Syslinux - Jul 2013 - Dell OptiPlex GX620 can longer boot from CD with syslinux-5.X

Sorry for the delay, we were too busy drinking and playing with explosives
yesterday. :)

Here are some tests. We did one on a similar machine and it worked.
We deleted the configuration file, obviously.

# Dell OptiPlex GX620
ISOLINUX 5.11 5.11-pre7
isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
isolinux: Main image LBA = 00000115
isolinux: Image checksum error, sorry...

# Dell OptiPlex GX620
ISOLINUX 4.06 0x513e88f5
isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
isolinux: Main image LBA = 0000011D
isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
ERROR: No configuration file found
No DEFAULT or UI configuration directive found!
boot:

# Dell OptiPlex 9010
ISOLINUX 5.11 5.11-pre7
isolinux: Starting up, DL = EF
isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = EF
isolinux: Main image LBA = 00000115
isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
WARNING: No configuration file found
boot:

Hope this helps. Lets us know if you need anything.

Patrick

On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 8:38 PM, Gene Cumm <gene.cumm at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 8:57 PM, Patrick Verner <distrozilla at
gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > I'm not exactly sure what you need. Is this it?
> >
> > ISOLINUX 4.06 0x513e88f5
> > isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
> > isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
> > isolinux: Main image LBA = 0000011D
> > isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
> >
> > I created an iso with isolinux-debug.bin as the boot loader and booted
it
> > on that machine. If this is not what you are looking for, what are
> correct
> > steps?
>
> Sorry I wasn't specific.  Could you try isolinux-debug.bin from
> 5.11-pre7 on the GX620?
>
> > On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 4:43 PM, Gene Cumm <gene.cumm at
gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 5:06 PM, Patrick Verner <distrozilla at
gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >> >>>Could you do screen captures of the output of
meminfo.c32 when
> booting
> >> > ISOLINUX-4.06 as a CD and SYSLINUX-4.06 as a USB?
> >> >
> >> > The results both match for booting 4.06 via CD and USB:
> >>
> >> Thanks.
> >>
> >> > SYSLINUX 4.06 EDD 2012-10-23
> >> > boot: meminfo.c32
> >> > INT 15h = f000:f859  DOS RAM: 639K (0x9fc00)  INT 12h: 639K
(0x9fc00)
> >> > INT 15 88: 0xfc00 (64512K)  INT 15 E801: 0x3c00 (15360K)
0xbee8
> >> (3127808K)
> >> >        0 0000000000000000 00000000000a0000 00000000000a0000 1
[-]
> usable
> >> >        1 00000000000f0000 0000000000010000 0000000000100000 2
[-]
> >> reserved
> >> >        2 0000000000100000 00000000bfd86c00 00000000bfe86c00 1
[-]
> usable
> >> >        3 00000000bfe86c00 0000000000002000 00000000bfe88c00 4
[-] ACPI
> >> NVS
> >> >        4 00000000bfe88c00 0000000000002000 00000000bfe8ac00 3
[-] ACPI
> >> > reclaim
> >> >        5 00000000bfe8ac00 0000000000175400 00000000c0000000 2
[-]
> >> reserved
> >> >        6 00000000e0000000 0000000004000000 00000000e4000000 2
[-]
> >> reserved
> >> >        7 00000000fed20000 0000000000080000 00000000feda0000 2
[-]
> >> reserved
> >> >        8 00000000fed00000 0000000000000400 00000000fed00400 2
[-]
> >> reserved
> >> >        9 00000000fec00000 0000000000100000 00000000fed00000 2
[-]
> >> reserved
> >> >        a 00000000fee00000 0000000000100000 00000000fef00000 2
[-]
> >> reserved
> >> >        b 00000000ffb00000 0000000000500000 0000000100000000 2
[-]
> >> reserved
> >>
> >> I forgot that isolinux-debug.bin reordered the timing of when
certain
> >> messages are printed within the boot sector.  Could you post the
> >> results of isolinux-debug.bin?
> >>
> >> --
> >> -Gene
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Syslinux mailing list
> >> Submissions to Syslinux at zytor.com
> >> Unsubscribe or set options at:
> >> http://www.zytor.com/mailman/listinfo/syslinux
> >> Please do not send private replies to mailing list traffic.
> >>
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Syslinux mailing list
> > Submissions to Syslinux at zytor.com
> > Unsubscribe or set options at:
> > http://www.zytor.com/mailman/listinfo/syslinux
> > Please do not send private replies to mailing list traffic.
> >
>
>
>
> --
> -Gene
>
> A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text,
> especially the archives of mailing lists.
> Q: Why is Top-posting such a bad thing?
>
> "No one ever says, 'I can't read that ASCII(plain text) e-mail
you sent
> me.'"
> _______________________________________________
> Syslinux mailing list
> Submissions to Syslinux at zytor.com
> Unsubscribe or set options at:
> http://www.zytor.com/mailman/listinfo/syslinux
> Please do not send private replies to mailing list traffic.
>
>

On Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 1:23 PM, Patrick Verner <distrozilla at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Sorry for the delay, we were too busy drinking and playing with explosives
> yesterday. :)
No problem.  Many do that here.
> Here are some tests. We did one on a similar machine and it worked.
> We deleted the configuration file, obviously.
>
> # Dell OptiPlex GX620
> ISOLINUX 5.11 5.11-pre7
> isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
> isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
> isolinux: Main image LBA = 00000115
> isolinux: Image checksum error, sorry...
>
> # Dell OptiPlex GX620
> ISOLINUX 4.06 0x513e88f5
> isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
> isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
> isolinux: Main image LBA = 0000011D
> isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
> ERROR: No configuration file found
> No DEFAULT or UI configuration directive found!
> boot:
>
> # Dell OptiPlex 9010
> ISOLINUX 5.11 5.11-pre7
> isolinux: Starting up, DL = EF
> isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = EF
> isolinux: Main image LBA = 00000115
> isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
> WARNING: No configuration file found
> boot:
>
> Hope this helps. Lets us know if you need anything.
I presume same CD-RW burn used of the ISO with 5.11-pre7 in both
machines?  I know I've seen some drives flake out on some burns, hence
asking if you could boot the GX620 with a live Linux environment and
check the disc (to isolate hardware fault from negative interaction).
It appears the GX620 misreads something or gets the data trampled in
RAM.

Aside from checking the burn on that machine and inserting files to
push isolinux.bin to a later LBA, I'm not sure what else to do except
wait for someone else's response.

--
-Gene

Same CD. Any Linux distribution without the 5.X series boots on this
machine. We can use 4.06 and it boots just fine. It's not the computer's
hardware. Like I said, we can take the CD out of the GX620 and place it in
the 9010 and it boots. Put 4.06 on the CD, and they both boot.

Patrick

On Sat, Jul 6, 2013 at 7:18 AM, Gene Cumm <gene.cumm at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 1:23 PM, Patrick Verner <distrozilla at
gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Sorry for the delay, we were too busy drinking and playing with
> explosives
> > yesterday. :)
>
> No problem.  Many do that here.
>
> > Here are some tests. We did one on a similar machine and it worked.
> > We deleted the configuration file, obviously.
> >
> > # Dell OptiPlex GX620
> > ISOLINUX 5.11 5.11-pre7
> > isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
> > isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
> > isolinux: Main image LBA = 00000115
> > isolinux: Image checksum error, sorry...
> >
> > # Dell OptiPlex GX620
> > ISOLINUX 4.06 0x513e88f5
> > isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
> > isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
> > isolinux: Main image LBA = 0000011D
> > isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
> > ERROR: No configuration file found
> > No DEFAULT or UI configuration directive found!
> > boot:
> >
> > # Dell OptiPlex 9010
> > ISOLINUX 5.11 5.11-pre7
> > isolinux: Starting up, DL = EF
> > isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = EF
> > isolinux: Main image LBA = 00000115
> > isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
> > WARNING: No configuration file found
> > boot:
> >
> > Hope this helps. Lets us know if you need anything.
>
> I presume same CD-RW burn used of the ISO with 5.11-pre7 in both
> machines?  I know I've seen some drives flake out on some burns, hence
> asking if you could boot the GX620 with a live Linux environment and
> check the disc (to isolate hardware fault from negative interaction).
> It appears the GX620 misreads something or gets the data trampled in
> RAM.
>
> Aside from checking the burn on that machine and inserting files to
> push isolinux.bin to a later LBA, I'm not sure what else to do except
> wait for someone else's response.
>
> --
> -Gene
> _______________________________________________
> Syslinux mailing list
> Submissions to Syslinux at zytor.com
> Unsubscribe or set options at:
> http://www.zytor.com/mailman/listinfo/syslinux
> Please do not send private replies to mailing list traffic.
>
>

> Here are some tests. We did one on a similar machine and it worked.
> We deleted the configuration file, obviously.
> 
> # Dell OptiPlex GX620
> ISOLINUX 5.11 5.11-pre7
> isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
> isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
> isolinux: Main image LBA = 00000115
> isolinux: Image checksum error, sorry...
> 
> # Dell OptiPlex GX620
> ISOLINUX 4.06 0x513e88f5
> isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
> isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
> isolinux: Main image LBA = 0000011D
> isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
> ERROR: No configuration file found
> No DEFAULT or UI configuration directive found!
> boot:
> 
> # Dell OptiPlex 9010
> ISOLINUX 5.11 5.11-pre7
> isolinux: Starting up, DL = EF
> isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = EF
> isolinux: Main image LBA = 00000115
> isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
> WARNING: No configuration file found
> boot:
> 
> Hope this helps. Lets us know if you need anything.
> 
> Patrick
> 
> On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 8:38 PM, Gene Cumm <gene.cumm at gmail.com>
wrote:
> 
> > On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 8:57 PM, Patrick Verner <distrozilla at
gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > > I'm not exactly sure what you need. Is this it?
> > >
> > > ISOLINUX 4.06 0x513e88f5
> > > isolinux: Starting up, DL = 82
> > > isolinux: Loaded spec packet OK, drive = 82
> > > isolinux: Main image LBA = 0000011D
> > > isolinux: Main image read, jumping to main code...
> > >
> > > I created an iso with isolinux-debug.bin as the boot loader and
booted it
> > > on that machine. If this is not what you are looking for, what
are
> > correct
> > > steps?
> >
> > Sorry I wasn't specific.  Could you try isolinux-debug.bin from
> > 5.11-pre7 on the GX620?
> >
> > > On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 4:43 PM, Gene Cumm <gene.cumm at
gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >> On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 5:06 PM, Patrick Verner
<distrozilla at gmail.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >> >>>Could you do screen captures of the output of
meminfo.c32 when
> > booting
> > >> > ISOLINUX-4.06 as a CD and SYSLINUX-4.06 as a USB?
> > >> >
> > >> > The results both match for booting 4.06 via CD and USB:
> > >>
> > >> Thanks.
> > >>
> > >> > SYSLINUX 4.06 EDD 2012-10-23
> > >> > boot: meminfo.c32
> > >> > INT 15h = f000:f859  DOS RAM: 639K (0x9fc00)  INT 12h:
639K (0x9fc00)
> > >> > INT 15 88: 0xfc00 (64512K)  INT 15 E801: 0x3c00 (15360K)
0xbee8
> > >> (3127808K)
> > >> >        0 0000000000000000 00000000000a0000
00000000000a0000 1 [-]
> > usable
> > >> >        1 00000000000f0000 0000000000010000
0000000000100000 2 [-]
> > >> reserved
> > >> >        2 0000000000100000 00000000bfd86c00
00000000bfe86c00 1 [-]
> > usable
> > >> >        3 00000000bfe86c00 0000000000002000
00000000bfe88c00 4 [-] ACPI
> > >> NVS
> > >> >        4 00000000bfe88c00 0000000000002000
00000000bfe8ac00 3 [-] ACPI
> > >> > reclaim
> > >> >        5 00000000bfe8ac00 0000000000175400
00000000c0000000 2 [-]
> > >> reserved
> > >> >        6 00000000e0000000 0000000004000000
00000000e4000000 2 [-]
> > >> reserved
> > >> >        7 00000000fed20000 0000000000080000
00000000feda0000 2 [-]
> > >> reserved
> > >> >        8 00000000fed00000 0000000000000400
00000000fed00400 2 [-]
> > >> reserved
> > >> >        9 00000000fec00000 0000000000100000
00000000fed00000 2 [-]
> > >> reserved
> > >> >        a 00000000fee00000 0000000000100000
00000000fef00000 2 [-]
> > >> reserved
> > >> >        b 00000000ffb00000 0000000000500000
0000000100000000 2 [-]
> > >> reserved
> > >>
> > >> I forgot that isolinux-debug.bin reordered the timing of when
certain
> > >> messages are printed within the boot sector.  Could you post
the
> > >> results of isolinux-debug.bin?
> > --
> > -Gene
> >
> > A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text,
> > especially the archives of mailing lists.
> > Q: Why is Top-posting such a bad thing?
> >
> > "No one ever says, 'I can't read that ASCII(plain text)
e-mail you sent
> > me.'"
> > _______________________________________________
 
As Gene hinted more than once, let's follow bottom-post style, so to 
make this thread readable.

If I understand correctly, the GX620 is not booting with ISOLINUX 
5.1x, but it boots with SYSLINUX 5.1x.

I don't know if the following could actually help, so just in case it 
does...

In Syslinux 5.11-pre8, there is a new debug.c32 module. Booting with 
UFD with SYSLINUX 5.11-pre8 official binaries (also including all 
lib*.c32 official files from the same archive, without menus, only 
boot prompt) so to use debug.c32 might, perhaps, add some new info 
(?). Probably a Syslinux development member could provide more 
detailed instructions, such as which parameters to append to 
debug.c32 in the boot prompt.

Perhaps using 5.11-pre8 official SYSLINUX with meminfo.c32, 
dmitest.c32, hdt.c32, ... (from same official 5.11-pre8 archive) 
might result in different values and/or behavior than before? Again, 
Syslinux developers probably needed.

Additional tests could possibly involve ISOLINUX 5.02-pre2 and/or 
5.02-pre3 (before the merging of 4.10), using isolinux-debug.bin and 
all c32 modules from the same official package (and, as mentioned 
before, with boot prompt as default instead of menu, or no cfg at 
all). I still doubt the behavior would be different than in 5.1x, but 
you never know.

These are just a few possible testing ideas, and in any case they 
would need additional guidance from Syslinux developers.

FWIW, I have seen at least one report (not in this ML) of other Dell 
system being unable to boot with ISOLINUX 5.01 nor with ISOLINUX 5.10 
(so perhaps this is on all ISOLINUX 5.xx?) while successfully booting 
with the same CD an old Compaq. It might or might not be related to 
the same issue presented in this email thread.

Regards,
Ady.

On 07/06/2013 11:16 AM, Ady wrote:
> 
> I don't know if the following could actually help, so just in case it 
> does...
> 
> In Syslinux 5.11-pre8, there is a new debug.c32 module. Booting with 
> UFD with SYSLINUX 5.11-pre8 official binaries (also including all 
> lib*.c32 official files from the same archive, without menus, only 
> boot prompt) so to use debug.c32 might, perhaps, add some new info 
> (?). Probably a Syslinux development member could provide more 
> detailed instructions, such as which parameters to append to 
> debug.c32 in the boot prompt.
> 
I don't think it would... this is very early stuff.  The *good* part is
that the debugging messages are quite clear which gives us something to
work on.

	-hpa