Syslinux - Feb 2013 - [syslinux.exe] Failures to use\install on xp+ntfs

I made several attepmts using the tree of 5.01 2013.
My syslinux.cfg file has 

    display /path_to/syslinux.cfg

directive.

1. The installation, with a --directory option, was successful.
   After boot I got syslinux boot prompt.  The syslinux.cfg was not
   displayed.  I guess that means the MBR was there, but not the
   partition boot sector.

Then I noticed the thread at 
http://www.syslinux.org/archives/2012-December/019024.html .  
Couldn't find an ntfstest.exe in the tree.  Don't know if those tests
are relevant to my problems.  At this time I don't want to compile the
tree.  And not sure whether it is to be executed from the cmd prompt,
and what is the correct command line.  hd0 of the machine is only
30G.  hd0 1, the xp partition, is 14G. 

2. The second attempt was to run syslinux.exe without a --directory
   option.  The installation succeded.  When booting, I got the
   display of /syslinux.cfg.  But booting to XP failed.  The
   message was:

     failed to load COM32 file chain.c32

   syslinux.cfg has the lines

        kernel chain.c32
        append hd0 1

3. I thought that while trying to look into it, I will also have 
   syslinux running from c:\its_own_directory.  I tried two
   directories name.  With both names, syslinux.exe gave me

     Failed to move ldlinux.sys to destination directory: c:\dir\
     Failed to move ldlinux.c32 to destination directory: c:\dir\

   I can't tell why earlier syslinux.exe succeeded to install under
   a deeper directory, but with c:\a_directory_closer_to_c it failed.

> I made several attepmts using the tree of 5.01 2013.
> My syslinux.cfg file has 
> 
>     display /path_to/syslinux.cfg
> 
> directive.
> 
> 1. The installation, with a --directory option, was successful.
>    After boot I got syslinux boot prompt.  The syslinux.cfg was not
>    displayed.  I guess that means the MBR was there, but not the
>    partition boot sector.
> 
> Then I noticed the thread at 
> http://www.syslinux.org/archives/2012-December/019024.html .  
> Couldn't find an ntfstest.exe in the tree.  Don't know if those
tests
> are relevant to my problems.  At this time I don't want to compile the
> tree.  And not sure whether it is to be executed from the cmd prompt,
> and what is the correct command line.  hd0 of the machine is only
> 30G.  hd0 1, the xp partition, is 14G. 
> 
> 2. The second attempt was to run syslinux.exe without a --directory
>    option.  The installation succeded.  When booting, I got the
>    display of /syslinux.cfg.  But booting to XP failed.  The
>    message was:
> 
>      failed to load COM32 file chain.c32
> 
>    syslinux.cfg has the lines
> 
>         kernel chain.c32
>         append hd0 1
> 
> 3. I thought that while trying to look into it, I will also have 
>    syslinux running from c:\its_own_directory.  I tried two
>    directories name.  With both names, syslinux.exe gave me
> 
>      Failed to move ldlinux.sys to destination directory: c:\dir\
>      Failed to move ldlinux.c32 to destination directory: c:\dir\
> 
>    I can't tell why earlier syslinux.exe succeeded to install under
>    a deeper directory, but with c:\a_directory_closer_to_c it failed.
> 
 
If you want help, you would need to provide more detailed info. For 
example, the content of the cfg file, the exact installation command, 
the content of the directory where you installed SYSLINUX, and any 
error messages (after executing the installation command and/or after 
booting).

For your case #3, and using the same drive and directory you already 
mentioned, you should first create the directory (c:\dir\); and I 
would recommend the following installation command (under XP):
syslinux.exe --directory /dir/ --install c:

BEWARE: this will overwrite your current partition boot sector for 
"C:", so be careful about which drive letter you actually use. 
Generally speaking, I would tend to doubt this is the drive letter 
you really want to use, but of course it's up to you.

Note the use of slash "/" for the directory path.

Finally, you would need additional *.c32 files (from the same exact 
Syslinux version) copied to the same directory (but be careful not to 
overwrite what you already have in there), and the syslinux.cfg file 
too.

To be clear, I am NOT specifically recommending the mentioned 
directory ("\dir\") nor the drive ("C:"). I am just
providing some
general clues using the same path you initially mentioned in your 
case #3.

I now wonder if the Syslinux Wiki is not clear enough regarding the 
installation command line.

Regards,
Ady.

On Mon, 11 Feb, at 05:52:44AM, Regid Ichira wrote:
> I made several attepmts using the tree of 5.01 2013.
> My syslinux.cfg file has 
> 
>     display /path_to/syslinux.cfg
> 
> directive.
> 
> 1. The installation, with a --directory option, was successful.
>    After boot I got syslinux boot prompt.  The syslinux.cfg was not
>    displayed.  I guess that means the MBR was there, but not the
>    partition boot sector.
Could you paste your entire syslinux.cfg?
> 2. The second attempt was to run syslinux.exe without a --directory
>    option.  The installation succeded.  When booting, I got the
>    display of /syslinux.cfg.  But booting to XP failed.  The
>    message was:
> 
>      failed to load COM32 file chain.c32
> 
>    syslinux.cfg has the lines
> 
>         kernel chain.c32
>         append hd0 1
Did you copy chain.c32, libutil.c32 and libcom32.c32 to your
installation directory? Were there any other error messages printed?
> 3. I thought that while trying to look into it, I will also have 
>    syslinux running from c:\its_own_directory.  I tried two
>    directories name.  With both names, syslinux.exe gave me
> 
>      Failed to move ldlinux.sys to destination directory: c:\dir\
>      Failed to move ldlinux.c32 to destination directory: c:\dir\
> 
>    I can't tell why earlier syslinux.exe succeeded to install under
>    a deeper directory, but with c:\a_directory_closer_to_c it failed.
Did you create the subdirectory before running the Syslinux installer?
If I'm remembering correctly, the win installer will not create
subdirectories for you, they must already exist.

-- 
Matt Fleming, Intel Open Source Technology Center

On Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 03:23:46PM +0200, Ady wrote:
> 
> If you want help, you would need to provide more detailed info. For 
> example, the content of the cfg file, the exact installation command, 
> the content of the directory where you installed SYSLINUX, and any 
> error messages (after executing the installation command and/or after 
> booting).
> 

  I am now able to use syslinux the way I wanted to.  As pointed by
Matt Fleming, part of the problem was not having some files in the
syslinux working directory.  I am not sure what made all the other
glitches go away.

  The next question I was facing was:

  What should an XP installation should have in its syslinux.cfg in
order to install and boot XP, from within XP?

The hardware is a stand alone machine. One hd, with 2 partitions.  XP
installation CD was booted.  The CD installed XP into the 1st 
partition.  The other partition is empty.

  Running

    syslinux.exe --activate --directory /other/syslinux/ --force
                 --install --mbr c:

seem successful.  The following cfg was copied to 
/other/syslinux/syslinux.cfg before syslinux.exe was run:

    prompt   150
    display  /other/syslinux/syslinux.cfg
    
    default  xp
    
    label xp
            com32  chain.c32
            append hd0 1 ntldr=/ntldr
    
    label memtest
            kernel /others/syslinux/memtest86+.bin
    
The /other/syslinux/ has the following files:

    chain.c32     ldlinux.c32  libcom32.c32  memtest86+.bin
    syslinux.cfg  ldlinux.sys  libutil.c32   syslinux.exe

where ldlinux* were put there by syslinux.exe.

( There is most probably a problem with memtest86+.bin.  I assume it
  is irelevant for this list.)

On Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 10:16:38PM +0200, Regid Ichira
wrote:
> 
>     prompt   150
>     display  /other/syslinux/syslinux.cfg
>     
>     default  xp
>     
>     label xp
>             com32  chain.c32
>             append hd0 1 ntldr=/ntldr
>     
>     label memtest
>             kernel /others/syslinux/memtest86+.bin
>     
  The head shown here is wrong.  It should have been

        prompt   1
        timeout  150
        display  /other/syslinux/syslinux.cfg

           .
           .
           .