maybe VB is the wrong language ??

Hey guys.

I have tried for several months to write a small app that will let a user write data, not files but just data, to a cluster on a floppy disk that he or she specifies. It seems that it is impossible in VB.

Well, I want to know from those of you who program other languages, is there a language that is capable of this? If so, which one and where can I learn about it?

Also, I wonder if there is ANY way I can accomplish formatting a disk without using windows format or DOS format. I mean, in VB, totally rewrite the format process from beginning to end. Again, if not VB, then which language?

Thanks

Wengang

I don'y have any answers for you, but I have to ask, WHY do you want to do this? I understand why not just use whats already there? What strange project are you cooking up?

Well, this started as a quest to break this floppy key (that was needed to use a certain software). Because it was data written on the diskette but not in a file that made the pc recognize it and unlock the program, I tried disk imaging. Well, it didn't work because the floppy maker also marks sectors on the floppy as bad. Well, first that was easy to overcome by using Disk Edit to break up the readable portions of the disk, paste their Ascii code into text files and then write the data in those files back to other floppy diskettes at specified locations. Problem solved. Then I wanted to make a project that would do this in Windows, namely VB, to just click a button and convert a floppy. I was also able to accomplish this but not in the way I wanted, and also I had to format each diskette before it could be "converted". I just wanted to do this without "borrowing" Windows Format tool or DOS format tool. I know there is a solution because Norton Utilities can do this. SOOO, why can't I?

Oh, does anybody know which language NU was written in?

BTW, the original software that I cracked the floppy for was written in vb5. That's the amazing part!

Your answer lies in any C language. From what I know NU was written in assembler but even I tread as far away as possible from asm. Its a powerful language but its hard to grasp and unless you want to put your life through many hours of hell and torture stay away from this.

So anyway, try and get hold of Visual C++. Its the best C language out (in my opinion).

Assembly can surely do all low level stuff like writing data cluster by cluster but learning assembly(especially disk access routines with assembly) is very very difficult.
Use C++ instead. VC++ contains inline assembly if you ever need more control.

The only thing I would rely on in case would be NASM AKA NetWide Assembler and it's free. Do a search on it.

Thanks everybody. I didn't want to result to Assembly because of what I've heard about it. Last week I started VC but with only Basic background, it'll be a while before I can write what I mentioned. Thanks again.

oh yeah? is there a good forum like this one for VC? it's really improved my vb skills.