# Creating Image file / exact copy of a CF Card?



## Scrat

How can i make an 'exact copy' / 'image file' of a Compact Flash Card, which i can then put copy/burn onto multipul CF Cards?

Does anyone know how to view or edit the manufacturer's ID tag/sector on a CF Card that tells your computer how big the card is etc.?

An help or info about these questions or CF Cards would be great.

Thanks guys.... and gals


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## Praetor

- If you goto the format options for the CF card you can read the id (same as with DIR)
- As for imaging, any imaging/archivign application can deal wiith it


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## Scrat

I have a 'device' that uses only a special model of 128MB CF Card but want to be able to use any model in it. It imposible to edit the 'device's' software so i have to play with the CF Cards.

Normaly windows will format these cards to be 121Mb of free space however this perticular CF Card has a 122Mb file on it which i have finaly managed to 'image copy' onto another 128Mb CF card... the only problem left now I believe is that the 'device' is reading the CF Card's Device Name and wont work with other names.

Does anyone know if its posible, or even better yet... How can I edit the manufactures tag on a CF Card that tell the computer what Model/Brand of card it is????


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## Praetor

Slightly confused overall 



> i  have a 'device' that uses only a special model of 128MB CF Card


What's the device? 



> but want to be able to use any model in it


Depends on the device, I dont thnk you'll be able to do it tho



> It imposible to edit the 'device's' software so I have to play with the CF Cards.


Probably doable but definitely not easy .. would require messing around with embedded firmware and stuff ... definitely messy hacking.



> i have finaly managed to 'image copy' onto another 128Mb CF card


How did you perform this image



> the only problem left now I believe is that the 'device' is reading the CF Card's Device Name and wont work with other names.


Ok so the "drive" cant interact with *any* CF cards? or just not with anything but the new 128MB card that you made or not with anything but the original 121MB CF card?




> Does anyone know if its posible, or even better yet... How can I edit the manufactures tag on a CF Card that tell the computer what Model/Brand of card it is????


I suspect it wont be doable


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## Super_Nova

Winimage maybe? Does the CF card have a drive letter? might work.


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## Scrat

Praetor said:
			
		

> What's the device?



Cant say here, but its a device used at my work, and you prob never will come across it.



			
				Praetor said:
			
		

> How did you perform this image



I used a trial version of "Floppy Image" from "Rundegren.com" in which i selected the 'B' drive option from the Menu - Edit\Settings\Floppy Disk\Access
Then edited its registary entry under "FDLetter" at "HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1757981266-1482476501-839522115-500\Software\Rundegren.com\Floppy Image\Settings" from being "B:" to the drive letter of my CF Card.




			
				Praetor said:
			
		

> Ok so the "drive" cant interact with *any* CF cards? or just not with anything but the new 128MB card that you made or not with anything but the original 121MB CF card?



The manufacture of the device has stopped it from working with any CF card other that the 128MB ones supplied by them(which of course are ridiculously expensive). On top of this, if the CF card gets corrupted you couldn't copy the file back onto it due the the files size being 1MB bigger than what windows would re-forrmat the card to.... this i have now overcome with above procedure.
I beleive that now the only thing stopping me from using any 128MB CF card in the device, is that it is reading the Brand/Model name of the CF Card and wont let you use it unless the one they sell.




			
				Praetor said:
			
		

> I suspect it wont be doable


D'OH! Please don't tell me that.... 
any ideas at all?


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## Praetor

> I beleive that now the only thing stopping me from using any 128MB CF card in the device, is that it is reading the Brand/Model name of the CF Card and wont let you use it unless the one they sell.


Makes sense.



> D'OH! Please don't tell me that....


Short of cracking a "standard" CF card apart and having a look ... which i suspect you wont find anything like switches but rather everything is embeded ... which means to hack it you will prolly have to employ a method similar to brute-force-flashing i.e, rewrite the firmcode stamp and somehow imprinting the card with that new codee ... but since CF cards dont support a "firmware" as we know it ... you wont be really able to do that ...meaning the only route (which i wouldnt think is available because it represents an increased production cost) would be to assume the firmcode thingy is not set to read-only (and theres no reason to think that it wouldnt be ) and ... assuming you can somehow imprint the firmcode ... without frying the CF card (cuz you're essentially using a voltage surge) ... then success ... i dont think its modifiable via software ... and would be quite surprised if it was


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## Scrat

_Holy Thread Resurrection Batman!!!_




			
				Scrat said:
			
		

> Does anyone know how to view or edit the manufacturer's ID tag/sector on a CF Card that tells your computer how big the card is etc.?


Just wondering if anyone has ideas now on how to do this now?

.


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