Card Tricks - a small utility to help manage SD cards [currently v. 1.44]

[Joe 1956]

I'm being lazy here, but if it's not too much work, could you get me a dump of the '98 format help output ?
Then it would be a breeze to add support ...

Is that something I could do? Running ME, for what it's worth. If it entails DOS commands, then I'd need them exact.   

Edit - whim, is this what you were talking about a couple of pages back? It didn't make a text file, so the screencap is the best I can do.

[whim]

@Joe

It's dead simple: (i will put "" around what you see or should type)

- open a DOS box.

- type (remember, omit the ""):    "format /? > C:\joeshelp.txt" and press <Enter>

- you can now close the DOS box and check if 'joeshelp.txt' is there (in the root of your disk C:)

- (assuming here you've got your browser opened on this thread and are logged in)
       - click 'REPLY' and type your message
       - check bottom left under the 'frame' where you're typing: click 'Additional Options'
       - click 'browse ...' (or whatever it says on the button) in the line starting with 'Attach:'
       - you should get a file select box, browse to and select 'joeshelp.txt'
       - done, file is attached (alternatively, you can of course also copy and paste between 'joeshelp.txt' and the forum editor)
       - send message

wim

I just included the last section because you seemed to have trouble getting stuff on your computer into your messages.
remember, if you just want to get some text from a file into your message, that you should only use plain text
You might get in trouble if you do a copy-paste from, let's say, Word. However, attaching always works (but mind the size)
There's more too: you can format your text in the forum editor with the buttons above your message.
Gee, I hope all this works on your ME ! by the way, attachment are NOT shown when you do a Preview

       

[Joe 1956]

No, it just didn't do anything, left no text file, but this time it did.

Formats a disk for use with MS-DOS.

FORMAT drive: [/V[:label]] [/Q] [/F:size] [/C]
FORMAT drive: [/V[:label]] [/Q] [/T:tracks /N:sectors] [/C]
FORMAT drive: [/V[:label]] [/Q] [/1] [/4] [/C]
FORMAT drive: [/Q] [/1] [/4] [/8] [/C]

  /V[:label]  Specifies the volume label.
  /Q          Performs a quick format.
  /F:size     Specifies the size of the floppy disk to format (such
              as 160, 180, 320, 360, 720, 1.2, 1.44, 2.88).
  /T:tracks   Specifies the number of tracks per disk side.
  /N:sectors  Specifies the number of sectors per track.
  /1          Formats a single side of a floppy disk.
  /4          Formats a 5.25-inch 360K floppy disk in a high-density drive.
  /8          Formats eight sectors per track.
  /C          Tests clusters that are currently marked "bad."

[fe50]

@wim  ...sorry, a bit late, was busy...
Format.com on Win98/ME do not support the 64k cluster FAT16, so we cant use it.

Yes, with debug it should be possible, but IMO the diskeditor method should be the better way:
'raw' writing on a drive with debug could be very dangerous, with a diskeditor (like HxD) the user can easily check whether the right drive is selected, there are also multiple warnings, it's much 'safer'...

Thx for the new CT version, i'll update the drops & the wikia...

[whim]

@fe50

'raw' writing on a drive with debug could be very dangerous, with a diskeditor (like HxD) the user can easily check whether the right drive is selected

totally agreed, but i meant this as a possible 'universal' replacement for 'bootable.exe' in CT - but, with your comments
on Win9x/ME 'format' limitations, this doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon ...

wim

[fe50]

@wim
It was a good timing with the 'new' CT 1.44 version: since today Avira declares v1.43 as trojan, too 
But this was forseeable, it's well known that the virus definitions are exchanged (sadly without a quality check) very fast between the different scanner engines/companies...
One company start and declares something as as new Trojan TR-W32/bullshit666, then all the others add this new 'virus/trojan' with a different, fanciful name & some additional numbers to their scanners - yeah, like Lemmings (c) 

[whim]

@fe50

hmm hadn't noticed that yet (running Avira myself) but that's probably because i:

a) never run full system scans (daily scan switched off, i can think of better ways to keep CPU / HD occupied)

b) have exclude my CHDK folder from AVGUARD scan ( speeds up compilation )

I'm glad I did it for CHDK-Shell as well, it appears that it is AutoIt's 'FileInstall' instruction that they
all get so steamed up about ...(it allows you to specify external files to pack into the executable
at compile time, which are then unpacked when executing the program ...)

[rant mode]

BTW, noticed something funny today - i unplugged my notebook's power adapter, and
suddenly my processor load shot up from 5-7% baseline to 45-50% and stayed that way
(1.5 hour) while i was discharging the battery. Fired up task manager -> it was avguard !
when my battery ran down and the notebook beeped crying for juice, i replugged ....
back to 5-7% ; in fact during normal (plugged in) use i've never seen this notebook
show such CPU use by Avira ...
Sounds like some programmer got the state of a flag wrong, don't you think ? I mean,
if i expect a behaviour change here, it would be to stop scanning on switching to battery
power. Pretty disappointing for c't Magazin's favourite ...
An Avira tip from a friend of mine (in case you run free version like me)
Deny execute rights to 'avnotify.exe' -> no more ads will pop up

really, as soon as i can get ClamWin to automatically scan any incoming file in my
DL folder, i seriously consider ditching the lot ... looks like they've all decided to
concentrate their main efforts on spying on your browser's activities and selling
the info to google ..

[/rant mode]

cheers,

wim

[darwin-t]

I have tried unsuccessfully to use version 1.43 to prepare a 4 gb SDHC card in my A610. I was able to do it previously with a 2 gb card.

I format it, it gives me the message about non standard cluster sizes. I make it bootable and transfer the software. Everything looks fine. I put the card in the camera and it says CARD ERROR   CARD IS LOCKED. This occurs whether I have the write protect tab in either position.

Any ideas? Thanks

PS I just tried it in my A550 and it worked. With the proper version of CHDK of course.

[ewavr]

to prepare a 4 gb SDHC card in my A610.

SDHC & A610? It works without CHDK?

[darwin-t]

Oh. I guess that's my problem. I just assumed the A610 could handle SDHC cards. I never tried it without CHDK.

[jerjoz]

this page is confusing me for some reason. so can i get a quick answer? 16gig SHDC cards work with CHDK autoboot, yes or no?

[fudgey]

this page is confusing me for some reason. so can i get a quick answer? 16gig SHDC cards work with CHDK autoboot, yes or no?

Someone else may know for sure for your cameras, but I have a 16 GiB SDHC autobooting CHDK on my a570is.

[shinbet]

hi
i'm very new to chdk, so forgive me if i am ignorant
I read thru a lot of this thread, but cant seem to find the post i need to help
I have a canon as590, with a Sandisk SDHC extreme iii 8GB
no matter what i do, i cant get chdk to work.
I tried it on a small sd card with 32mb just to make sure i have the basic idea,
but beyond that?
I cant seem to partition my card,
i'm running windows xp,
Please help me
Thanks

[whim]

@shinbet

You need to partition your card first to be able to autoboot CHDK.

Try SDM installer, linked here http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,3164.msg29915.html#msg29915 to prepare your card. When you have partitioned your card, make the small FAT16 partition bootable and copy DISKBOOT.BIN on it,
The rest of the CHDK files should be copied to the large FAT32 partition. Finally set write protect on card to on.

Alternatively, you can start CHDK with the 'firm update method' , read here how:
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ#Q._How_can_I_make_the_CHDK_program_load_automatically_at_startup.3F

HTH,

wim

[shinbet]

@shinbet

You need to partition your card first to be able to autoboot CHDK.

Try SDM installer, linked here http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,3164.msg29915.html#msg29915 to prepare your card. When you have partitioned your card, make the small FAT16 partition bootable and copy DISKBOOT.BIN on it,
The rest of the CHDK files should be copied to the large FAT32 partition. Finally set write protect on card to on.
HTH,

wim

Ok, i tried the first option,
so the link provided in sdm installer, took me to a file thats been downloaded only a few times, setup exe, it installed nothing, and a little while later avira anti virus says something is wrong on my system and i'm getting pop ups from "addestination"
eventually i found the sdm installer at this location http://code.google.com/p/stereogigapan/downloads/list donwloaded it  and it seems to give me the utility you mentioned.
i partitioned the disk, put the boot on the smaller one, and the chdk folder on the other, but nothing i happened, (yes i locked it!)
I also tried to load all the chdk files without the folder,, but it did not work

any ideas?

thanks so much again