
                  +----------------------------------------+
                  |                                        |
                  |          Disks Information             |
                  |                                        |
                  |    http://www.partition-saving.com     |
                  |  Copyright (c) 2002-2015 D. Guibouret  |
                  +----------------------------------------+


                                 Manual


1- Preamble
------------

This program may be copied and freely redistributed. It could not be sold in
any way either alone or included into another program. All what is in this
package must be kept together into its original shape.

This program is afforded as it is without any guarantee. No pursuit could be
engaged against its author in case of damages due to this program.

All remarks are welcome.


2- Presentation
---------------

This program allows to view how hard-disk are detected by Partition-Saving.
Its main goal is not to be a stand-alone application, but is more an help to
try to find where is a problem when using Partition-Saving.


3- Usage
--------

Use: diskinfo.exe [-noterm] [-p] [<disk number>]

  - -noterm: if this option is given, program will not try to launch a new
terminal if it finds it is not running in a terminal for the Linux version.

  - -p: if this option is given, program waits for user to type "return" key
after displaying of each disk.

  - <disk number>: detection is done only on disk having given number (first
disk is disk number 0). It could equally be used to try to detect a disk that
is beyond number of disks detected by program.
If this option is not given, detection is done for all disks.

Output is done on screen. If it is bigger than screen size, you could redirect
it into a file to view it.

Example: diskinfo > res.txt

The DOS version of this program works into Windows 9x, but it is better to use
it on true DOS mode, because Windows can modify access type of a disk (doing
that it could be accessed with extended mode when only standard mode is
allowed).


4- Output
---------

Information given here is for DOS version of program. Other versions do not
display the same information, but they are similar. Major difference is into
extended and standard function definition: into DOS version, this is the BIOS
access method, into other versions, this is the availability or not of an
additional function to get more information.

If number is printed with 0x<n> notation, it is an hexadecimal number.
Output has following items:

  - Number of disks: <n>:
It is number of disks found by program. This line is not written if <disk
number> option is given.

  - Detection for disk <n>:
From this point, all lines until end or "Detection for disk <n+1>" line are
about disk number <n>.

  - Disk not recognised (<n1> - <n2>) (ignored):
Disk has not been recognised. If number <n1> is odd or if <n2> number is
lower or egal to disk number, it is because disk is not recognised as a disk
by BIOS. In this program, this error did not stop execution, but into
Partition-Saving this disk would not be taken into account.

  - Disk not declared as hard-disk (<n1> - <n2>) (ignored):
Disk is not recognised as hard-disk. If <n1> is odd, it is an error of BIOS
detection function. If <n2> is different from 3, it is because it is not an
hard-disk. In this program, this error did not stop execution, but into
Partition-Saving this disk would not be taken into account.

  - Disk with extended access (version <n1>, functions <n2>):
This line is printed only is disk could be used with extended access. <n1>
number is extended access version. <n2> number allows to know which extended
functions are available. If is is odd this is enough for extended access to be
used.

  - Error asking parameters with extended access:
When trying to get parameters with extended access functions, an error has
been returned. In this case Partition-Saving will use standard mode to access
this disk.

  - Information size   : <n1>
    Information flags  : <n2>
These two values are information returned with extended access definition. They
are not very useful unless to analyse where problem can be when using this
function. <n1> is the size of the returned information block. <n2> gives
information on disk features.

  - Number of cylinders: <n1>
              heads    : <n2>
              sectors  : <n3>
    Size of sectors    : <n4>
            disk       : <n5> sectors - <n6> MB:
These lines are disk parameters as they are read with extended access.

  - Error: disk size is null:
This error is generated if disk size found by extended access function is
null. In this case Partition-Saving will use standard mode to access this
disk.

  - Error: sector size not supported
This error is generated if sector size is lower than 512 bytes, bigger than
32768 bytes or is not a multiple of 512. In this case Partition-Saving will 
use standard mode to access this disk.

  - Disk with standard access:
This line is printed only if disk uses standard access.

  - Getting parameters with standard access:
This line is printed to say that following parameters are read using standard
access function. These parameters are printed even if extended access could be
used.

  - Error asking parameters with standard access:
This line is generated when parameters could not be read using standard access
function.

  - Last cylinder: <n1>
         head    : <n2>
         sector  : <n3>:
Theses lines are disk parameters using standard access. These parameters are
number of last cylinder, head and sector. To get number of cylinders, heads
and sectors you have to do <n1>+1, <n2>+1 and <n3>. Disk size is
(<n1> + 1) * (<n2> + 1) * <n3>. If extended access is normally used for this
disk it is not abnormal for this size to be lower than true size of the disk
(due to the 8 GB limitation).


5- Changes
----------

  a) Version 1.00 -> 1.01:
Version of extended access is displayed when this one is available and error
message concerning sector size is added.

  b) Version 1.01 -> 1.02:
Update to take into account changes done on version 2.70 of Partition-Saving.

  c) Version 1.02 -> 1.03:
Update to take into account changes done on version 3.00 of Partition-Saving.

  d) Version 1.03 -> 1.04:
Update to take into account changes done on version 3.20 of Partition-Saving.
Display of disk size in MB.
Change of manual filename to avoid overwritting others utilities manual in case
they are uncompressed in the same directory.

  e) Version 1.04 -> 1.05:
Change to display more informations returned by extended access function.
Creation of Windows version.

  f) Version 1.05 -> 1.06:
Update to take into account changes done on version 3.60 of Partition-Saving.

  g) Version 1.06 -> 1.07:
Creation of Linux version.

  h) Version 1.07 -> 1.08:
Update to take into account changes done on version 3.80 of Partition-Saving.

  i) Version 1.08 -> 1.09:
Update to take into account changes done on version 3.90 of Partition-Saving.

  j) Version 1.09 -> 1.10:
Add of "-p" option.
Update to take into account changes done on version 4.00 of Partition-Saving.

  k) Version 1.10 -> 1.11:
Update to take into account changes done on version 4.10 of Partition-Saving.

  l) Version 1.11 -> 1.12:
Update to take into account changes done on version 4.20 of Partition-Saving.


D. Guibouret <damien.guibouret@partition-saving.com>

------
All trademarks and registered trademarks are ownership of their respective
holders.

