FAT16 or FAT32 boot sector doesn't matter???

An experience I thought I should share:

Some time ago I wrote a small VB6 program to save and restore disk boot
sectors, so I don't have to go through DOS every time to format and
bootprep them. Now when I start using a new CompactFlash, I just install a
copy of the bootsector BOOTPREP created on another one of the same type,
without leaving windows and looking for a DOS floppy.


Now I just found out that, by mistake, I formatted a Sandisk 1GB CF to
FAT32, put an XPe target onto it, and installed a FAT16 boot sector.


That's not a typo: a FAT16 boot sector on a FAT32 disk.


Plugged the CF into the target board, powered it on, and it just boots and
works as if nothing's wrong.

Connect it to a CF reader, look at its properties in explorer: it says
FAT32, but the bootsector (saved to a new file to make absolutely sure)
says FAT16.
.

Relevant Pages

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