Error: "Drive C: May Not Be Configured Properly" when Running Norton Disk Doctor or Speed Disk

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© 1995-1999 Symantec Corporation
All rights reserved.

Symantec Knowledge Base

Error: "Drive C: May Not Be Configured Properly" when Running Norton Disk Doctor or Speed Disk

Situation:

Norton Disk Doctor or Speed Disk display one or both of the following errors:

- Are you unable to access partitions on HD1 that you were able to access before?
- Drive C: may not be configured properly.

The program refuses to continue. The drive letter may be other than C:.

Solution:

If you are using Norton Utilities 3.0, check whether you have the latest version. Follow these steps to check your version of Norton Utilities:
1. Open Norton System Doctor.
2. Click the Help menu and choose About Norton System Doctor.
3. Check the version number. It should be 3.0.9. If it is not, run LiveUpdate.

Explanation
The partition table of the hard drive is not strictly following the DOS standards. If the drive is missing a diagnostic cylinder, or is otherwise incorrectly configured, Norton Disk Doctor will display the same messages when it is run from Safe Mode or DOS.

There are four situations that cause this error:
- No diagnostic cylinder
- Incorrectly configured hard drive
- Partitions using Interrupt 13 extensions
- FAT32X partitions with old BIOS

Case 1 - No diagnostic cylinder
You may receive these errors if the hard drive's partition table does not designate a diagnostic cylinder. Many newer computers do not have a diagnostic cylinder.

The diagnostic cylinder is the last cylinder on the hard drive. When a hard drive is partitioned into logical drives, such as C: and D:, the last cylinder is sometimes not included in those partitions. This makes it possible for some utility programs to safely use it for storing data in areas outside the partitions. The DOS FDISK program automatically includes a diagnostic cylinder, but some other partitioning programs do not.

Solution - Norton Utilities 3.0 does not require the presence of a diagnostic cylinder in order to function correctly. Norton Utilities 2.0 initially required a diagnostic cylinder, but was subsequently changed through a LiveUpdate to not require it. In most cases, there is no need for a diagnostic cylinder, and not having one should not affect your system in any way.

If you know that a particular utility requires a diagnostic cylinder, you can create one. See "Using FDISK to check a drive" later in this document. If the drive does not have a diagnostic cylinder, repartition the drive using Windows 95 FDISK.

Important
Before using FDISK, make sure you have good backups of your data first. For more information on FDISK, refer to the Windows 95 documentation, or the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp.

Case 2 - Incorrectly configured hard drive
If the drive has a diagnostic cylinder, and this error appears in both Normal Mode and Safe Mode, it is likely the drive is not configured correctly. An error may have occurred when the hard drive was configured. Disk Doctor and Speed Disk will not run when they detect these types of errors to prevent damage to data on the drive.

Solution - Use the FDISK program to check for correct configuration of the hard drive. See "Using FDISK to check a drive" later in this document.

If the drive appears to be configured correctly, the drive may not have a diagnostic cylinder. In this case, run LiveUpdate to fix the problem.

If the drive is not configured correctly, you will need to reconfigure it (which probably includes repartitioning it) before Norton Disk Doctor and Speed Disk will run. See the section that follows regarding reconfiguring hard drives.

Case 3 - Partitions using Interrupt 13 extensions
If you see this error while running Norton Disk Doctor in Normal Mode, but not while running it in Safe Mode, the computer may be using an Interrupt 13 extension partition table. Windows 95 uses a driver to support Interrupt 13 extensions when the following conditions are met:
- The BIOS supports Interrupt 13 extensions.
- The hard drive supports Interrupt 13 extensions.
- Logical Block Addressing (LBA) is enabled in the BIOS (to support Interrupt 13 extensions).
- The hard drive has over 1024 cylinders.
- Windows 95 is loaded.

For information on Interrupt 13 extensions, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp.

Solution - Use the FDISK program to check for correct configuration of the hard drive. See "Using FDISK to check a drive" later in this document.

If the drive appears to be configured correctly, (and FDISK correctly reports the Total Disk Space of the drive), it is likely the computer is using Interrupt 13 extensions. In this case, you can run Norton Disk Doctor from Safe Mode or MS-DOS mode, or use Norton Disk Doctor from Norton Utilities for Windows 95 Version 1.

Another way to avoid this error is to repartition the hard drive.

Important
Be sure to back up the drive first.

You can use a dynamic disk partitioning program (such as Partition Magic) to resize and restore the original size partition; this will change the partition type and eliminate this error. Remember to leave space for a diagnostic cylinder.

If you use FDISK to repartition the drive, use the /X switch to disable Interrupt 13 extensions and to set up partitions that use only CHS translation. Note that if you use FDISK to repartition the drive, all data will be lost. For further information on using FDISK, check the documentation for the computer and the hard drive. You may also find useful information on Microsoft's web site, at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp.

Case 4 - FAT32X partitions with old BIOS
If the computer is using FAT32 extended partitions, and none of the above cases apply, there may be an incompatibility between the hardware and Windows 95 build 4.00.950b. Check with the computer manufacturer for a BIOS upgrade, and check with the hard drive manufacturer for a firmware update.

Using FDISK to check a drive
Follow these steps to use FDISK to check whether the drive is configured correctly:
1. From any DOS prompt, type FDISK.
2. Choose Display Partition Information.
3. Each logical partition (for example. C: or D:) is listed in the table. Add the megabytes listed for each to arrive at a total for the logical partitions.
4. Compare this total to the figure shown for Total Disk Space.
5. If the total for logical partitions is equal to the Total Disk Space, the hard drive does have a diagnostic cylinder. If the total for logical partitions is slightly greater (1 or 2 MB) than the Total Disk Space, the hard drive does not have a diagnostic cylinder (Case 1, above).

NOTE:
FDISK does not count the space occupied by a diagnostic cylinder in Total Disk Space. The diagnostic cylinder occupies space beyond what FDISK reports.

6. If the Total Disk Space is 504 MB or less, and the hard drive is larger than 504 MB, the hard drive has not been correctly configured (Case 2, above).
7. If the total for logical partitions is greater than the Total Disk Space by more than 1 or 2 MB, the hard drive has not been correctly configured (Case 2, above).
8. If none of the above apply, and the total for the logical partitions is less than the Total Disk Space, the drive is probably configured correctly.

Reconfiguring the Utilities for newer drives larger than 8 GB
Only use this method after performing all the checks above to verify the drive is configured correctly. Using this method on an incorrectly configured hard disk can possibly cause data loss. This method only works with NU95 version 3. The issue with newer large drives will be addressed in an upcoming LiveUpdate.

Until we address this issue in a patch, run Norton Disk Doctor or Speed Disk with the /NOLBA switch.

Alternately, you can set a key in the Registry to do the same thing. To force Norton Disk Doctor and Speed Disk to always skip the drive configuration check, add a DWORD registry value named NOLBACHECK at this location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Symantec\Norton Utilities

When this option is set to 1, the programs skip the drive configuration check.

You can download NOLBACHK.REG, a registry file that adds this key for you, from the following location:
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/
products/norton_utilities/ver3_win95/updates/

Reconfiguring the drive
Part of the installation of a hard drive includes enabling sector translation (such as Logical Block Addressing) and creating logical partitions, like C: and D:. If either of these steps were skipped or done incorrectly, the hard drive setup is incorrect, and the errors described earlier may result.

Here are some points to check for proper configuration:
- Check for Logical Block Addressing (LBA) in the BIOS. It may have been inappropriately turned on or off.
- Make sure the BIOS settings are correct for the drive, and consistent with the values in the partition table.
- Compare the Legal Values (for example, the values DOS sees) with the partition table. See Fax on Demand document 914182, How to Diagnose Hard Drive Bootup Problems with Disk Editor.

For more information on hard drive configuration, see Fax on Demand document 914183, How to Check Hard Drive Configuration, or the Symantec Knowledge Base at http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/nu/kbase_nu.html.

Repartitioning the drive
Repartitioning the drive correctly will eliminate the problem when the computer does not have a diagnostic cylinder. However, repartitioning is a major task, and should only be done when you have good backups. Most partitioning programs wipe out all data, but dynamic partitioning programs are designed to leave the data alone.

Instructions for partitioning or repartitioning a drive are included with documentation for the hard drive, and with most repartitioning programs.

If you use the DOS FDISK program to repartition the drive, it will automatically create a diagnostic cylinder. If you use any other partitioning software, check the documentation to determine how to include a diagnostic cylinder. In Partition Magic, for example, leave about 1-3 MB for the diagnostic cylinder.

Generally, you should use the FDISK from Windows 95. For further information on using FDISK, check the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp.

Running Norton Disk Doctor from DOS
Norton Utilities for Windows 95 version 2 includes a DOS version of Norton Disk Doctor. To run it, either boot the computer to MS-DOS mode, type NDD and press Enter, or boot the computer with the Norton Utilities Emergency Disk 1 and run Norton Disk Doctor from the menu.

If the computer is configured to use drive translation software such as Disk Manager, let that software load before booting from a floppy diskette. When it has loaded correctly, it should prompt you to "Press spacebar [or press Ctrl key] to boot from floppy." For further information on how to boot from a floppy correctly, refer to the documentation for the translation software.

If the DOS version also displays the error messages, then it is likely that the hard drive is missing a diagnostic cylinder, or is otherwise incorrectly configured. If it does not display those messages, the computer may be using Interrupt 13 extensions.

Sources of information
Documents listed in this text, and other documents for Norton Utilities, are available from the Symantec Knowledge Base online at http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/nu/kbase_nu.html.

A source for other documents regarding Norton Utilities is Symantec's Fax Retrieval System. Use any touch-tone telephone to call (541) 984-2490. Choose option number 2, then the number of the document. If you do not know the number of the document, enter 9140 for a listing of all documents available for Norton Utilities on the Fax Retrieval System. After you have entered the document number, the system will request the telephone number of the fax machine to send the document to.

Product(s): Norton Utilities 1.0 - Win95, Norton Utilities 2.0 - Win95, Norton Utilities 3.0 - Win95
Operating Systems(s): Windows 95
Fax on Demand #: 914192; 914047
Document ID: 19961111153952
Date Created: 11/11/96
Last Modified: 02/01/99


Technical Support AntiVirus Updates File Downloads Personalized Support Chat Now! Knowledge Base Ask a Tech Data Recovery News Bulletins Register Software Address Change Disk/Manual Replacement Return Status Rebate Status Order Status Upgrade Status Telephone Support © 1995-1999 Symantec Corporation All rights reserved.		Symantec Knowledge Base Error: "Drive C: May Not Be Configured Properly" when Running Norton Disk Doctor or Speed Disk Situation: Norton Disk Doctor or Speed Disk display one or both of the following errors: - Are you unable to access partitions on HD1 that you were able to access before? - Drive C: may not be configured properly. The program refuses to continue. The drive letter may be other than C:. Solution: If you are using Norton Utilities 3.0, check whether you have the latest version. Follow these steps to check your version of Norton Utilities: 1. Open Norton System Doctor. 2. Click the Help menu and choose About Norton System Doctor. 3. Check the version number. It should be 3.0.9. If it is not, run LiveUpdate. Explanation The partition table of the hard drive is not strictly following the DOS standards. If the drive is missing a diagnostic cylinder, or is otherwise incorrectly configured, Norton Disk Doctor will display the same messages when it is run from Safe Mode or DOS. There are four situations that cause this error: - No diagnostic cylinder - Incorrectly configured hard drive - Partitions using Interrupt 13 extensions - FAT32X partitions with old BIOS Case 1 - No diagnostic cylinder You may receive these errors if the hard drive's partition table does not designate a diagnostic cylinder. Many newer computers do not have a diagnostic cylinder. The diagnostic cylinder is the last cylinder on the hard drive. When a hard drive is partitioned into logical drives, such as C: and D:, the last cylinder is sometimes not included in those partitions. This makes it possible for some utility programs to safely use it for storing data in areas outside the partitions. The DOS FDISK program automatically includes a diagnostic cylinder, but some other partitioning programs do not. Solution - Norton Utilities 3.0 does not require the presence of a diagnostic cylinder in order to function correctly. Norton Utilities 2.0 initially required a diagnostic cylinder, but was subsequently changed through a LiveUpdate to not require it. In most cases, there is no need for a diagnostic cylinder, and not having one should not affect your system in any way. If you know that a particular utility requires a diagnostic cylinder, you can create one. See "Using FDISK to check a drive" later in this document. If the drive does not have a diagnostic cylinder, repartition the drive using Windows 95 FDISK. Important Before using FDISK, make sure you have good backups of your data first. For more information on FDISK, refer to the Windows 95 documentation, or the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp. Case 2 - Incorrectly configured hard drive If the drive has a diagnostic cylinder, and this error appears in both Normal Mode and Safe Mode, it is likely the drive is not configured correctly. An error may have occurred when the hard drive was configured. Disk Doctor and Speed Disk will not run when they detect these types of errors to prevent damage to data on the drive. Solution - Use the FDISK program to check for correct configuration of the hard drive. See "Using FDISK to check a drive" later in this document. If the drive appears to be configured correctly, the drive may not have a diagnostic cylinder. In this case, run LiveUpdate to fix the problem. If the drive is not configured correctly, you will need to reconfigure it (which probably includes repartitioning it) before Norton Disk Doctor and Speed Disk will run. See the section that follows regarding reconfiguring hard drives. Case 3 - Partitions using Interrupt 13 extensions If you see this error while running Norton Disk Doctor in Normal Mode, but not while running it in Safe Mode, the computer may be using an Interrupt 13 extension partition table. Windows 95 uses a driver to support Interrupt 13 extensions when the following conditions are met: - The BIOS supports Interrupt 13 extensions. - The hard drive supports Interrupt 13 extensions. - Logical Block Addressing (LBA) is enabled in the BIOS (to support Interrupt 13 extensions). - The hard drive has over 1024 cylinders. - Windows 95 is loaded. For information on Interrupt 13 extensions, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp. Solution - Use the FDISK program to check for correct configuration of the hard drive. See "Using FDISK to check a drive" later in this document. If the drive appears to be configured correctly, (and FDISK correctly reports the Total Disk Space of the drive), it is likely the computer is using Interrupt 13 extensions. In this case, you can run Norton Disk Doctor from Safe Mode or MS-DOS mode, or use Norton Disk Doctor from Norton Utilities for Windows 95 Version 1. Another way to avoid this error is to repartition the hard drive. Important Be sure to back up the drive first. You can use a dynamic disk partitioning program (such as Partition Magic) to resize and restore the original size partition; this will change the partition type and eliminate this error. Remember to leave space for a diagnostic cylinder. If you use FDISK to repartition the drive, use the /X switch to disable Interrupt 13 extensions and to set up partitions that use only CHS translation. Note that if you use FDISK to repartition the drive, all data will be lost. For further information on using FDISK, check the documentation for the computer and the hard drive. You may also find useful information on Microsoft's web site, at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp. Case 4 - FAT32X partitions with old BIOS If the computer is using FAT32 extended partitions, and none of the above cases apply, there may be an incompatibility between the hardware and Windows 95 build 4.00.950b. Check with the computer manufacturer for a BIOS upgrade, and check with the hard drive manufacturer for a firmware update. Using FDISK to check a drive Follow these steps to use FDISK to check whether the drive is configured correctly: 1. From any DOS prompt, type FDISK. 2. Choose Display Partition Information. 3. Each logical partition (for example. C: or D:) is listed in the table. Add the megabytes listed for each to arrive at a total for the logical partitions. 4. Compare this total to the figure shown for Total Disk Space. 5. If the total for logical partitions is equal to the Total Disk Space, the hard drive does have a diagnostic cylinder. If the total for logical partitions is slightly greater (1 or 2 MB) than the Total Disk Space, the hard drive does not have a diagnostic cylinder (Case 1, above). NOTE: FDISK does not count the space occupied by a diagnostic cylinder in Total Disk Space. The diagnostic cylinder occupies space beyond what FDISK reports. 6. If the Total Disk Space is 504 MB or less, and the hard drive is larger than 504 MB, the hard drive has not been correctly configured (Case 2, above). 7. If the total for logical partitions is greater than the Total Disk Space by more than 1 or 2 MB, the hard drive has not been correctly configured (Case 2, above). 8. If none of the above apply, and the total for the logical partitions is less than the Total Disk Space, the drive is probably configured correctly. Reconfiguring the Utilities for newer drives larger than 8 GB Only use this method after performing all the checks above to verify the drive is configured correctly. Using this method on an incorrectly configured hard disk can possibly cause data loss. This method only works with NU95 version 3. The issue with newer large drives will be addressed in an upcoming LiveUpdate. Until we address this issue in a patch, run Norton Disk Doctor or Speed Disk with the /NOLBA switch. Alternately, you can set a key in the Registry to do the same thing. To force Norton Disk Doctor and Speed Disk to always skip the drive configuration check, add a DWORD registry value named NOLBACHECK at this location: `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Symantec\Norton Utilities` When this option is set to 1, the programs skip the drive configuration check. You can download NOLBACHK.REG, a registry file that adds this key for you, from the following location: ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/ products/norton_utilities/ver3_win95/updates/ Reconfiguring the drive Part of the installation of a hard drive includes enabling sector translation (such as Logical Block Addressing) and creating logical partitions, like C: and D:. If either of these steps were skipped or done incorrectly, the hard drive setup is incorrect, and the errors described earlier may result. Here are some points to check for proper configuration: - Check for Logical Block Addressing (LBA) in the BIOS. It may have been inappropriately turned on or off. - Make sure the BIOS settings are correct for the drive, and consistent with the values in the partition table. - Compare the Legal Values (for example, the values DOS sees) with the partition table. See Fax on Demand document 914182, How to Diagnose Hard Drive Bootup Problems with Disk Editor. For more information on hard drive configuration, see Fax on Demand document 914183, How to Check Hard Drive Configuration, or the Symantec Knowledge Base at http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/nu/kbase_nu.html. Repartitioning the drive Repartitioning the drive correctly will eliminate the problem when the computer does not have a diagnostic cylinder. However, repartitioning is a major task, and should only be done when you have good backups. Most partitioning programs wipe out all data, but dynamic partitioning programs are designed to leave the data alone. Instructions for partitioning or repartitioning a drive are included with documentation for the hard drive, and with most repartitioning programs. If you use the DOS FDISK program to repartition the drive, it will automatically create a diagnostic cylinder. If you use any other partitioning software, check the documentation to determine how to include a diagnostic cylinder. In Partition Magic, for example, leave about 1-3 MB for the diagnostic cylinder. Generally, you should use the FDISK from Windows 95. For further information on using FDISK, check the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp. Running Norton Disk Doctor from DOS Norton Utilities for Windows 95 version 2 includes a DOS version of Norton Disk Doctor. To run it, either boot the computer to MS-DOS mode, type NDD and press Enter, or boot the computer with the Norton Utilities Emergency Disk 1 and run Norton Disk Doctor from the menu. If the computer is configured to use drive translation software such as Disk Manager, let that software load before booting from a floppy diskette. When it has loaded correctly, it should prompt you to "Press spacebar [or press Ctrl key] to boot from floppy." For further information on how to boot from a floppy correctly, refer to the documentation for the translation software. If the DOS version also displays the error messages, then it is likely that the hard drive is missing a diagnostic cylinder, or is otherwise incorrectly configured. If it does not display those messages, the computer may be using Interrupt 13 extensions. Sources of information Documents listed in this text, and other documents for Norton Utilities, are available from the Symantec Knowledge Base online at http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/nu/kbase_nu.html. A source for other documents regarding Norton Utilities is Symantec's Fax Retrieval System. Use any touch-tone telephone to call (541) 984-2490. Choose option number 2, then the number of the document. If you do not know the number of the document, enter 9140 for a listing of all documents available for Norton Utilities on the Fax Retrieval System. After you have entered the document number, the system will request the telephone number of the fax machine to send the document to. Product(s): Norton Utilities 1.0 - Win95, Norton Utilities 2.0 - Win95, Norton Utilities 3.0 - Win95 Operating Systems(s): Windows 95 Fax on Demand #: 914192; 914047 Document ID: 19961111153952 Date Created: 11/11/96 Last Modified: 02/01/99