[ale] If you own (almost) ANY HDD, repartition with 4k boundaries

[Phil Turmel]

Hi Ron,

I got my Mini-ITX mobo and parts yesterday.  I found time this afternoon
to play with XP on the AF drive (so I can claim my beverage tonight...)

On 01/07/2013 04:50 PM, Phil Turmel wrote:
> Hi Ron,
> 
> On 01/07/2013 01:04 PM, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:
>> Hi Phil,
>>
>> OK, I guess I left myself open for that.
> 
> :-)
> 
>> I'll make the bet under the following criteria.  I have to clarify
>> some things so we're on the same page.  Here's what you have to do to
>> win.
>>
>> You must get Windows XP running on bare metal on an advanced format 
>> HDD , partitioned on 1 MiB boundaries, with XP's own bootloader as 
>> follows:
>>
>> * This bet is between Ron Frazier and Phil Turmel only.  No other 
>> participants can claim the prize.  Helpers are allowed.

No Help needed.

>> * Windows XP must be running on bare metal, no virtual machines.

Bare metal on a new mobo, an Asus C60M1-I.

>> * The storage medium must be a hard drive, not an ssd or a hybrid 
>> drive.
> 
>> * The hard drive must have 4 KB physical sectors.  This must be 
>> documented on the hard drive maker's site.  Please provide a link.
> 
> Seagate Barracuda Green:
> http://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/barracuda-green/
> 
> # smartctl -i /dev/sdf
> smartctl 5.42 2011-10-20 r3458 [x86_64-linux-3.6.2] (local build)
> Copyright (C) 2002-11 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net
> 
> === START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
> Model Family:     Seagate Barracuda Green (Adv. Format)
> Device Model:     ST2000DL003-9VT166
> Serial Number:    5YD2EZNB
> LU WWN Device Id: 5 000c50 032ffff5b
> Firmware Version: CC32
> User Capacity:    2,000,398,934,016 bytes [2.00 TB]
> Sector Size:      512 bytes logical/physical
> Device is:        In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]
> ATA Version is:   8
> ATA Standard is:  ATA-8-ACS revision 4
> Local Time is:    Mon Jan  7 16:10:20 2013 EST
> SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
> SMART support is: Enabled
> 
>> * You may NOT use the jumper on some drives that lies to the pc and 
>> claims sector 64 is 63.
> 
> Not applicable for a partition starting at 2048, but no, no such
> twiddling on my part.

I used the drive above.  Before installing XP, I performed the following
steps:

1) Booted a USB thumb drive containing SystemRescueCD
2) Partitioned with plain old "fdisk" to achieve the following:

> fdisk -l /dev/sda
> 
> Disk /dev/sda: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
> 81 heads, 63 sectors/track, 765633 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors
> Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
> Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
> I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
> Disk identifier: 0x8f248134
> 
>    Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
> /dev/sda1   *        2048  3907029167  1953513560    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

3) Formatted the partition with "mkfs.ntfs -Q -L WinXP2048 /dev/sda"
4) Captured the above fdisk output to the thumb drive.
5) Powered off to remove the thumb drive and set up my USB CD drive.
6) Installed Windows XP OEM SP3 from an original CD, no extra drivers
supplied.
7) When prompted, instructed the Windows installer to use the existing
partition, and to not re-format it.

>> * AFTER the XP installation.  The first partition of the hard drive 
>> must begin on sector 2048 according to gparted.  A screenshot of the 
>> gparted information screen for that partition will act as proof.  If 
>> Windows XP repartitions the drive during installation and changes
>> the beginning sector, it must be repartitioned again to put the
>> beginning sector at 2048.  The hard should use MBR format.
> 
> If XP repartitions during install when I tell it to use the partition I
> prepared for it, I'll concede the bet.

Windows did not re-partition or re-format.  Post install and screen
capture, I repeated the "fdisk -l":

> Disk /dev/sda: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors
> Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
> Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
> I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
> Disk identifier: 0x8f248134
> 
>    Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
> /dev/sda1   *        2048  3907029167  1953513560    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Unchanged.

>> * Windows XP must be installed on the first partition.

Yup.

>> * Once the installation is done, Windows XP must boot and load 
>> properly on the above referenced hard drive..  A screenshot of the
>> my computer properties screen will act as proof.

Screenshot available here:

http://www.turmel.org/wp-uploads/2013/WinXPonAFdrive.png

>> * Windows XP must boot with its own native bootloader.  If you have 
>> to repair a failed boot sequence, you may use only the Windows XP 
>> install disk, not Windows Vista or 7 or 8.  If you use a Linux tool 
>> to repair a broken boot sequence, you cannot replace the Windows XP 
>> bootloader.  Booting to Grub, for example, is not allowed.
> 
> I expect no repair required.

No repair or other intervention required.

>> * Results of the testing should be published here to ALE with 
>> screenshots linked to in a publicly accessible place.
> 
>> * If you get it working, you have to tell the rest of us how you did 
>> it.
> 
> Of course.

As above.

>> If you get it working under these conditions, I will buy you a drink 
>> up to $ 5.  If you try and fail, I get the $ 5.
>>
>> Let me know what you think.  8-)
> 
> You're on.  And I'll buy Jim a drink anyways.

See you all this evening.

Phil