Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 23:29:43 +0930 From: Matthew Thyer <thyerm@camtech.com.au> To: "Carlos C. Tapang" <ctapang@easystreet.com> Cc: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>, current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: SUMMARY: why you cant use FBSDBOOT.EXE anymore (Was: Re: FBSDBOOT.EXE) Message-ID: <3742C3CF.B8ADD15F@camtech.com.au> References: <006201bea0ae$7e656340$0d787880@apex.tapang>
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The problem is that recent versions of MS-DOS (version 7 and above ? ...definitely the DOS that comes with Windows 98 and I think the DOS with Windows 95 under some circumstances) change various vectors which destroy FBSDBOOTs ability to work (this is because there is no way to determine where these vectors used to point and the original addresses are required for correct operation of either FBSDBOOT or the kernel/ loader). What I do know is that at least some older versions of MS-DOS do not do this. Therefore it *MAY* be possible to make a DOS 6.0, 6.20 or even 6.22 boot floppy which runs FBSDBOOT.EXE to boot your a.out FreeBSD kernel and hence the whole system. Hopefully now that Carlos Tapang has updated FBSDBOOT.EXE for ELF, such a boot floppy could boot a 3.1, 3.2 or -CURRENT system. Unfortunately the project cannot guarantee anything when you are booting from another vendor's operating system (such as MS-DOS) so its a lot easier to say that FBSDBOOT.EXE has been retired. Given the number of different DOSes that exist, that's an entirely understandable policy. I hope this clears things up (and adds a good summary to the archives). "Carlos C. Tapang" wrote: > > Mike, Thanks for trying fbsdboot.exe. I need more information to fix it. I > would like to fix it, so please describe exactly what the problem is. What > do you mean by the "need to reboot the system to restore various vectors > that DOS destroys"? Do you mean that prior to executing the FreeBSD kernel > init routines, DOS does something to the loaded area? I'm sorry I can't find > any info on this either in the mail threads or in freebsd.org. Probably I'm > not looking hard enough, but I believe it would be more efficient to just > ask you. > > Carlos C. Tapang > http://www.genericwindows.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au> > To: Carlos C. Tapang <ctapang@easystreet.com> > Cc: Bob Bishop <rb@gid.co.uk>; Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>; > current@freebsd.org <current@freebsd.org> > Date: Sunday, May 16, 1999 7:28 PM > Subject: Re: FBSDBOOT.EXE > > >> >It doesn't work. Don't use it. You need to reboot the system to > >> >restore various vectors that DOS destroys. Please see the previous > >> >threads on this topic, especially anything from Robert Nordier. > >> > > >> The most relevant piece I can find from R. Nordier is the following: > >> "The fbsdboot.exe program should probably be considered obsolete. It > >> should (in theory) be possible to use it to load /boot/loader, which > >> can then load the kernel, but there are various reasons this doesn't > >> work too well." > > > >These reasons were also expounded, and I did summarise them in another > >message on this thread. > > > >> I have not tested the updated program with /boot/loader. /boot/loader does > >> not help me because my root directory is in a memory file system, and I can > >> not assume that my users will want to reformat their DOS drives or even > >> repartition it. So all FreeBSD files are in the DOS file system. > > > >The loader won't help you because you are booting from under DOS, but > >the loader will boot the kernel just fine off a DOS filesystem. > > > >-- > >\\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith > >\\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au > >\\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org > >\\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com > > > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message -- /=======================================================================\ | Work: Matthew.Thyer@dsto.defence.gov.au | Home: thyerm@camtech.net.au | \=======================================================================/ "If it is true that our Universe has a zero net value for all conserved quantities, then it may simply be a fluctuation of the vacuum of some larger space in which our Universe is imbedded. In answer to the question of why it happened, I offer the modest proposal that our Universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time." E. P. Tryon from "Nature" Vol.246 Dec.14, 1973 To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message
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