Syslinux - Jul 2007 - Problem booting from CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives using syslinux

I've run into a rather odd problem. It seems that I can format and make 
bootable CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives under Windows 98SE and MS-DOS 
6.22 that will boot to a A: prompt on my system.


But when I try making the same CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives bootable 
under linux using syslinux I get nothing, not even a error message. It's
like the syslinux bootloader doesn't even exist on the CF/SD cards and 
USB Flashdrives.

I've looked at the CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives using Gparted and it 
says the cards using syslinux are bootable, so that's not the problem.

I'm pretty sure the CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives aren't being 
formated as USB-ZIP under Win98se and MS-DOS 6.22, so why can I create
bootable CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives under Win98se and MS-DOS 6.22, 
but not under Linux using syslinux?

Am I overlooking something here?

Here's a look at my motherboard and BIOS.

*-core
       description: Motherboard
       product: D845GVSR
       vendor: Intel Corporation
       physical id: 0
       version: AAC45439-302
       serial: BTSR44406009
       slot: Audio Line In
     
*-firmware
          description: BIOS
          vendor: Intel Corp.
          physical id: 0
          version: VA84510A.86A.0050.P18.0409222329 (09/22/2004)
          size: 64KB
          capacity: 448KB
          capabilities: pci pnp apm upgrade shadowing cdboot bootselect edd
          int13floppynec int13floppytoshiba int13floppy360 
          int13floppy1200 int13floppy720 int13floppy2880 int5printscreen 
          int9keyboard int14serial int17printer int10video acpi usb agp 
          ls120boot zipboot biosbootspecification netboot

c.lee111 at gmail.com wrote:
> I've run into a rather odd problem. It seems that I can format and make
> bootable CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives under Windows 98SE and MS-DOS 
> 6.22 that will boot to a A: prompt on my system.
> 
> 
> But when I try making the same CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives bootable 
> under linux using syslinux I get nothing, not even a error message.
It's
> like the syslinux bootloader doesn't even exist on the CF/SD cards and 
> USB Flashdrives.
> 
> I've looked at the CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives using Gparted and it
> says the cards using syslinux are bootable, so that's not the problem.
> 
> I'm pretty sure the CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives aren't being 
> formated as USB-ZIP under Win98se and MS-DOS 6.22, so why can I create
> bootable CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives under Win98se and MS-DOS 6.22, 
> but not under Linux using syslinux?
They're probably triggering different bugs.  In particular Win98SE and 
MS-DOS may not be using EBIOS, whereas syslinux might be trying to and 
getting a hard lockup.

The first thing to try is to install syslinux with the -s option.  I 
need to add an option to force CBIOS, too.
> Am I overlooking something here?
> 
> Here's a look at my motherboard and BIOS.
What program are you using to print this summary out, out of curiosity?

	-hpa

c.lee111 at gmail.com wrote:
> I've run into a rather odd problem. It seems that I can format and make
> bootable CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives under Windows 98SE and MS-DOS 
> 6.22 that will boot to a A: prompt on my system.
>
>
> But when I try making the same CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives bootable 
> under linux using syslinux I get nothing, not even a error message.
It's
> like the syslinux bootloader doesn't even exist on the CF/SD cards and 
> USB Flashdrives.
>
> I've looked at the CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives using Gparted and it
> says the cards using syslinux are bootable, so that's not the problem.
>
> I'm pretty sure the CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives aren't being 
> formated as USB-ZIP under Win98se and MS-DOS 6.22, so why can I create
> bootable CF/SD cards and USB Flashdrives under Win98se and MS-DOS 6.22, 
> but not under Linux using syslinux?
>   
Could be a BIOS issue. My BIOS (ASUS) always assumes that any device
under 512MB is a USB Floppy and above it assumes is a USB HDD. For a USB
PEN/CF/SD under those 512MB to be detected as a USB HDD, there is an
option ( BIOS ) that forces it to behave like one.

Also, have you tried to issue syslinux with -ma options ?

Hope it helps,
Rui Santos

> Am I overlooking something here?
>
> Here's a look at my motherboard and BIOS.
>
> *-core
>        description: Motherboard
>        product: D845GVSR
>        vendor: Intel Corporation
>        physical id: 0
>        version: AAC45439-302
>        serial: BTSR44406009
>        slot: Audio Line In
>      
> *-firmware
>           description: BIOS
>           vendor: Intel Corp.
>           physical id: 0
>           version: VA84510A.86A.0050.P18.0409222329 (09/22/2004)
>           size: 64KB
>           capacity: 448KB
>           capabilities: pci pnp apm upgrade shadowing cdboot bootselect edd
>           int13floppynec int13floppytoshiba int13floppy360 
>           int13floppy1200 int13floppy720 int13floppy2880 int5printscreen 
>           int9keyboard int14serial int17printer int10video acpi usb agp 
>           ls120boot zipboot biosbootspecification netboot
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
>

[root at localhost mystuff]# /usr/share/syslinux/mkdiskimage -z /dev/sdg 0 64 32
[root at localhost mystuff]# syslinux /dev/sdg1

PS. This change to using mkdiskimage would most likely work better than 
the above since it handles larger (1 gig+) SD/CF/USB Flashdrives better.

Well, it does on my system....

[root at localhost clee2]# /usr/share/syslinux/mkdiskimage -z /dev/sdg 0 255 63
[root at localhost clee2]# syslinux /dev/sdg1

[root at localhost clee2]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdg

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sdg: 1025 MB, 1025482752 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 124 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdg1   *           1         124      995998+   6  FAT16
   
Command (m for help):q