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F5 Twice - Not Displaying Correct Directory
DocumentID: 652428
Revision Date: 29-Feb-96 8:29:16 PM

The information in this document applies to:
WordPerfect® 5.1 for DOS

Problem

Symptoms: When a customer presses F5 twice, the program does not take him to the directory on his hard drive which was last displayed in List Files. Solutions: Additional testing revealed that WPINFO reported C: as a floppy drive. As noted in Folio memo WP51_2442, pressing F5 two times only works on fixed disk drives and network drives. Since the customer's C: drive wasn't recognized as a fixed drive, F5, F5 didn't work.

Another customer encountered this problem on the D: drive because after upgrading from DOS 3.3 to DOS 5.0, the D: partition was not updated to the proper version of DOS. Using Norton to update the partition corrected the problem.

The following information is an explanation of how WordPerfect determines the type of media.

In order to check for what kind of media is used, WP does a DOS call 1Ch. This gives the media descriptor byte. A value of F8h means fixed disk. If it is not an F8h, then WordPerfect will not go to the last directory with F5, F5. It is entirely possible for the media descriptor byte to be other than F8h and CHKDSK to still think it is a good disk. WPINFO uses the same routine as WP, so any media descriptor byte other than F8h causes the drive to be reported as a floppy. Here is some additional information:
1.      Backing up and then reformatting the hard drive (both low-level and with DOS) COULD change the media descriptor byte to the normal F8h value.
2.      The boot sector and FAT table information fades over time, so it is always a good idea to back up the drive, and then do a low-level and DOS format periodically.
3.      If CHKDSK reports "Probable Non-DOS Disk," it is highly recommended that customers resolve the situation using
      a.      Low-level, DOS
      b.      Norton
      c.      Other disk fixing programs so that CHKDSK no longer reports the error
4.      It is possible that a particular manufacturer may have ignored standard DOS specs and may not have set the media descriptor byte for F8h to correctly identify a fixed drive.
5.      Even if CHKDSK reports OK (no "Probable Non-DOS Disk" message), customers who find that WPINFO states the hard drive is a floppy should consider low-level and reformatting to see if this sets the media descriptor byte to F8h. If it doesn't, they should work with a hardware technician or the manufacturer to determine why it isn't being reset.
NOTE: Support operators should NOT assist customers in formatting their hard drives. Be careful when giving the above suggestions. An inexperienced user may think that formatting the hard drive is a standard procedure and may lose all his files and programs. If a customer opts to format his hard drive, make sure he understands that he should do so with the assistance of his technician.

Answer:

Details:


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