Syslinux - Aug 2008 - HP Drive Key Boot Utility works (2.10?), but syslinux 3.71 doesn't

Hi folks.  I'm not very well versed in linux (although I understand the
basics, having used unix quite a bit - albeit a long time ago).  I've
decided to make the break from windows, and I'm trying to learn
something along the way.

 

So, I have a Dell Vostro 200, Core 2 Duo, shipped with no OS.  I decided
to try the Live USB approach to get started.  The first step, of course,
is to make the USB stick bootable.  I have a sandisk cruzer micro 8gb,
and also a dane-elec 1gb.

 

Please note:  right now, I'm not even trying to load up an OS - I'm just
trying to make the stick bootable in some way.

 

I have a winXP box, which I'm trying to use to set everything up.  So I
downloaded syslinux 3.71, and ran the win32 version.  It ran fine with
no errors on the cruzer.  But when I tried to boot from it on the new
box, all I saw was "Boot error".  This message appears (from looking
at
the source) to be printed from the ldlinux module, which means the MBR
was set up properly, right?

 

I thought it might be a funky memory stick, so I tried with the
dane-elec - same problem.

 

Finally, after lots of searching I found the HP Drive Key Boot Utility,
which I told to use "Hard Drive" mode (on the dane-elec).  After it
installed syslinux, I cancelled it before it put on an image.  Then when
I tried to boot from it on the new box, voila!  I saw:

 

SYSLINUX 2.10 2004-06-18  Copyright (C) 1994-2004 H. Peter Anvin

 

.plus an error message (since I didn't actually have an OS image on the
stick - which is fine).  What's the difference here?  I've seen it said
that booting from USB is a bit of a black art, which I find
disconcerting.

 

Out of curiosity, I copied the ldlinux.sys file that 3.71 had installed
(and I had saved off) over the HP version - when trying to boot with
that, it says "Boot failed" instead of "Boot error".  But
this may be a
meaningless test - does ldlinux.sys have to be written into specific
disk blocks?

 

I looked at the syslinux 2.10 package with a thought of trying to run it
and narrow down the differences, but unfortunately it doesn't have the
precompiled program, and I don't have time to figure out how to compile
it right now.  So I don't know if it's the syslinux version, or some
other mojo that the HP tool is doing.

 

I could probably proceed using the HP tool - but I'd really like to
understand why syslinux isn't working.  And I realize there might not be
enough info here to do anything with, but I'm writing just in case it
spurs some thoughts in someone.

 

Thanks!

 

Alex Dommasch

Alex Dommasch wrote:
> 
> SYSLINUX 2.10 2004-06-18  Copyright (C) 1994-2004 H. Peter Anvin
> 
> .plus an error message (since I didn't actually have an OS image on the
> stick - which is fine).  What's the difference here?  I've seen it
said
> that booting from USB is a bit of a black art, which I find
> disconcerting.
> 
> Out of curiosity, I copied the ldlinux.sys file that 3.71 had installed
> (and I had saved off) over the HP version - when trying to boot with
> that, it says "Boot failed" instead of "Boot error". 
But this may be a
> meaningless test - does ldlinux.sys have to be written into specific
> disk blocks?
> 
The biggest difference between Syslinux 2.x and Syslinux 3.x is that 
Syslinux 3.x supports EBIOS.  Therefore one can make the guess that the 
Dell BIOS is broken with regards to EBIOS support (reports presence but 
not actually supports.)  This is the second such report I have gotten in 
a short amount of time, so I think I need to make an option to disable 
the EBIOS support at install time.

	-hpa