My system ia a DELL Optiplex GX-1, BIOS A03, (Legacy BIOS option is not in Setup, implies A03 is a legacy BIOS) and I am trying to access a GDI TECH USB2 Case with Samsung 80 GB hard drive. I need to use DOS to run Norton GhostPE to backup my internal drive. So far nothing I found on the net has worked. I get a message " can't allocate FAT 32 Partition" . My latest attempt is shown below. HELP! *** config.sys file REM Copied from DRDOS 7.3 rem DEVICE=A:\SETVER.exe SHELL=A:\COMMAND.COM A:\ /E:512 /P BREAK=OFF BUFFERS=15 FILES=20 FCBS=4,4 LASTDRIVE=Z HISTORY=ON,512,ON COUNTRY=1,,A:\COUNTRY.SYS DOS=HIGH,UMB REM added device=USBASPI1.SYS /p=DCE0 /v devicehigh=di1000dd.sys/h1 rem devicehigh=nj32disk.sys /r =============================== When booting ASPI Manager for USB mass storage Version 2.15 (c) Panasonic Communications Co. Ltd. 2000-2003 Controller : 00-07-2 VID=8086h PID=7112h (000h-000h) UHCI I/O=DCE0h-DCFFh USB Device : VID=0451h PID=2046h FS(HIB) : VID=03F0h PID=6004h FS : VID=0402h PID=5612h FS ASPI Device : ID:0 LUN:0 = USB 2.0 Storage Device 0100 Installed ASPI Manager ==== DI1000 ASPI Manager VER. 2.0 Copyright (c) 2001 Novac CO. Ltd. Availible ID = 0 ID 0 = HD .. USB2.0 Storage Device #1: PRI DOS (FAT32) can't allocate FAT 32 Partition ( nj32disk.sys also gives "not found: installable device"

I will not go into the merits of using DOS USB with Windows software, but as you appear to be stuck then head over to: http://www.acronis.com True Image has far better and more mature support of USB devices as the Boot Disk are based on Linux. If you still wish to pull you hair out look at the following page and the link on that page to the archive, lots of different DOS drivers, but of the FREE ones Panasonic USBASPI ver 2.1x has the best USB2 support in limited experience.: http://www.mwpms.uklinux.net/usbfire.htm

Also DRDOS 7.03 does not support FAT32 even fully even patched, you need to use the Symantec PCDOS which is on the Boot Disks you create from the Windows Norton/Symantec software, or Windos 7.1x from Win95B/C & W98 or Windos 8.xx from Millenium Edition. Acronis True Image is superior.

I use the Pabasonic driver [ver unknown] ; works. Is the drive partitioned? M2

My Norton Systemworks 2002 Rescue Disk boots to WIN98. I found PCDOS installation diskettes in my "archives" and used the first to format a boot disk. *** config.sys file rem PC DOS 6.2 format a: /s device=USBASPI1.SYS /v devicehigh=di1000dd.sys/H1 rem devicehigh=nj32disk.sys /r =============================== When booting ASPI Manager for USB mass storage Version 2.15 ... Installed ASPI Manager ==== ** Same result as before DI1000 ASPI Manager VER. 2.0 Copyright (c) 2001 Novac CO. Ltd. Availible ID = 0 ID 0 = HD .. USB2.0 Storage Device #1: PRI DOS (FAT32) can't allocate FAT 32 Partition ( nj32disk.sys also gives not found: installable device) ==== Exit to DOS date, time A:>c: invalid media type reading drive c: (get this message on both DRDOS and PCDOS) * My internal drive is a Western Digital 80GB. Fdisk in Win98 would not partition it above 32GB and I had to use a Western Digital disk to partition it into 23, 23, 14 and 13 GB partitions

The Basic Problem is that a DOS 6.xx boot will not recognize a FAT32 partition. You may have better luck modifying your Ghost boot disks or Systemworks disks.

I tried to use a diskette formatted with DRDOS, PCDOS and MSDOS with no success. I could not find a WINDOS format file to download. As a last resort, I went to the Win98 DOS prompt and did a format a: /s. The ver command gave Windows 98[version 4.10.222]. I assumed that this was a non combatible mutation of "true" DOS. However, It worked! Then all the pieces fell into place. I understood what rogerashley and wizard-fred were saying. Apparently Win98 has a WINDOS Version built in. I also remembered that all Windows operating systems prior to XP are DOS based. For anyone elsae with this problem, the config.sys file is simply: REM Windows 98 MS DOS prompt: format a: /s device=USBASPI.SYS /v devicehigh=di1000dd.sys rem devicehigh=nj32disk.sys /r It recognizes the USB external harddisk. Executing ghostpe.exe (from Norton SystemWorks 2000 Professional) on the bootdisk shows both internal and the external USB drive. It took 20 minutes to backup my 3.8 GB C: drive to the internal D: drive and 100 minutes to backup the internal C: drive to the drive in the external USB case. I was surprised at the 5X difference in speed. Is this typical ? Thanks for all your help.