PartInfo report

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userX
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:51 am

PartInfo report

Post by userX »

There does not appear to be a forum related directly to my concern, but this one appears to be closer in subject matter; so, I am going to ask it here. Let me know if I should move it elsewhere. TeraByte offers several free products for downloading here: https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downl ... ftware.htm, one of which is called "PartInfo". Its purpose is to give a report showing information about the disk MBR.

I have this product installed and set to run each time my machine boots, and its boot-time report is appended to the previous one using the Windows Task Scheduler with this command: cmd /c "C:\batch files\MBRPartInfo\PARTINFW.EXE" >>c:\temp\partinfw.log. From time to time I have compared the output data with that in the separate report which I ran initially when I installed the program. I am no expert in MBR issues, but it is my impression that the MBR data in these reports should not change unless I change something in the partitioning or data writing procedures of my OS. I am using Windows, and it is not a multiboot environment. I have only one partition on the disk. I have made no such changes knowingly since I installed the program in November of 2011.

However, now that I have taken a keener interest in this report, I intend to create a batch file to monitor any changes and alert me thereof promptly. Therefore, I have done a thorough review of these data, and I just now noticed one single change that occurred in December of 2011, for which I have no explanation. In fact I do not understand what exactly this item of data represents. I am concerned and I need to find an explanation for it and for the change. Here is the report that I now get:


PARTINFW 1.11
Copyright (c) 1996-2008 TeraByte, Inc. All rights reserved.

Run date: 04/20/2012 1:06

====================================================================
MBR Partition Information (HD0 - 0x0AFCC32C)
(CHS: 1022/254/63) (WCHS: 11674/255/63)
+====+====+=============+====+=============+===========+===========+
| 0: | 80 | 0 1 1 | 7 | 1023 254 63 | 63 | 187542747 |
| 1: | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2: | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3: | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 |
+====+====+=============+====+=============+===========+===========+
BOOT SECTOR INFORMATION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File System ID: 0x7 LBA: 63 Total Sectors: 187542747 ID: 0x1
Jump: EB 52 90
OEM Name: NTFS
Bytes Per Sec: 512
Sec Per Clust: 8
Res Sectors: 0
Zero 1: 0x0
Zero 2: 0x0
NA 1: 0x0
Media: 0xF8
Zero 3: 0x0
Sec Per Track: 63
Heads: 255
Hidden Secs: 63
NA 2: 0x0
NA 3: 0x800080
Total Sectors: 0x0B2DACD8
MFT LCN: 0x0B012C
MFT Mirr LCN: 0x010
Clust Per FRS: 0xF6
Clust Per IBlock: 0x1
Volume SN: 0x504886064885EAD4
Checksum: 0x0
Boot Flag: 0xAA55
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Currently, on the seventh line it shows this: MBR Partition Information (HD0 - 0x0AFCC32C)
and it has showed this same data since mid-December.

In the report I initially made and all the subsequent reports until mid-December,
on that line it showed this: MBR Partition Information (HD0 - 0x139349B2).

I do not know what that data represents or why it changed. Can anyone shed some light on it for me? Thanks.
TeraByte Support
Posts: 3598
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: PartInfo report

Post by TeraByte Support »

it's the disk signature. not sure why it changed if you didn't ask it to
and didn't install another disk with the same signature.


"userX" wrote in message news:2084@public.bootitbm...

There does not appear to be a forum related directly to my concern, but this
one appears to be closer in subject matter; so, I am going to ask it here.
Let me know if I should move it elsewhere. TeraByte offers several free
products for downloading here:

[
https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downl ... ftware.htm
](https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downloads-free-software.htm)

, one of which is called "PartInfo". Its purpose is to give a report showing
information about the disk MBR.

I have this product installed and set to run each time my machine boots, and
its boot-time report is appended to the previous one using the Windows Task
Scheduler with this command: cmd /c "C:\batch
files\MBRPartInfo\PARTINFW.EXE" >>c:\temp\partinfw.log. From time to time I
have compared the output data with that in the separate report which I ran
initially when I installed the program. I am no expert in MBR issues, but
it is my impression that the MBR data in these reports should not change
unless I change something in the partitioning or data writing procedures of
my OS. I am using Windows, and it is not a multiboot environment. I have
only one partition on the disk. I have made no such changes knowingly since
I installed the program in November of 2011.

However, now that I have taken a keener interest in this report, I intend to
create a batch file to monitor any changes and alert me thereof promptly.
Therefore, I have done a thorough review of these data, and I just now
noticed one single change that occurred in December of 2011, for which I
have no explanation. In fact I do not understand what exactly this item of
data represents. I am concerned and I need to find an explanation for it and
for the change. Here is the report that I now get:


PARTINFW 1.11
Copyright (c) 1996-2008 TeraByte, Inc. All rights reserved.

Run date: 04/20/2012 1:06

====================================================================
MBR Partition Information (HD0 - 0x0AFCC32C)
(CHS: 1022/254/63) (WCHS: 11674/255/63)
+====+====+=============+====+=============+===========+===========+
| 0: | 80 | 0 1 1 | 7 | 1023 254 63 | 63 | 187542747 |
| 1: | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2: | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3: | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 | 0 |
+====+====+=============+====+=============+===========+===========+
BOOT SECTOR INFORMATION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File System ID: 0x7 LBA: 63 Total Sectors: 187542747 ID: 0x1
Jump: EB 52 90
OEM Name: NTFS
Bytes Per Sec: 512
Sec Per Clust: 8
Res Sectors: 0
Zero 1: 0x0
Zero 2: 0x0
NA 1: 0x0
Media: 0xF8
Zero 3: 0x0
Sec Per Track: 63
Heads: 255
Hidden Secs: 63
NA 2: 0x0
NA 3: 0x800080
Total Sectors: 0x0B2DACD8
MFT LCN: 0x0B012C
MFT Mirr LCN: 0x010
Clust Per FRS: 0xF6
Clust Per IBlock: 0x1
Volume SN: 0x504886064885EAD4
Checksum: 0x0
Boot Flag: 0xAA55
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Currently, on the seventh line it shows this: MBR Partition Information
(HD0 - 0x0AFCC32C)
and it has showed this same data since mid-December.

In the report I initially made and all the subsequent reports until
mid-December,
on that line it showed this: MBR Partition Information (HD0 - 0x139349B2).

I do not know what that data represents or why it changed. Can anyone shed
some light on it for me? Thanks.

userX
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:51 am

Re: PartInfo report

Post by userX »

Hello. Well, let's talk about disk signatures if that is the case, because I really need to understand this so that I am not left wondering in the future. Part of my backup process includes making a complete copy of the disk in my laptop onto another disk attached to a USB device. I use IFL for this purpose. Every now and then I verify that these copies are valid and can be restored. For this validation I use IFL, booting with a flash drive, and I copy the external USB drive contents onto the regular drive inside the laptop. Does this process change the disk signature of my internal disk? Thanks.
TeraByte Support
Posts: 3598
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: PartInfo report

Post by TeraByte Support »

Yes, it can, for Vista or W7 use the "assign new disk signature" option
otherwise windows will change the disk signature if you add a drive that
already matches a drive in the system.

"userX" wrote in message news:2087@public.tech.misc...

Hello. Well, let's talk about disk signatures if that is the case, because I
really need to understand this so that I am not left wondering in the
future. Part of my backup process includes making a complete copy of the
disk in my laptop onto another disk attached to a USB device. I use IFL for
this purpose. Every now and then I verify that these copies are valid and
can be restored. For this validation I use IFL, booting with a flash drive,
and I copy the external USB drive contents onto the regular drive inside the
laptop. Does this process change the disk signature of my internal disk?
Thanks.

userX
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:51 am

Re: PartInfo report

Post by userX »

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I am not following you either. First, I am using IFL for the process of copying one disk inside my laptop, on which I have Windows XP Pro installed. I attach another disk to the laptop with a USB connection using Kingston SNA-DC/U USB device. After booting into IFL, I copy the internal disk contents, sector by sector, onto the nearly identically sized disk attached with aforesaid device. I do this almost every night. Then, occassionally, to verify that it worked, I again attach the same setup, but I now do the reverse procedure: I boot into IFL and copy the external disk contents onto the internal disk contents, sector by sector. It is not a backup/restore. It is a disk copy. So, if doing this procedure sometimes copies disk signatures too, as I understood you to say in your last post, wouldn't it have copied the signature from the internal disk to the external disk during that procedure. Then, when I reverse it, this same disk signature that was copied should now be on the external disk, and it would get copied back again to the internal disk. If that is the case, how would the disk signature get changed as a result of my process? What am I missing? Thanks.
Brian K
Posts: 2214
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: PartInfo report

Post by Brian K »

userX,

Does the Disk Signature on your external HD match either of the above Signatures? Just curious.

The latest partinfo will have the Signature if you had the external HD attached.
userX
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:51 am

Re: PartInfo report

Post by userX »

Hello. That is a good question. The answer is no, it does not. The internal disk matches the same as above, that is, 0x0AFCC32C, but the external is different from either. Therefore, I have no idea what disk this one is: 0x139349B2.
TeraByte Support
Posts: 3598
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: PartInfo report

Post by TeraByte Support »

windows changes it to be unique if you insert a drive that has a signature
that matches the others. so either don't insert it, or use the option in
the program to assign a unique one.

"userX" wrote in message news:2094@public.tech.misc...

Hello. That is a good question. The answer is no, it does not. The internal
disk matches the same as above, that is, 0x0AFCC32C, but the external is
different from either. Therefore, I have no idea what disk this one is:
0x139349B2.

userX
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:51 am

Re: PartInfo report

Post by userX »

As it is necessary to insert it in order to make the copy, I have no choice in that regard. I noticed the option in IFL, last night while making a copy, for assigning a disk signature. If I choose that checkbox, does the program make up a new signature and assign it to the disk to which the internal disk is being copied? I have never used this option, and I would like to know whether there are any guidelines in doing so. Thanks.
TeraByte Support
Posts: 3598
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: PartInfo report

Post by TeraByte Support »

it's if you leave it attached on reboot or otherwise remove it and insert it
again. IF you copied then just left it out, it would match (you could
attach to a different system). But, yes, if you use the option, it assigns
a new disk sig for you so windows doesn't change it unexpectedly.


"userX" wrote in message news:2121@public.tech.misc...

As it is necessary to insert it in order to make the copy, I have no choice
in that regard. I noticed the option in IFL, last night while making a copy,
for assigning a disk signature. If I choose that checkbox, does the program
make up a new signature and assign it to the disk to which the internal disk
is being copied? I have never used this option, and I would like to know
whether there are any guidelines in doing so. Thanks.

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