Syslinux - Jul 2013 - make efi64 install in syslinux-6.02-pre3 fail

> Which one, just out of curiosity?
They are Sony notbooks
> What is the "preload install script"?  Is the DVD
El-Torito-bootable and
> it runs something which reports that the system must be EFI _before_ it 
> boots any OS?
> If you are using PXE, then that's along the same lines as BIOS.  If
they
> want EFI, that's a stronger requirement than CD/DVD.  If you are
certain
> that the OS can be installed to a non-EFI system, then your PXE method 
> doesn't seem like it matches whichever PXE method the OS supports.
> Perhaps there is a supported network-boot-installation process for this 
> OS.  If you can find the NBP and DHCP parameters it needs, you can 
> likely chain the Network Bootstrap Program from a nice PXELINUX menu.
> 
> - Shao Miller
> 
The CD is based on Windows PE. It can be bootet in BIOS and EFI mode. 
I already tried the bootmgfw.efi from Windows. This work, but after the WinPE is
booted a program is stated and this check the BIOS
if it is set to EFI boot. If not it fail. This program also check the registry
for the boot media.
I tried to manually change it from Ramdisk to CDROM, but before it check the
registry it call a program named wpeutil and this change
the registry back to Ramdisk. I also can't rename the wpeutil because than
the program fail.

I tried to set the bootmode to legancy and was able to boot and run the program,
but before start to recover the system it checks the
boot mode and than it fails with the message that it isn't set to EFI.

The previos version of the recovery CD (WinXP and Win7) use a similar script,
but doesn't require EFI. I also can't use the older script
for the new systems, because the notebook types are hard coded in the script.

Regards
Michael

On 7/15/2013 05:35, Michael Szerencsits wrote:
>
>> Which one, just out of curiosity?
>
> They are Sony notbooks
>
Cool.
>
> The CD is based on Windows PE. It can be bootet in BIOS and EFI mode.
> I already tried the bootmgfw.efi from Windows. This work, but after the
WinPE is booted a program is stated and this check the BIOS
> if it is set to EFI boot. If not it fail. This program also check the
registry for the boot media.
> I tried to manually change it from Ramdisk to CDROM, but before it check
the registry it call a program named wpeutil and this change
> the registry back to Ramdisk. I also can't rename the wpeutil because
than the program fail.
>
> I tried to set the bootmode to legancy and was able to boot and run the
program, but before start to recover the system it checks the
> boot mode and than it fails with the message that it isn't set to EFI.
>
> The previos version of the recovery CD (WinXP and Win7) use a similar
script, but doesn't require EFI. I also can't use the older script
> for the new systems, because the notebook types are hard coded in the
script.
>
If the Windows OS is running and a program is checking for an optical 
disc drive, then you really need one of:
- A physical optical disc drive with the expected disc
- A virtual optical disc drive with the expected disc

Are you using either of these right now?  If you are using a physical 
OD, does it have a Syslinux EFI on it?  If you are [thinking about] 
using a virtual OD, which Windows driver will you use to drive it?

Even if there was a (U)EFI MEMDISK, you'd need an OS driver to drive it, 
since Windows won't be using (U)EFI to access the disc.

- Shao Miller

> If the Windows OS is running and a program is checking for an optical 
> disc drive, then you really need one of:
> - A physical optical disc drive with the expected disc
> - A virtual optical disc drive with the expected disc
> 
> Are you using either of these right now?  If you are using a physical 
> OD, does it have a Syslinux EFI on it?  If you are [thinking about] 
> using a virtual OD, which Windows driver will you use to drive it?
> 
> Even if there was a (U)EFI MEMDISK, you'd need an OS driver to drive
it,
> since Windows won't be using (U)EFI to access the disc.
> 
> - Shao Miller
> 
It doesn't check for an optical drive. When WinPE boot, it set a registry
entry
with the info about the boot methode (Ramdisk, HDD, CDROM,...) The program
looked
into this registry entry. I can manually update the entry, but when the program
start
it run a windows program named wpeutil which set the value back.

When booting via memdisk, the parameter is set to CDROM, but when booting via
Microsoft
bootmgfw.efi and also with wimboot the parameter is set to 'Ramdisk' and
I'm not able to
start the revovery procedure.

Currently we use a CD which boot the Microsoft bootmgfw.efi to boot. I've
not tried to
boot syslinux.efi via CD, because I have also problems to load syslinux.efi via
PXE on this
notebooks.

There is an other thread with Matt for this problem.

I'm not sure how memdisk for BIOS boot work, but when there was a similar
methode for EFI
that should work. There is no extra driver in Windows for the memdisk boot. I
think memdisk
emulate a standard CD drive and Windows can work with that.

Regards
Michael