DOS ain't dead

MS-DOS LABEL: "Cannot make directory entry" error? (Users)

posted by Arjay, 27.12.2013, 04:15

> But when I typed in a new label at the LABEL prompt, I got this error
> message:
>
> "Cannot make a directory entry."

Volume labels appear in the FAT can also have the read-only attribute set and label.exe will observe this and if set prevent the label being changed. I think also if I remember correctly that setting a system attribute on a volume label also prevents it being found by label.exe

On a related technical note (I don't suggest you try this) you can switch the volume attribute on and off and make the volume label appear as an empty zero byte file in a directory listing. It's date is the creation date, so you can also tell when a volume label was set. Likewise other files with data in can be set as the volume label and it is possible to have more than 1 volume label in the FAT. From memory DOS looks for the first volume label it finds and displays that. But there are various weird things you can do with them.

Anyway it is rare for read-only volume labels to exist but they can, so that could also be the problem if you've ensured the disk isn't readonly as well.

Rare in that I think from memory all of the readonly volume labels I did were manually created. Off hand I can't think of anything that supports making them. I really can't remember as it has been such a long time since I made a read-only volume label. However I did remember about them when I was writing the first version of RJDOS hence why it displays the volume label as a file entry (which it is) with all it's attributes. Rayer is right re the other entry in the bootsector which is often left alone by some label programs.

Never understood the need for both, sure there is a good historical reason. Disk serial numbers were added in DOS 4 and exist in the bootsector only.

Complete thread:

• MS-DOS LABEL: "Cannot make directory entry" error? - CluelessInSeattl, 26.12.2013, 17:19
  • MS-DOS LABEL: "Cannot make directory entry" error? - RayeR, 26.12.2013, 18:41
  • MS-DOS LABEL: "Cannot make directory entry" error? - Arjay, 27.12.2013, 04:15