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From: Alfred Hilscher <Alfred.Hilscher@icn.siemens.de>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Ada and Hardware
Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 19:24:23 +0200
Organization: Siemens AG
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Date: 2001-05-10T19:24:23+02:00
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Maybe the Windows API calls "CreateFile" and "DeviceIOControl" will be
what you are looking for ? Look for this excerpt from   MS-API
dokumentation.

"You can use the CreateFile function to open a disk drive or a partition
on a disk drive. The function returns a handle to the disk device; that
handle can be used with the DeviceIOControl function. The following
requirements must be met in order for such a call to succeed: 
�	The caller must have administrative privileges for the operation to
succeed on a hard disk drive. 
�	The lpFileName string should be of the form \\.\PHYSICALDRIVEx to open
the hard disk x. Hard disk numbers start at zero. For example: 

String	Meaning
\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2	Obtains a handle to the third physical drive on the
user's computer.
�	The lpFileName string should be \\.\x: to open a floppy drive x or a
partition x on a hard disk. For example: 

String	Meaning
\\.\A:	Obtains a handle to drive A on the user's computer.
\\.\C:	Obtains a handle to drive C on the user's computer."

"chris.danx" wrote:
> 
> Hello folks,
>     I'm implementing a program which reads files on a floppy disk which are not
> stored via the fat12 file system.  I know this is the most popular format but i
> want a simple contigouous fs for the purposes of booting an OS.
> 
> I'm implementing basic routines for the management of the fs at the moment but
> i've been planning ahead and i've encountered a problem.  It is necessary to
> access the disk and write the fs to it.  I was wondering if anyone knew of any
> Ada packages or techniques for accessing the disk in such a raw manner?  I need
> a way to write and read via blocks, sectors, tracks etc on the floppy.  I'm
> developing on windows 98 via GNAT.
> 
> Thanks,
> Chris Campbell