Try find-ata or ideinfo from http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/IDE-identify/ to get the correct values for your card.

How to know if the card is formatted in FAT-16 or FAT-32 ?
( When CF card arrived it had a DOS 7.1 in it and I just deleted the 3pcs files: command.com, io.sys and msdos.sys )
It says FAT but how to check 16 or 32 should this have an effect ?
http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?307 … controller-help

First, start your computer and get into BIOS. Try to make your BIOS autodetect the disk specs, if your computer fails at that step maybe you'll need some kind of BIOS upgrade. Also, keep in mind that maybe you'll need to change between CHS, Large or LBA settings (if available).

Remember: Never change the CHS/LBA settings after installing an OS.

If your BIOS detects your disk correctly, you should try (look for any strange message):

- Start MS-DOS from floppy disk
- FDISK /MBR (some cards are shipped without partition table)
- Run FDISK and erase any partition in your disk
- Create a primary partition, make it bootable (if your boot disk is from Windows 95 or 98, make sure to NOT enable support for large disks)
- Restart from your MS-DOS disk
- FORMAT C: /S
- Restart to see if it boots from your card

If your card boots, you can try to install MS-DOS the traditional way.

My 512 MB CF card has values of 993 cylinders, 16 heads & 63 sectors (Normal) OR 496 cylinders, 32 heads & 63 sectors (LBA)

I’m guessing your using an IDE to CF adapter? I think the reason most people have issues is because I don’t think it has anything to do with the CF card, it’s basically whatever the adapter chooses to report to the bios as Cylinder/Head/Sector since it’s meaningless when using flash memory. That’s why you really need to use a utility like ideinfo to see what info the adapter is using.

The adapter itself is totally passive. But the CHS values are meaningless as well for most hdds (I doubt there is any consumer grade HDD with 16 heads 🤣) But the card's controller is probably reporting that somewhere still. As mentioned use a software to detect the proper geometry.

1.) "Start MS-DOS from floppy disk"🙁 Do you mean DOS 6.22 installation disk nr:#1,2 or 3 ? )
2.) "Find-ata or IDEinfo-software". So I plug the drive to another computer win98 ?

Western Digital SiliconDrive: CF cards have "auto detection" to automatically change to fixed disk or removable device.
I have ordered all kinds of adapters: see photos.
- Which one do you use ?

The size 512mb could be also the fault. (Dos6.22 installs but it won't boot.)
https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/ques … pact-flash-card
"Some older BIOSes have trouble handling drives larger than 504MB, even though they allow such drive size to be specified in the setup."

user33331 wrote:

1.) "Start MS-DOS from floppy disk"🙁 Do you mean DOS 6.22 installation disk nr:#1,2 or 3 ? )

Disk 1, then don't let install DOS but exit installation so you get to command prompt (also: press shift while MS-DOS starts to get to "clean" DOS).

user33331 wrote:

1.) "Start MS-DOS from floppy disk"🙁 Do you mean DOS 6.22 installation disk nr:#1,2 or 3 ? )
2.) "Find-ata or IDEinfo-software". So I plug the drive to another computer win98 ?

2.) boot with a DOS floppy, run one of those then.

Hello it all worked for a while I installed games and such... after I did this:
- Start MS-DOS from floppy disk
- FDISK /MBR (some cards are shipped without partition table)
- Run FDISK and erase any partition in your disk
- Create a primary partition, make it bootable (if your boot disk is from Windows 95 or 98, make sure to NOT enable support for large disks)
- Restart from your MS-DOS disk
- FORMAT C: /S
- Restart to see if it boots from your card

But today when I started the machine it said:
"Drive not ready insert boot diskette."
- What I have now is:
1.) Boot sector virus ?
or
2.) WD 512mb CF card broke = corrupted ?

DOS 6.22 diskette #1 was unable to format the drive/CF card.
( and my modern computer wants to format the CF card when connected to USB-port.)
- Should I try the "FDISK-trick" again ?

If I have a boot sector virus:
What is that "bootable antivirus disks such as a Symantec/Norton AntiVirus (SAV/NAV) rescue set to properly remove a boot sector virus."
https://kb.iu.edu/d/ahll
- Is there any freeware bootable antivirus diskette ?

Is the final Symantec MSAV from 1996 able to remove the boot sector virus from DOS 6.22 by making a bootable recovery diskette ? Or what Symantec version is good ?
- Should I destroy the infected diskettes and the CF-card ?
Sudden boot error= "Drive not ready insert boot diskette."

Can I sell this computer forward to an unaware ebay buyer or what means "boot sector virus infects the memory" ? 😀

Just for the record and future times sake. To get the value of the parameters of a CF or SD card. Stop googling those hard to get PDF files or websites. Waste of time. Just pop the card in a computer that can autodetect the device, and the machine will give you the numbers. Its not rocket science you know. 😉

I had the right values from the beginning: CYL 1011, HEADS 16, SECTORS 63 ( =512mb Western digital WD SSD-C51MI-3800 mfg.2013 )
I even used the mentioned "Find-ata"-software to verify them...

This was the real help:
- Start MS-DOS from floppy disk
- FDISK /MBR (some cards are shipped without partition table)
- Run FDISK and erase any partition in your disk
- Create a primary partition, make it bootable (if your boot disk is from Windows 95 or 98, make sure to NOT enable support for large disks)
- Restart from your MS-DOS disk
- FORMAT C: /S

It worked for a couple of days ok but now:
"Drive not ready insert boot diskette."
- I really think it is a boot sector virus because it won't let me format the CF-card anymore.
- When connected to a modern PC it won't read the CF-card anymore and the modern PC wants to suddenly format it.

I'll never download "old DOS games" from online to these old PCs 😊
- Or the Chinese shipped a virus infected WD CF-card for 10usd$.
Now searching for an old dos 6.22 virus remover-software that can create "a bootable recovery floppy diskette".

Pre-2000 computers are a pain in the butt when viruses attack them. 🤣

What is the make model system are talking about here. Sounds like it's losing it's hdd bios settings. Possibly a dying battery.

It has ok BIOS battery= self made holder 3xAA=4,5V ( VARTA Germany long life batteries ).
BIOS time and CF card's parameters stay properly.

and it is that horrible Am386 DX/DXL 33mhz with a WD 512mb CF-card that is causing this.

I now bought a new/used Trancend Industrial CF200i 256mb.
To replace the WD SiliconDrive 512mb CF card SSD-C51MI-3800.

I better call F-Secure's leader Mikko Hyppönen and buy some security for this 386 against those boot sector viruses 🤣

I use whatide.com recommended by Kev Parr who's a true english gentleman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G26cRjrt5Mg

If you boot from floppy (preferably MSDOS install floppy), hold Shift while booting so that you boot to clean DOS, there's no chance the boot virus on HDD could be activated. If your floppy was not write protected, there's chance it got infected as well, so I'd recommend to download an MSDOS install floppy images and write it on a new floppy, then boot from it.
The FDISK trick (fdisk /mbr) should get rid of any boot virus. Then remove existing partitions, create them again, and format them. That should get rid of any remaining viruses.

BTW: I think your CF card just died. However, if you are connecting it to modern PC using the same CF adapter, there's a chance that the adapter has failed. I had a cheap chinese adapter that had some cold solder joints on the CF connector, and it failed now and then.

F-Prot was a good virus checker back in the day. It was updated until 2006.

"I think your CF card just died."
- I can't read the actual CF-card anymore with my modern PC's separate external USB 3.0-multireader. Now it wants to format it and can't access it. Previously I was able to see the files normally.
- Also DOS 6.22 install says something like "can't install DOS drive is in a unknown format " or such...
- I ordered the 512mb WD C51MI-3800 CF-card mfg.2013 from a China ebay seller for 10usd$ and used it just a couple of times.

"(fdisk /mbr) should get rid of any boot virus."
- Ok if it will truly remove all traces of a boot sector virus I feel relieved.

Is there a way to check or clean the 3.5" floppy diskettes with a modern computer ?
- Or will I trash the 3.5" 1.44mb diskettes ?

How to go through my old DOS games collection to find any viruses like these boot sector viruses ?
- Modern Avast scanner did not alarm at all.
- Do I need an older virus scanner software ?

I'll try to check if I can get that Western Digital CF-card working again with FDISK\MBR.
I bought a replacement Trancend Industrial CF200i 256mb.
- With Trancend I'll use different adapter, diskettes and not install any "online abandonware DOS games".