Syslinux - Sep 2013 - syslinux.exe, 5.01 on xp: Failed to load COM32 file, and more

Platform: MS XP

  1. cfg file:
prompt   1
timeout  150
display  /downloadedPrograms/syslinux/syslinux.cfg

default  xp
label  xp
        com32  chain.c32
        append hd0  1  ntldr=/ntldr
label  de
        com32  chain.c32
        append hd0  2
label  memtest
        linux  memtest86+.bin
label  hello
        com32  hello.c32

  2. Installed by
>From xp cmd prompt:
    c:\downloadedPrograms\syslinux\syslinux.exe --active     \
           --directory /downloadedPrograms/syslinux/ --force \
           --install --mbr c:
The line, and the contniuation slashes, are for clarity.  In reality
it was on a single line.

  3. Result:
Got a boot: prompt after displaying the cfg file.  But:

    boot: xp
    Failed to load COM32 file chain.c32
    boot: memtest
    Loading memtest86+.bin... ok
    Booting kernel failed: Bad file number
    boot: hello
    Hello, world, from 0x001FA200! malloc return 0x001fb660

On Sat, Sep 14, 2013 at 3:20 PM, Regid Ichira <regid23 at nt1.in> wrote:
> label  xp
>         com32  chain.c32
>         append hd0  1  ntldr=/ntldr
>   2. Installed by
> From xp cmd prompt:
>     c:\downloadedPrograms\syslinux\syslinux.exe --active     \
>            --directory /downloadedPrograms/syslinux/ --force \
>            --install --mbr c:
Why are you using "--force"?
> The line, and the contniuation slashes, are for clarity.  In reality
> it was on a single line.
>
>   3. Result:
> Got a boot: prompt after displaying the cfg file.  But:
>
>     boot: xp
>     Failed to load COM32 file chain.c32
Do you have any lib*.c32 files around?  Which ones?  Tried manually
loading libgpl.c32?
>     boot: memtest
>     Loading memtest86+.bin... ok
>     Booting kernel failed: Bad file number
This works in 6.02-pre16.

-- 
-Gene

On Sat, Sep 14, 2013 at 04:51:52PM -0400, Gene Cumm
wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 14, 2013 at 3:20 PM, Regid Ichira <regid23 at nt1.in>
wrote:
> 
> > label  xp
> >         com32  chain.c32
> >         append hd0  1  ntldr=/ntldr
> 
> >   2. Installed by
> > From xp cmd prompt:
> >     c:\downloadedPrograms\syslinux\syslinux.exe --active     \
> >            --directory /downloadedPrograms/syslinux/ --force \
> >            --install --mbr c:
> 
> Why are you using "--force"?
Without --force I get:
    Not a removable drive (use -f to override)
I tried now without --force, and to ignore the suggestion to use -f.
It doesn't seem to work.  Without --force I didn't get the syslinux
version message, nor the output of syslinux's display command.  XP
booted as if the syslinux installation command was not issued.
> 
> > The line, and the contniuation slashes, are for clarity.  In reality
> > it was on a single line.
> >
> 
> >   3. Result:
> > Got a boot: prompt after displaying the cfg file.  But:
> >
> >     boot: xp
> >     Failed to load COM32 file chain.c32
> 
> Do you have any lib*.c32 files around?  Which ones?
The syslinux directory has libcom32.c32, libutil.c32.
> Tried manually loading libgpl.c32?
Loading libgpl.c32 manually doesn't make a change.
> 
> >     boot: memtest
> >     Loading memtest86+.bin... ok
> >     Booting kernel failed: Bad file number
> 
> This works in 6.02-pre16.
> 
  5.01 worked for me in the past.  I can't tell if reinstalling XP
from scratch, or something else, broke it.  I was considering 
installing a newer syslinux version.  But it seems 5.01 is the last
version for which there are premade binaries for XP.  I never built
syslinux from source.  I guess I will have to install the compiler
and dependencies.  Since 5.01 worked for me in the past, I was 
hoping it will be easier to fix.

> Platform: MS XP
> 
>   1. cfg file:
> prompt   1
> timeout  150
> display  /downloadedPrograms/syslinux/syslinux.cfg
> 
> default  xp
> label  xp
>         com32  chain.c32
>         append hd0  1  ntldr=/ntldr
> label  de
>         com32  chain.c32
>         append hd0  2
> label  memtest
>         linux  memtest86+.bin
> label  hello
>         com32  hello.c32
> 
>   2. Installed by
> From xp cmd prompt:
>     c:\downloadedPrograms\syslinux\syslinux.exe --active     \
>            --directory /downloadedPrograms/syslinux/ --force \
>            --install --mbr c:
> The line, and the contniuation slashes, are for clarity.  In reality
> it was on a single line.
> 
>   3. Result:
> Got a boot: prompt after displaying the cfg file.  But:
> 
>     boot: xp
>     Failed to load COM32 file chain.c32
>     boot: memtest
>     Loading memtest86+.bin... ok
>     Booting kernel failed: Bad file number
>     boot: hello
>     Hello, world, from 0x001FA200! malloc return 0x001fb660
 I'd like to suggest a simple change that should ease the situation: 
change the location of SYSLINUX to
 c:\syslinux\ 

instead of having "c:\downloadedPrograms\syslinux\".

This suggestion means that:
1_ all the files related to Syslinux (e.g. the cfg file, the c32 
modules...) should be located under "c:\syslinux\" (.c32 files should 
always match the same version of Syslinux being installed, and don't 
forget to use the lib*.c32 files.) - this should be your first step;

2_ all relevant absolute paths (like the one used in your "display" 
directive in your cfg) shall be edited accordingly (or, 
alternatively, use relative paths);

3_ The new suggested installation command would/should be:
  c:\syslinux\syslinux.exe --force --mbr --active /// 
              --directory /syslinux --install c: 

That's all one command. The "///" slashes are for clarity only.

The command shall be executed with administrator permissions.

Additionally, there is a chance that the specific version of Syslinux 
has some regression bug, so I would suggest trying with the latest 
official testing binaries. For Syslinux 6.xx, the official binaries 
are under respective directories ("/bios/", "/efi32/",
"/efi64").

Regards,
Ady.

On Sun, Sep 15, 2013 at 04:31:09PM +0300, Ady wrote:
> 
> > Platform: MS XP
> > 
> >   1. cfg file:
> > prompt   1
> > timeout  150
> > display  /downloadedPrograms/syslinux/syslinux.cfg
> > 
> > default  xp
> > label  xp
> >         com32  chain.c32
> >         append hd0  1  ntldr=/ntldr
> > label  de
> >         com32  chain.c32
> >         append hd0  2
> > label  memtest
> >         linux  memtest86+.bin
> > label  hello
> >         com32  hello.c32
> > 
> >   2. Installed by
> > From xp cmd prompt:
> >     c:\downloadedPrograms\syslinux\syslinux.exe --active     \
> >            --directory /downloadedPrograms/syslinux/ --force \
> >            --install --mbr c:
> > The line, and the contniuation slashes, are for clarity.  In reality
> > it was on a single line.
> > 
> >   3. Result:
> > Got a boot: prompt after displaying the cfg file.  But:
> > 
> >     boot: xp
> >     Failed to load COM32 file chain.c32
> >     boot: memtest
> >     Loading memtest86+.bin... ok
> >     Booting kernel failed: Bad file number
> >     boot: hello
> >     Hello, world, from 0x001FA200! malloc return 0x001fb660
> 
>  I'd like to suggest a simple change that should ease the situation: 
> change the location of SYSLINUX to
>  c:\syslinux\ 
> 
> instead of having "c:\downloadedPrograms\syslinux\".
> 
> This suggestion means that:
> 1_ all the files related to Syslinux (e.g. the cfg file, the c32 
> modules...) should be located under "c:\syslinux\" (.c32 files
should
> always match the same version of Syslinux being installed, and don't 
> forget to use the lib*.c32 files.) - this should be your first step;
> 
> 2_ all relevant absolute paths (like the one used in your
"display"
> directive in your cfg) shall be edited accordingly (or, 
> alternatively, use relative paths);
> 
> 3_ The new suggested installation command would/should be:
>   c:\syslinux\syslinux.exe --force --mbr --active /// 
>               --directory /syslinux --install c: 
> 
> That's all one command. The "///" slashes are for clarity
only.
> 
> The command shall be executed with administrator permissions.
> 
> Additionally, there is a chance that the specific version of Syslinux 
> has some regression bug, so I would suggest trying with the latest 
> official testing binaries. For Syslinux 6.xx, the official binaries 
> are under respective directories ("/bios/", "/efi32/",
"/efi64").
> 

  I am using 6.01 now.
I tried with a c:\syslinux directory, instead of the longer path I 
tried before.  It is worse then before.  After the syslinux copyright
line, the disk activity led shines steadily.  But noting comes on the
screen.  And nothing else happens.  Eventually I rebooted the machine.
That experience happend several times, after I tried absolute and 
relative paths for the display command.
  I think your instructions tried to be most accurate.  Not leave
something to chance.  I was trying to follow that in my tests.  I
can't tell why for me, a dedicated c:\syslinux directory was behaving
worse then my former, longer path, syslinux directory.