Subject: Re: MS-DOS mount fixed [FAQ, Dave]
To: VaX#n8 <vax@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu>
From: Dave Burgess <burgess@s069.infonet.net>
List: current-users
Date: 10/28/1994 16:20:59
> 
> Hmm, I just finished getting mount_msdos to work... it was returning
> EINVAL ("Invalid argument") to me.  I quickly realized this might be
> due to the offset needed by the partition table (MS-DOS is the first
> hard partition).  So I put 16384 in the offset field, incorrectly.
> It should have been 32 (sectors), of course, not 16384 (the correct
> number in bytes).

I can include something like this in the FAQ.  Check Section 6, the part
that talks about MS-DOS compatibilities.  I think there is something in
there.  If not, check the part around "Disk partitioning for the
compleat idiot" (I think that's the title) to see if there is something
in there that is close.  I will look as well.

> After making this small change (and having to edit the disklabel by hand,
> since it ignored tf=MS-DOS from the disktab), mount_msdos was able to
> read my MS-DOS disk.  I have not stress-tested it yet :)
> 

I'm not completely clear on this part...

> I didn't recall anything like this in the FAQ, I thought it might be
> appropriate.

Sure, anything you want added (this statement is why this letter went to
te whole list) is appropriate to the FAQ!  I am here to serve.

> I had to do a similar method (putting 16384) in the offset field in the
> config file of mtools to get it to work, back in the days of 386bsd-0.1
> and NetBSD-0.8, although many people swore to me that I didn't need such
> an offset.  However, mtools wouldn't work without it.
> 

That part is mentioned in the mtools instructions in the FAQ.

> I'm very pleased with the new ability!