HDAT2 forum

Hi everybody,

I'm currently programming my own tool in order to detect and manage HPA and DCO. I'm doing tests wits a WD400 (i.e. 40GB) so I'm working with LBA28bits.

Thanks to TAFT and HDAT2, I put DCO then HPA areas on the disk and I'm trying to detect them. Actually, in comparing results of Device_Configuration_Identify and Read_Native_Max_Adress, DCO is well detected, but when I'm trying to detect HPA, it does not work. Apparently that's because word 60 of Identify_Device do not return me the user area sectors but the same result as Read_Native_Max_Adress (i.e user area + HPA sectors)!!!!

Moreover, I'm sure the Identify_Device command is well working because other fields of returned structure (Model, Serial Number, features....) are rights.

It really suprised me and I don't know what could be the bug...

Any useful comments for a beginner programmer like me?
(please avoid "simply use HDAT"...)

Regards
Olivier

Hi,

you should go to http://www.t13.org and study any of ATA/ATAPI standards. I hope you got the informations you want.
For HPA is "parties" docu helpfull.

Regards

ok, for future programmers' information:
1_ in my situation, IDENTIFY_DEVICE command had always work
2_ at least on DEBIANS' 2.6.X kernels, HPA is detected and volatily removed at the start of the session. Sadly, I tried to detect HPA with a personnal soft programmed under Ubuntu...
To ensure wether HPA has be removed, check dmesg...

Congratulations...