on the disk you can add them
>>> yourself of course.
>>>
>>> If you want to create your own disk you need to add the 'duse.exe' file
>>> to
>>> the bootable floppy and modify 'config.sys' with the line
>>> 'device=duse.exe' or 'devicehigh=duse.exe'.
>>> When you now boot from the floppy, you will be able to read and write to
>>> your USB drive.
>>>
>>> As a suggestion go to www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm where you will find
>>> everything you need to build a suitable floppy.
>>>
>>> As others have mentioned and you almost certainly know, format in DOS
>>> will
>>> only allow you to format FAT, however once the disk is formatted
>>> converting to NTFS should not be a problem.
>>>
>>> Hope this helps.
>>
>>
>> Edward:
>> Thanks for the additional information re the DUSE program.
>>
>> We usually use a standard DOS boot floppy created as a Win9x/Me Startup
>> floppy disk to boot to DOS to access the FDISK & FORMAT commands when the
>> need arises to partition/format large-capacity HDs FAT32. I assume
>> there's
>> no need to use any other type of DOS boot floppy to use the DUSE program
>> after one modifies that boot floppy disk along the lines you indicated.
>>
>> I added the duse.exe (and duseldr.com) files to a DOS boot floppy disk
>> and
>> modified the config.sys file as you described. With a USBEHD connected to
>> the system, we booted with that floppy. But we could not get to a prompt.
>> The final message at the end of the boot process indicated "DUSE version
>> 4.4
>> Build 110 Release (General) ..." and then a blinking cursor. No prompt.
>> We
>> tried it with different USBEHDs connected with the same results.
>>
>> If you could shed any light on this initial failure I would appreciate
>> hearing about it.
>> Anna
>>
> It's a little difficult to troubleshoot your problem. I suppose there is
> an
> outside chance that the DUSE file is corrupt. I assume your config.sys
> file is similar to that shown in example 2 at www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm.
>
> Your problem has nothing to do with connected USB devices but with the
> bootable disk. What is strange is if you have a mistake in the config.sys
> script it is usually ignored and shows up as a error. In your case the
> boot
> process hangs which may indicate a corrupt driver file, likely the DUSE
> file. You could download a fresh copy of DUSE and retry.
>
> What I would do is to download a bootable 'USB' floppy from
> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ and try that. If
> it functions then it will tell you the problem lies with the configuration
> on your floppy disk and isn't something more fundamental. You can then
> compare the differences between the disks and identify the differences. My
> money is on a 'bad' copy of DUSE.exe
>
> Hope this helps and good luck.
>
Since posting the above, your problems prompted me to retry my trusted
multiboot floppy (USB/Firewire/CDROM) and much to my chagrin I find I have
identical problems to yourself. Duse 4.4 causes the boot to hang (no A:
prompt). Duse 4.9 loads the USB driver and the EHD is corectly identified
during POST but the drive cannot be seen in fdisk or gdisk Why this is I
really can't begin to speculate. I know the configuration I have used to
function without problems on my three machines, what has changed to cause
this hiccup is presently a mystery.

I have managed to get to the point where POST indicates the USB driver is
loaded and the EHD identification is shown but no drive letter. The lack of
a driver letter is not surprising as both my EHDs are formated NTFS. However
if I run fdisk or gdisk the EHD is not recognised. I guess it is back to
the drawing board. I have tried all combinations of Duse and aspi drivers
together with the Iomega 'guest' solution but so far no success.

If I find a workable solution I will post back.

(Background: The issue here is using a DOS-based program to recognize a USB
external HD for the purposes of partitioning/formatting such drive. This
would involve situations where (for one reason or another) a user wants to
partition/format a large-capacity, i.e., > 32 GB, USBEHD in FAT32. As we
know, a "normal" DOS boot disk will *not* recognize a USBEHD.)

> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
> news:Oc57mvO6FHA.1148@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>> snip>
>>>>>
>>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:e1CiPP15FHA.2716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> To use a USB drive with DOS you need to load a USB driver, I use
>>>>>> DUSE.
>>>>>> It simply is not correct to say you cannot use USB or firewire with
>>>>>> DOS,
>>>>>> you can provided you load the drivers. The drivers are readily
>>>>>> available
>>>>>> via 'Google'.
>>>>>
>>>>> Edward:


>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Thanks for the information re the DUSE program. I note that in a
>>>>> number
>>>>> of prior postings you have mentioned that program in this context. I
>>>>> had previously requested additional details from you about using that
>>>>> program but I haven't come across any response.
>>>>>
>>>>> Would you be good enough to provide details about using that program?
>>>>> I
>>>>> note the DUSE 4.4 program can be downloaded from the
>>>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ site.
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. Is it simply a matter of adding the DUSE.exe (and DUSELDR.COM?)
>>>>> file(s) to a DOS boot disk, e.g., a Win9x/Me Startup floppy boot disk)
>>>>> in order to use the program? Could you provide specific details re
>>>>> using
>>>>> the program?
>>>>>
>>>>> 2. Do I understand from what you're indicating that when you boot to a
>>>>> DOS boot disk containing the DUSE file(s) with a USB external HD
>>>>> connected to the system, the USBEHD will be recognized for the
>>>>> purposes
>>>>> of utilizing the FDISK & FORMAT commands? So that one could
>>>>> delete/create
>>>>> partitions and format partitions on a USBEHD in this manner?
>>>>>
>>>>> I (and I'm sure others) look forward to your response.
>>>>> Anna


>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>> news:uvUzBRC6FHA.4012@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>>>> I'm sorry I didn't respond to your question, I must have missed it. On
>>>> the site you have mentioned I note the author has done all the 'hard
>>>> work'
>>>> and compiled bootable disks that incorporate the USB drivers. Just
>>>> download
>>>> one of his files, run the 'exe' and create a floppy, that should do the
>>>> trick. I am sure fdisk and format are included on his disks but I
>>>> haven't checked. If the utilities you need aren't on the disk you can
>>>> add them yourself of course.
>>>>
>>>> If you want to create your own disk you need to add the 'duse.exe' file
>>>> to the bootable floppy and modify 'config.sys' with the line
>>>> 'device=duse.exe' or 'devicehigh=duse.exe'.
>>>> When you now boot from the floppy, you will be able to read and write
>>>> to
>>>> your USB drive.
>>>>
>>>> As a suggestion go to www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm where you will find
>>>> everything you need to build a suitable floppy.
>>>>
>>>> As others have mentioned and you almost certainly know, format in DOS
>>>> will only allow you to format FAT, however once the disk is formatted
>>>> converting to NTFS should not be a problem.
>>>>
>>>> Hope this helps.
>>>


>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>> Edward:
>>> Thanks for the additional information re the DUSE program.
>>>
>>> We usually use a standard DOS boot floppy created as a Win9x/Me Startup
>>> floppy disk to boot to DOS to access the FDISK & FORMAT commands when
>>> >>> the need arises to partition/format large-capacity HDs FAT32. I
>>> assume there's no need to use any other type of DOS boot floppy to use
>>> the DUSE program after one modifies that boot floppy disk along the
>>> lines you indicated.
>>>
>>> I added the duse.exe (and duseldr.com) files to a DOS boot floppy disk
>>> and modified the config.sys file as you described. With a USBEHD
>>> connected to
>>> the system, we booted with that floppy. But we could not get to a
>>> prompt.
>>> The final message at the end of the boot process indicated "DUSE version
>>> 4.4 Build 110 Release (General) ..." and then a blinking cursor. No
>>> prompt. We tried it with different USBEHDs connected with the same
>>> results.
>>>
>>> If you could shed any light on this initial failure I would appreciate
>>> hearing about it.
>>> Anna


Edward responds...
>> It's a little difficult to troubleshoot your problem. I suppose there is
>> an outside chance that the DUSE file is corrupt. I assume your
>> config.sys file is similar to that shown in example 2 at
>> www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm.
>>
>> Your problem has nothing to do with connected USB devices but with the
>> bootable disk. What is strange is if you have a mistake in the
>> config.sys
>> script it is usually ignored and shows up as a error. In your case the
>> boot process hangs which may indicate a corrupt driver file, likely the
>> DUSE
>> file. You could download a fresh copy of DUSE and retry.
>>
>> What I would do is to download a bootable 'USB' floppy from
>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ and try that.
>> If
>> it functions then it will tell you the problem lies with the
>> configuration
>> on your floppy disk and isn't something more fundamental. You can then
>> compare the differences between the disks and identify the differences.
>> My
>> money is on a 'bad' copy of DUSE.exe
>>
>> Hope this helps and good luck.


"Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:OAtOBma6FHA.2040@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Since posting the above, your problems prompted me to retry my trusted
> multiboot floppy (USB/Firewire/CDROM) and much to my chagrin I find I have
> identical problems to yourself. Duse 4.4 causes the boot to hang (no A:
> prompt). Duse 4.9 loads the USB driver and the EHD is corectly identified
> during POST but the drive cannot be seen in fdisk or gdisk Why this is I
> really can't begin to speculate. I know the configuration I have used to
> function without problems on my three machines, what has changed to cause
> this hiccup is presently a mystery.
>
> I have managed to get to the point where POST indicates the USB driver is
> loaded and the EHD identification is shown but no drive letter. The lack
> of a driver letter is not surprising as both my EHDs are formated NTFS.
> However if I run fdisk or gdisk the EHD is not recognised. I guess it is
> back to the drawing board. I have tried all combinations of Duse and aspi
> drivers together with the Iomega 'guest' solution but so far no success.
>
> If I find a workable solution I will post back.


Edward:
Thanks for the additional info. I spent the better part of the morning
yesterday trying this or that configuration with a DOS boot disk & the DUSE
program. All my efforts ended in failure, i.e., I was unable to get the
FDISK command to recognize the existence of a USBEHD. Like you, I tried
various aspisys files in the configuration, but to no avail. I finally gave
up in frustration.

I do look forward to any further posts by you re this issue. Since what we
are discussing has no further relevance to this specific thread, might I
suggest that we use the subject "Using a DOS boot floppy disk to recognize a
USB external HD", or some such? I'll be on the lookout for it.

Incidentally, you might be interested to know that we're (slowly) moving
away from using USBEHDs as we are building more & more machines with SATA
capability. The newer motherboards, are, of course, SATA-capable, and many
of them are coming equipped with an external SATA port. This yields
substantial benefits in that we can now easily connect an external SATA
drive to the machine which the system sees as an *internal* drive. Thus, the
"external" SATA drive is eminently bootable and of course has substantial
speed advantages over a USB/Firewire EHD. Note the SATA drive utilizes the
system's PS so that no external PS is necessary. It would seem the best of
all possible worlds, no? In those cases where the motherboard has SATA
capability but no external SATA port, we've been using a simple, relatively
inexpensive I/O device attached to the PCI slot openings on the rear of the
computer that contains SATA data/power connectors. Again, no external PS is
needed for the SATA drive.

We've been encouraging our customers who are contemplating purchasing a new
system or upgrading their present system to build a system around a
SATA-equipped motherboard, particularly one with four (or more) SATA
connectors.
Anna

"Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
news:%23R3aEde6FHA.476@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> (Background: The issue here is using a DOS-based program to recognize a
> USB external HD for the purposes of partitioning/formatting such drive.
> This would involve situations where (for one reason or another) a user
> wants to partition/format a large-capacity, i.e., > 32 GB, USBEHD in
> FAT32. As we know, a "normal" DOS boot disk will *not* recognize a
> USBEHD.)
>
>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>> news:Oc57mvO6FHA.1148@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>> snip>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:e1CiPP15FHA.2716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>> To use a USB drive with DOS you need to load a USB driver, I use
>>>>>>> DUSE.
>>>>>>> It simply is not correct to say you cannot use USB or firewire with
>>>>>>> DOS,
>>>>>>> you can provided you load the drivers. The drivers are readily
>>>>>>> available
>>>>>>> via 'Google'.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Edward:
>
>
>>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>>> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> Thanks for the information re the DUSE program. I note that in a
>>>>>> number
>>>>>> of prior postings you have mentioned that program in this context. I
>>>>>> had previously requested additional details from you about using that
>>>>>> program but I haven't come across any response.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Would you be good enough to provide details about using that program?
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> note the DUSE 4.4 program can be downloaded from the
>>>>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ site.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1. Is it simply a matter of adding the DUSE.exe (and DUSELDR.COM?)
>>>>>> file(s) to a DOS boot disk, e.g., a Win9x/Me Startup floppy boot
>>>>>> disk)
>>>>>> in order to use the program? Could you provide specific details re
>>>>>> using
>>>>>> the program?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2. Do I understand from what you're indicating that when you boot to
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> DOS boot disk containing the DUSE file(s) with a USB external HD
>>>>>> connected to the system, the USBEHD will be recognized for the
>>>>>> purposes
>>>>>> of utilizing the FDISK & FORMAT commands? So that one could
>>>>>> delete/create
>>>>>> partitions and format partitions on a USBEHD in this manner?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I (and I'm sure others) look forward to your response.
>>>>>> Anna
>
>
>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:uvUzBRC6FHA.4012@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>>>>> I'm sorry I didn't respond to your question, I must have missed it. On
>>>>> the site you have mentioned I note the author has done all the 'hard
>>>>> work'
>>>>> and compiled bootable disks that incorporate the USB drivers. Just
>>>>> download
>>>>> one of his files, run the 'exe' and create a floppy, that should do
>>>>> the trick. I am sure fdisk and format are included on his disks but I
>>>>> haven't checked. If the utilities you need aren't on the disk you can
>>>>> add them yourself of course.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you want to create your own disk you need to add the 'duse.exe'
>>>>> file
>>>>> to the bootable floppy and modify 'config.sys' with the line
>>>>> 'device=duse.exe' or 'devicehigh=duse.exe'.
>>>>> When you now boot from the floppy, you will be able to read and write
>>>>> to
>>>>> your USB drive.
>>>>>
>>>>> As a suggestion go to www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm where you will find
>>>>> everything you need to build a suitable floppy.
>>>>>
>>>>> As others have mentioned and you almost certainly know, format in DOS
>>>>> will only allow you to format FAT, however once the disk is formatted
>>>>> converting to NTFS should not be a problem.
>>>>>
>>>>> Hope this helps.
>>>>
>
>
>>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>>> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>> Edward:
>>>> Thanks for the additional information re the DUSE program.
>>>>
>>>> We usually use a standard DOS boot floppy created as a Win9x/Me Startup
>>>> floppy disk to boot to DOS to access the FDISK & FORMAT commands when
>>>> >>> the need arises to partition/format large-capacity HDs FAT32. I
>>>> assume there's no need to use any other type of DOS boot floppy to use
>>>> the DUSE program after one modifies that boot floppy disk along the
>>>> lines you indicated.
>>>>
>>>> I added the duse.exe (and duseldr.com) files to a DOS boot floppy disk
>>>> and modified the config.sys file as you described. With a USBEHD
>>>> connected to
>>>> the system, we booted with that floppy. But we could not get to a
>>>> prompt.
>>>> The final message at the end of the boot process indicated "DUSE
>>>> version
>>>> 4.4 Build 110 Release (General) ..." and then a blinking cursor. No
>>>> prompt. We tried it with different USBEHDs connected with the same
>>>> results.
>>>>
>>>> If you could shed any light on this initial failure I would appreciate
>>>> hearing about it.
>>>> Anna
>
>
> Edward responds...
>>> It's a little difficult to troubleshoot your problem. I suppose there
>>> is an outside chance that the DUSE file is corrupt. I assume your
>>> config.sys file is similar to that shown in example 2 at
>>> www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm.
>>>
>>> Your problem has nothing to do with connected USB devices but with the
>>> bootable disk. What is strange is if you have a mistake in the
>>> config.sys
>>> script it is usually ignored and shows up as a error. In your case the
>>> boot process hangs which may indicate a corrupt driver file, likely the
>>> DUSE
>>> file. You could download a fresh copy of DUSE and retry.
>>>
>>> What I would do is to download a bootable 'USB' floppy from
>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ and try that.
>>> If
>>> it functions then it will tell you the problem lies with the
>>> configuration
>>> on your floppy disk and isn't something more fundamental. You can then
>>> compare the differences between the disks and identify the differences.
>>> My
>>> money is on a 'bad' copy of DUSE.exe
>>>
>>> Hope this helps and good luck.
>
>
> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
> news:OAtOBma6FHA.2040@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
>> Since posting the above, your problems prompted me to retry my trusted
>> multiboot floppy (USB/Firewire/CDROM) and much to my chagrin I find I
>> have identical problems to yourself. Duse 4.4 causes the boot to hang (no
>> A: prompt). Duse 4.9 loads the USB driver and the EHD is corectly
>> identified during POST but the drive cannot be seen in fdisk or gdisk
>> Why this is I really can't begin to speculate. I know the configuration
>> I have used to function without problems on my three machines, what has
>> changed to cause this hiccup is presently a mystery.
>>
>> I have managed to get to the point where POST indicates the USB driver is
>> loaded and the EHD identification is shown but no drive letter. The lack
>> of a driver letter is not surprising as both my EHDs are formated NTFS.
>> However if I run fdisk or gdisk the EHD is not recognised. I guess it is
>> back to the drawing board. I have tried all combinations of Duse and
>> aspi drivers together with the Iomega 'guest' solution but so far no
>> success.
>>
>> If I find a workable solution I will post back.
>
>
> Edward:
> Thanks for the additional info. I spent the better part of the morning
> yesterday trying this or that configuration with a DOS boot disk & the
> DUSE program. All my efforts ended in failure, i.e., I was unable to get
> the FDISK command to recognize the existence of a USBEHD. Like you, I
> tried various aspisys files in the configuration, but to no avail. I
> finally gave up in frustration.
>
> I do look forward to any further posts by you re this issue. Since what we
> are discussing has no further relevance to this specific thread, might I
> suggest that we use the subject "Using a DOS boot floppy disk to recognize
> a USB external HD", or some such? I'll be on the lookout for it.
>
> Incidentally, you might be interested to know that we're (slowly) moving
> away from using USBEHDs as we are building more & more machines with SATA
> capability. The newer motherboards, are, of course, SATA-capable, and many
> of them are coming equipped with an external SATA port. This yields
> substantial benefits in that we can now easily connect an external SATA
> drive to the machine which the system sees as an *internal* drive. Thus,
> the "external" SATA drive is eminently bootable and of course has
> substantial speed advantages over a USB/Firewire EHD. Note the SATA drive
> utilizes the system's PS so that no external PS is necessary. It would
> seem the best of all possible worlds, no? In those cases where the
> motherboard has SATA capability but no external SATA port, we've been
> using a simple, relatively inexpensive I/O device attached to the PCI slot
> openings on the rear of the computer that contains SATA data/power
> connectors. Again, no external PS is needed for the SATA drive.
>
> We've been encouraging our customers who are contemplating purchasing a
> new system or upgrading their present system to build a system around a
> SATA-equipped motherboard, particularly one with four (or more) SATA
> connectors.
> Anna
OK Anna I'm pleased to report I can now access my USB EHD from DOS on my
systems. The key files are 'usbaspi.sys' and 'di1000dd.sys'. The
'usbaspi.sys' MUST be the Panasonic version that can be found in the
Panasonic driver klxrw40an.exe, folder F2H. The driver 'di1000dd.sys' can
be found in 'mhairu.zip'. You can find both files by 'Googling' but if you
have a problem let me know and I can email them to you. The entries in
config.sys should be device=usbaspi.sys /w /v and device=di1000dd.sys.

This works OK for me. The versions of these two files seem to be critical.
It maybe that other versions of the files, of which there seem to be many,
will also 'work' but the collective wisdom on the web is the versions I have
indicated are the 'definitive' versions. On the basis of 'don't fix it if
it ain't broke' I've only tried the recommended files and can confirm they
'work'. Now I'm back to where I thought I was a few days ago, that is a
working floppy to load usb driver in DOS, I'm now going to try to get the
DUSE driver working.

Hope this 'solution' will work for you.

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 08:19:49 -0500, Anna wrote:

> Incidentally, you might be interested to know that we're (slowly) moving
> away from using USBEHDs as we are building more & more machines with SATA
> capability. The newer motherboards, are, of course, SATA-capable, and many
> of them are coming equipped with an external SATA port. This yields
> substantial benefits in that we can now easily connect an external SATA
> drive to the machine which the system sees as an *internal* drive. Thus, the
> "external" SATA drive is eminently bootable and of course has substantial
> speed advantages over a USB/Firewire EHD. Note the SATA drive utilizes the
> system's PS so that no external PS is necessary. It would seem the best of
> all possible worlds, no?

Not Edward, but find the info interesting. Won't be upgrading my desktop
until late next year. Much can change in the hardware arena in that amount
of time but will file this tidbit anyhow. Thanks for the info, Anna.

--
Sharon F
MS-MVP ~ Windows Shell/User

>
> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
> news:%23R3aEde6FHA.476@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
>> (Background: The issue here is using a DOS-based program to recognize a
>> USB external HD for the purposes of partitioning/formatting such drive.
>> This would involve situations where (for one reason or another) a user
>> wants to partition/format a large-capacity, i.e., > 32 GB, USBEHD in
>> FAT32. As we know, a "normal" DOS boot disk will *not* recognize a
>> USBEHD.)
>>
>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>> news:Oc57mvO6FHA.1148@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> snip>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>> news:e1CiPP15FHA.2716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>>> To use a USB drive with DOS you need to load a USB driver, I use
>>>>>>>> DUSE.
>>>>>>>> It simply is not correct to say you cannot use USB or firewire with
>>>>>>>> DOS,
>>>>>>>> you can provided you load the drivers. The drivers are readily
>>>>>>>> available
>>>>>>>> via 'Google'.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Edward:
>>
>>
>>>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>> Thanks for the information re the DUSE program. I note that in a
>>>>>>> number
>>>>>>> of prior postings you have mentioned that program in this context. I
>>>>>>> had previously requested additional details from you about using
>>>>>>> that
>>>>>>> program but I haven't come across any response.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Would you be good enough to provide details about using that
>>>>>>> program? I
>>>>>>> note the DUSE 4.4 program can be downloaded from the
>>>>>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ site.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 1. Is it simply a matter of adding the DUSE.exe (and DUSELDR.COM?)
>>>>>>> file(s) to a DOS boot disk, e.g., a Win9x/Me Startup floppy boot
>>>>>>> disk)
>>>>>>> in order to use the program? Could you provide specific details re
>>>>>>> using
>>>>>>> the program?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 2. Do I understand from what you're indicating that when you boot to
>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>> DOS boot disk containing the DUSE file(s) with a USB external HD
>>>>>>> connected to the system, the USBEHD will be recognized for the
>>>>>>> purposes
>>>>>>> of utilizing the FDISK & FORMAT commands? So that one could
>>>>>>> delete/create
>>>>>>> partitions and format partitions on a USBEHD in this manner?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I (and I'm sure others) look forward to your response.
>>>>>>> Anna
>>
>>
>>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:uvUzBRC6FHA.4012@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> I'm sorry I didn't respond to your question, I must have missed it.
>>>>>> On
>>>>>> the site you have mentioned I note the author has done all the 'hard
>>>>>> work'
>>>>>> and compiled bootable disks that incorporate the USB drivers. Just
>>>>>> download
>>>>>> one of his files, run the 'exe' and create a floppy, that should do
>>>>>> the trick. I am sure fdisk and format are included on his disks but I
>>>>>> haven't checked. If the utilities you need aren't on the disk you can
>>>>>> add them yourself of course.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you want to create your own disk you need to add the 'duse.exe'
>>>>>> file
>>>>>> to the bootable floppy and modify 'config.sys' with the line
>>>>>> 'device=duse.exe' or 'devicehigh=duse.exe'.
>>>>>> When you now boot from the floppy, you will be able to read and write
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> your USB drive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As a suggestion go to www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm where you will find
>>>>>> everything you need to build a suitable floppy.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As others have mentioned and you almost certainly know, format in DOS
>>>>>> will only allow you to format FAT, however once the disk is formatted
>>>>>> converting to NTFS should not be a problem.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hope this helps.
>>>>>
>>
>>
>>>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Edward:
>>>>> Thanks for the additional information re the DUSE program.
>>>>>
>>>>> We usually use a standard DOS boot floppy created as a Win9x/Me
>>>>> Startup
>>>>> floppy disk to boot to DOS to access the FDISK & FORMAT commands when
>>>>> >>> the need arises to partition/format large-capacity HDs FAT32. I
>>>>> assume there's no need to use any other type of DOS boot floppy to use
>>>>> the DUSE program after one modifies that boot floppy disk along the
>>>>> lines you indicated.
>>>>>
>>>>> I added the duse.exe (and duseldr.com) files to a DOS boot floppy disk
>>>>> and modified the config.sys file as you described. With a USBEHD
>>>>> connected to
>>>>> the system, we booted with that floppy. But we could not get to a
>>>>> prompt.
>>>>> The final message at the end of the boot process indicated "DUSE
>>>>> version
>>>>> 4.4 Build 110 Release (General) ..." and then a blinking cursor. No
>>>>> prompt. We tried it with different USBEHDs connected with the same
>>>>> results.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you could shed any light on this initial failure I would appreciate
>>>>> hearing about it.
>>>>> Anna
>>
>>
>> Edward responds...
>>>> It's a little difficult to troubleshoot your problem. I suppose there
>>>> is an outside chance that the DUSE file is corrupt. I assume your
>>>> config.sys file is similar to that shown in example 2 at
>>>> www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm.
>>>>
>>>> Your problem has nothing to do with connected USB devices but with the
>>>> bootable disk. What is strange is if you have a mistake in the
>>>> config.sys
>>>> script it is usually ignored and shows up as a error. In your case the
>>>> boot process hangs which may indicate a corrupt driver file, likely
>>>> the DUSE
>>>> file. You could download a fresh copy of DUSE and retry.
>>>>
>>>> What I would do is to download a bootable 'USB' floppy from
>>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ and try that.
>>>> If
>>>> it functions then it will tell you the problem lies with the
>>>> configuration
>>>> on your floppy disk and isn't something more fundamental. You can then
>>>> compare the differences between the disks and identify the differences.
>>>> My
>>>> money is on a 'bad' copy of DUSE.exe
>>>>
>>>> Hope this helps and good luck.
>>
>>
>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>> news:OAtOBma6FHA.2040@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
>>> Since posting the above, your problems prompted me to retry my trusted
>>> multiboot floppy (USB/Firewire/CDROM) and much to my chagrin I find I
>>> have identical problems to yourself. Duse 4.4 causes the boot to hang
>>> (no A: prompt). Duse 4.9 loads the USB driver and the EHD is corectly
>>> identified during POST but the drive cannot be seen in fdisk or gdisk
>>> Why this is I really can't begin to speculate. I know the configuration
>>> I have used to function without problems on my three machines, what has
>>> changed to cause this hiccup is presently a mystery.
>>>
>>> I have managed to get to the point where POST indicates the USB driver
>>> is loaded and the EHD identification is shown but no drive letter. The
>>> lack of a driver letter is not surprising as both my EHDs are formated
>>> NTFS. However if I run fdisk or gdisk the EHD is not recognised. I
>>> guess it is back to the drawing board. I have tried all combinations of
>>> Duse and aspi drivers together with the Iomega 'guest' solution but so
>>> far no success.
>>>
>>> If I find a workable solution I will post back.
>>
>>
>> Edward:
>> Thanks for the additional info. I spent the better part of the morning
>> yesterday trying this or that configuration with a DOS boot disk & the
>> DUSE program. All my efforts ended in failure, i.e., I was unable to get
>> the FDISK command to recognize the existence of a USBEHD. Like you, I
>> tried various aspisys files in the configuration, but to no avail. I
>> finally gave up in frustration.
>>
>> I do look forward to any further posts by you re this issue. Since what
>> we are discussing has no further relevance to this specific thread, might
>> I suggest that we use the subject "Using a DOS boot floppy disk to
>> recognize a USB external HD", or some such? I'll be on the lookout for
>> it.
>>
>> Incidentally, you might be interested to know that we're (slowly) moving
>> away from using USBEHDs as we are building more & more machines with SATA
>> capability. The newer motherboards, are, of course, SATA-capable, and
>> many of them are coming equipped with an external SATA port. This yields
>> substantial benefits in that we can now easily connect an external SATA
>> drive to the machine which the system sees as an *internal* drive. Thus,
>> the "external" SATA drive is eminently bootable and of course has
>> substantial speed advantages over a USB/Firewire EHD. Note the SATA drive
>> utilizes the system's PS so that no external PS is necessary. It would
>> seem the best of all possible worlds, no? In those cases where the
>> motherboard has SATA capability but no external SATA port, we've been
>> using a simple, relatively inexpensive I/O device attached to the PCI
>> slot openings on the rear of the computer that contains SATA data/power
>> connectors. Again, no external PS is needed for the SATA drive.
>>
>> We've been encouraging our customers who are contemplating purchasing a
>> new system or upgrading their present system to build a system around a
>> SATA-equipped motherboard, particularly one with four (or more) SATA
>> connectors.
>> Anna


"Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:%23mNfDqg6FHA.2176@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> OK Anna I'm pleased to report I can now access my USB EHD from DOS on my
> systems. The key files are 'usbaspi.sys' and 'di1000dd.sys'. The
> 'usbaspi.sys' MUST be the Panasonic version that can be found in the
> Panasonic driver klxrw40an.exe, folder F2H. The driver 'di1000dd.sys' can
> be found in 'mhairu.zip'. You can find both files by 'Googling' but if
> you have a problem let me know and I can email them to you. The entries
> in config.sys should be device=usbaspi.sys /w /v and device=di1000dd.sys.
>
> This works OK for me. The versions of these two files seem to be
> critical. It maybe that other versions of the files, of which there seem
> to be many, will also 'work' but the collective wisdom on the web is the
> versions I have indicated are the 'definitive' versions. On the basis of
> 'don't fix it if it ain't broke' I've only tried the recommended files and
> can confirm they 'work'. Now I'm back to where I thought I was a few days
> ago, that is a working floppy to load usb driver in DOS, I'm now going to
> try to get the DUSE driver working.
>
> Hope this 'solution' will work for you.

Edward:
Seems I'm getting closer but no brass ring just yet...

At the end of the boot process I get a "divide overflow" error and can go no
further.

Here's a snapshot of my floppy:
autoexec.bat
command.com
config.sys
DI1000DD.sys
drvspace.bin
duse.exe
duseldr.com
emm386.exe
fdisk.exe
format.com
himem.sys
Io.sys
mscdex.exe
msdos.sys
usbaspi.sys

Contents of autoexec.bat file:
@echo off
duseldr a:\duse.exe
MSCDEX /D:USBCDROM /S /M:15 /V

Contents of config.sys file:
device=a:\himem.sys
devicehigh=a:\emm386.exe
device=a:\usbaspi.sys
device=a:\DI1000DD.SYS
dos=high,umb

My DI1000DD.sys file totals 16,368 bytes
My usbaspi.sys file totals 39,179 bytes

See anything untoward in the above?
Anna

"Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
news:%23js9cgh6FHA.1720@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> >
>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>> news:%23R3aEde6FHA.476@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
>>> (Background: The issue here is using a DOS-based program to recognize a
>>> USB external HD for the purposes of partitioning/formatting such drive.
>>> This would involve situations where (for one reason or another) a user
>>> wants to partition/format a large-capacity, i.e., > 32 GB, USBEHD in
>>> FAT32. As we know, a "normal" DOS boot disk will *not* recognize a
>>> USBEHD.)
>>>
>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:Oc57mvO6FHA.1148@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>> snip>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>> news:e1CiPP15FHA.2716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>>>> To use a USB drive with DOS you need to load a USB driver, I use
>>>>>>>>> DUSE.
>>>>>>>>> It simply is not correct to say you cannot use USB or firewire
>>>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>>>> DOS,
>>>>>>>>> you can provided you load the drivers. The drivers are readily
>>>>>>>>> available
>>>>>>>>> via 'Google'.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Edward:
>>>
>>>
>>>>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>>>>> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>>> Thanks for the information re the DUSE program. I note that in a
>>>>>>>> number
>>>>>>>> of prior postings you have mentioned that program in this context.
>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>> had previously requested additional details from you about using
>>>>>>>> that
>>>>>>>> program but I haven't come across any response.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Would you be good enough to provide details about using that
>>>>>>>> program? I
>>>>>>>> note the DUSE 4.4 program can be downloaded from the
>>>>>>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ site.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> 1. Is it simply a matter of adding the DUSE.exe (and DUSELDR.COM?)
>>>>>>>> file(s) to a DOS boot disk, e.g., a Win9x/Me Startup floppy boot
>>>>>>>> disk)
>>>>>>>> in order to use the program? Could you provide specific details re
>>>>>>>> using
>>>>>>>> the program?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> 2. Do I understand from what you're indicating that when you boot
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>> DOS boot disk containing the DUSE file(s) with a USB external HD
>>>>>>>> connected to the system, the USBEHD will be recognized for the
>>>>>>>> purposes
>>>>>>>> of utilizing the FDISK & FORMAT commands? So that one could
>>>>>>>> delete/create
>>>>>>>> partitions and format partitions on a USBEHD in this manner?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I (and I'm sure others) look forward to your response.
>>>>>>>> Anna
>>>
>>>
>>>>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:uvUzBRC6FHA.4012@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>> I'm sorry I didn't respond to your question, I must have missed it.
>>>>>>> On
>>>>>>> the site you have mentioned I note the author has done all the 'hard
>>>>>>> work'
>>>>>>> and compiled bootable disks that incorporate the USB drivers. Just
>>>>>>> download
>>>>>>> one of his files, run the 'exe' and create a floppy, that should do
>>>>>>> the trick. I am sure fdisk and format are included on his disks but
>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>> haven't checked. If the utilities you need aren't on the disk you
>>>>>>> can
>>>>>>> add them yourself of course.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If you want to create your own disk you need to add the 'duse.exe'
>>>>>>> file
>>>>>>> to the bootable floppy and modify 'config.sys' with the line
>>>>>>> 'device=duse.exe' or 'devicehigh=duse.exe'.
>>>>>>> When you now boot from the floppy, you will be able to read and
>>>>>>> write
>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> your USB drive.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> As a suggestion go to www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm where you will find
>>>>>>> everything you need to build a suitable floppy.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> As others have mentioned and you almost certainly know, format in
>>>>>>> DOS
>>>>>>> will only allow you to format FAT, however once the disk is
>>>>>>> formatted
>>>>>>> converting to NTFS should not be a problem.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hope this helps.
>>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>>>>> news:OW1IbgH6FHA.2888@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> Edward:
>>>>>> Thanks for the additional information re the DUSE program.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We usually use a standard DOS boot floppy created as a Win9x/Me
>>>>>> Startup
>>>>>> floppy disk to boot to DOS to access the FDISK & FORMAT commands when
>>>>>> >>> the need arises to partition/format large-capacity HDs FAT32. I
>>>>>> assume there's no need to use any other type of DOS boot floppy to
>>>>>> use
>>>>>> the DUSE program after one modifies that boot floppy disk along the
>>>>>> lines you indicated.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I added the duse.exe (and duseldr.com) files to a DOS boot floppy
>>>>>> disk
>>>>>> and modified the config.sys file as you described. With a USBEHD
>>>>>> connected to
>>>>>> the system, we booted with that floppy. But we could not get to a
>>>>>> prompt.
>>>>>> The final message at the end of the boot process indicated "DUSE
>>>>>> version
>>>>>> 4.4 Build 110 Release (General) ..." and then a blinking cursor. No
>>>>>> prompt. We tried it with different USBEHDs connected with the same
>>>>>> results.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you could shed any light on this initial failure I would
>>>>>> appreciate
>>>>>> hearing about it.
>>>>>> Anna
>>>
>>>
>>> Edward responds...
>>>>> It's a little difficult to troubleshoot your problem. I suppose there
>>>>> is an outside chance that the DUSE file is corrupt. I assume your
>>>>> config.sys file is similar to that shown in example 2 at
>>>>> www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm.
>>>>>
>>>>> Your problem has nothing to do with connected USB devices but with the
>>>>> bootable disk. What is strange is if you have a mistake in the
>>>>> config.sys
>>>>> script it is usually ignored and shows up as a error. In your case the
>>>>> boot process hangs which may indicate a corrupt driver file, likely
>>>>> the DUSE
>>>>> file. You could download a fresh copy of DUSE and retry.
>>>>>
>>>>> What I would do is to download a bootable 'USB' floppy from
>>>>> http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse...S/Drivers/USB/ and try that.
>>>>> If
>>>>> it functions then it will tell you the problem lies with the
>>>>> configuration
>>>>> on your floppy disk and isn't something more fundamental. You can then
>>>>> compare the differences between the disks and identify the
>>>>> differences.
>>>>> My
>>>>> money is on a 'bad' copy of DUSE.exe
>>>>>
>>>>> Hope this helps and good luck.
>>>
>>>
>>> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OAtOBma6FHA.2040@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
>>>> Since posting the above, your problems prompted me to retry my trusted
>>>> multiboot floppy (USB/Firewire/CDROM) and much to my chagrin I find I
>>>> have identical problems to yourself. Duse 4.4 causes the boot to hang
>>>> (no A: prompt). Duse 4.9 loads the USB driver and the EHD is corectly
>>>> identified during POST but the drive cannot be seen in fdisk or gdisk
>>>> Why this is I really can't begin to speculate. I know the
>>>> configuration
>>>> I have used to function without problems on my three machines, what has
>>>> changed to cause this hiccup is presently a mystery.
>>>>
>>>> I have managed to get to the point where POST indicates the USB driver
>>>> is loaded and the EHD identification is shown but no drive letter. The
>>>> lack of a driver letter is not surprising as both my EHDs are formated
>>>> NTFS. However if I run fdisk or gdisk the EHD is not recognised. I
>>>> guess it is back to the drawing board. I have tried all combinations
>>>> of
>>>> Duse and aspi drivers together with the Iomega 'guest' solution but so
>>>> far no success.
>>>>
>>>> If I find a workable solution I will post back.
>>>
>>>
>>> Edward:
>>> Thanks for the additional info. I spent the better part of the morning
>>> yesterday trying this or that configuration with a DOS boot disk & the
>>> DUSE program. All my efforts ended in failure, i.e., I was unable to get
>>> the FDISK command to recognize the existence of a USBEHD. Like you, I
>>> tried various aspisys files in the configuration, but to no avail. I
>>> finally gave up in frustration.
>>>
>>> I do look forward to any further posts by you re this issue. Since what
>>> we are discussing has no further relevance to this specific thread,
>>> might
>>> I suggest that we use the subject "Using a DOS boot floppy disk to
>>> recognize a USB external HD", or some such? I'll be on the lookout for
>>> it.
>>>
>>> Incidentally, you might be interested to know that we're (slowly) moving
>>> away from using USBEHDs as we are building more & more machines with
>>> SATA
>>> capability. The newer motherboards, are, of course, SATA-capable, and
>>> many of them are coming equipped with an external SATA port. This yields
>>> substantial benefits in that we can now easily connect an external SATA
>>> drive to the machine which the system sees as an *internal* drive. Thus,
>>> the "external" SATA drive is eminently bootable and of course has
>>> substantial speed advantages over a USB/Firewire EHD. Note the SATA
>>> drive
>>> utilizes the system's PS so that no external PS is necessary. It would
>>> seem the best of all possible worlds, no? In those cases where the
>>> motherboard has SATA capability but no external SATA port, we've been
>>> using a simple, relatively inexpensive I/O device attached to the PCI
>>> slot openings on the rear of the computer that contains SATA data/power
>>> connectors. Again, no external PS is needed for the SATA drive.
>>>
>>> We've been encouraging our customers who are contemplating purchasing a
>>> new system or upgrading their present system to build a system around a
>>> SATA-equipped motherboard, particularly one with four (or more) SATA
>>> connectors.
>>> Anna
>
>
> "Edward W. Thompson" <thomeduk1@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
> news:%23mNfDqg6FHA.2176@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
>> OK Anna I'm pleased to report I can now access my USB EHD from DOS on my
>> systems. The key files are 'usbaspi.sys' and 'di1000dd.sys'. The
>> 'usbaspi.sys' MUST be the Panasonic version that can be found in the
>> Panasonic driver klxrw40an.exe, folder F2H. The driver 'di1000dd.sys'
>> can
>> be found in 'mhairu.zip'. You can find both files by 'Googling' but if
>> you have a problem let me know and I can email them to you. The entries
>> in config.sys should be device=usbaspi.sys /w /v and device=di1000dd.sys.
>>
>> This works OK for me. The versions of these two files seem to be
>> critical. It maybe that other versions of the files, of which there seem
>> to be many, will also 'work' but the collective wisdom on the web is the
>> versions I have indicated are the 'definitive' versions. On the basis of
>> 'don't fix it if it ain't broke' I've only tried the recommended files
>> and
>> can confirm they 'work'. Now I'm back to where I thought I was a few
>> days
>> ago, that is a working floppy to load usb driver in DOS, I'm now going to
>> try to get the DUSE driver working.
>>
>> Hope this 'solution' will work for you.
>
> Edward:
> Seems I'm getting closer but no brass ring just yet...
>
> At the end of the boot process I get a "divide overflow" error and can go
> no further.
>
> Here's a snapshot of my floppy:
> autoexec.bat
> command.com
> config.sys
> DI1000DD.sys
> drvspace.bin
> duse.exe
> duseldr.com
> emm386.exe
> fdisk.exe
> format.com
> himem.sys
> Io.sys
> mscdex.exe
> msdos.sys
> usbaspi.sys
>
> Contents of autoexec.bat file:
> @echo off
> duseldr a:\duse.exe
> MSCDEX /D:USBCDROM /S /M:15 /V
>
> Contents of config.sys file:
> device=a:\himem.sys
> devicehigh=a:\emm386.exe
> device=a:\usbaspi.sys
> device=a:\DI1000DD.SYS
> dos=high,umb
>
> My DI1000DD.sys file totals 16,368 bytes
> My usbaspi.sys file totals 39,179 bytes
>
> See anything untoward in the above?
> Anna
I would guess you have a conflict with 'duse' in the autoexec.bat file. I
can't see the purpose of 'duse' as you are using usbaspi.sys as you usb
driver. Either remove or 'rem' out the duse entry and with luck it will be
OK.

Not that it matters but your dos=high,umb is redundant unless you intend to
use 'devicehigh' instead of 'device'. Further you have mscdex in
autoexec.bat that points to a cdrom but there is no correspondiung drive
(device) in config.sys. The mscdex line doesn'rt do any 'harm' but doesn't
do amything without a driver (device) e.g. device =a:\usbcdrom.

Hope this helps.