[syslinux] "Dos installer" from Win98se

Shao Miller
Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:50:54 -0000

Prof S W Damle wrote:
>
> ...Ran "syslinux" as follows:
>
> C:\WINDOWS>format o:/s
>
> WARNING, ALL DATA ON DISK
> DRIVE O: WILL BE LOST!
> Proceed with Format (Y/N)?y
>
>
> Checking existing disk format.
> Verifying 483.48M
> Format complete.
> System transferred
>
> Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)?
>
>   506,699,776 bytes total disk space
>       409,600 bytes used by system
>   506,290,176 bytes available on disk
>
>         8,192 bytes in each allocation unit.
>        61,803 allocation units available on disk.
>
> Volume Serial Number is 1640-0F01
>
>

I don't remember just now if the DOS Syslinux installer automatically
creates a subdirectory when you use the '-d' switch, so you might do:

C:\WINDOWS>mkdir o:\syslinux

At this point.  H. Peter might come back and say that it does, but I
doubt it could hurt to try.

> C:\WINDOWS>
> C:\WINDOWS>cd c:\
>
> C:\>syslinux -sma -d syslinux o:
> ...
> ...
> read_device(15,00002fa4,1,0)
> Trying unlock 0001... ok 0001
> set_attributes("O:\ldlinux.sys", 0x00)
> creat("O:\ldlinux.sys", 0x0)
> close(5)
> set_attributes("O:\ldlinux.sys", 0x07)
> Trying lock 020f... ok 440d
> read_device(15,00003518,1,0)
> read_device(15,00003738,1,485)
> read_device(15,00003958,1,1)
> set_attributes("O:\ldlinux.sys", 0x00)
> rename("O:\ldlinux.sys", "O:\syslinux\ldlinux.sys")
> rv = 3
> syslinux: warning: cannot move ldlinux.sys
> set_attributes("O:\ldlinux.sys", 0x07)
> write_device(15,00002fa4,1,1317)
> write_device(15,00002fa4,1,1318)
> write_device(15,00002fa4,1,1319)
> read_mbr(15,000031a4) rv(0861) = 0000
> Searching for partition offset: 00000020
> Trying unlock 0001... ok 0001
> Trying unlock 0000... ok ffff
> syslinux: partition not found (-a is not implemented for logical
> partitions)
>
> C:\>
>
> It may please be noted that my "removable Disk" is recognized as
"o:"
>

What is the nature of this "removable disk O: drive"?  Is it an HDD?
A
USB stick?  A floppy?  How does it attach to your computer?  With USB?
Floppies (or supperfloppy-style USB disks) don't have MBRs or partition
tables.

- Shao Miller