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Vashna
Velociraptor
Joined: Apr 20, 2008
Posts: 467
Location: Illinois
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 Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 1:02 am Post subject: Volume Serial Number in Windows and MS-DOS |
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| I am familiar with how volume serial numbers are calculated (it involves the exact date and time the computer clock shows when they are formated on a DOS/Windows system.) However, I am a bit confused as to why anyone would want to use this data. I mean, I've used the number a few times to identify disks I did not put labels on, but a text volume label string is much more efficient for doing that. Thanks! |
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peterd
Velociraptor
Joined: Dec 26, 2006
Age: 57
Posts: 443
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| Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 7:07 am Post subject: |
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There's a lot of stuff in the Windows universe that smacks of the old song:
We're here because we're here, because we're here, because we're here,
because we're here... (repeat ad nauseam)
Actually, there's more than a little bit of that in the opensource universe too. But at least there we can say it's like that because we made it that way. |
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Vashna
Velociraptor
Joined: Apr 20, 2008
Posts: 467
Location: Illinois
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| Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 11:57 am Post subject: |
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Haha, very true. Doesn't UNIX/Linux type operating system software have a very similar subroutine that ends up assigning a volume serial number as well?
I had finally found an article on it if anyone's interested on what I found. Again, I hope I am not being arrogant. Operating Systems that use volume serial numbers use them to check if a volume has been changed, i.e. if a disk has been removed or changed out of its drive. Apparently, they once used the volume label for this, but since you aren't required to give a disk a volume lable, this probably did not work very well at all. |
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Ichinin
Velociraptor
Joined: Apr 04, 2009
Posts: 405
Location: Sweden
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| Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 4:34 pm Post subject: Re: Volume Serial Number in Windows and MS-DOS |
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| Vashna wrote: | | I am a bit confused as to why anyone would want to use this data. |
"Back in the days" when we used (floppy) disks, i think one use for it was to use it as a copy protection mechanism. And like suggested, it can also be used to detect whenever a volume had its media changed to a new disk.
_________________
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring" (Carl Sagan)
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Vashna
Velociraptor
Joined: Apr 20, 2008
Posts: 467
Location: Illinois
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 12:30 am Post subject: |
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| Ah, I can see how that would be useful copy protection, provided you never restored a program from a backup onto a different disk or onto that same disk but reformatted. |
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